Longtime Vancouver radio head dies Vancouver Sun Tuesday, August 19, 2008 VANCOUVER -- Former CJOR Vancouver personality and program director Vic Waters died Tuesday, the Northwest Broadcasters website reported.
Waters was 89 and unique among broadcasters, in that he only ever worked at one radio station.
He was a wireless operator, engaged to copy Trans Radio news for CJOR and the Chicago Daily News Foreign Service for The Daily Province in 1939.
He was a studio operator/announcer at CJOR in 1941 and 1942, breaking for duty in the Canadian Army from 1942 to '46.
He returned to CJOR following the war and later became program director. He retired from radio in 1969. He became a member of the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame Starwalk at the Orpheum in 1998 and a member of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Half Century Club in 2002. There will be no service by his request.
“I started in radio in 1938. I was taking a wireless-telegraphy course at Sprott-Shaw School on Robson Street and was asked by an instructor as to whether I could copy Morse code at 35 words per minute and I said yes. I was needed.
My first duty was to go to the transmitter site of CJOR at Sea Island and listen to the Trans-Radio Press circuit and type the copy. The idea was that CJOR wanted to be first with unchallenged accuracy in its reporting of what was going on in the world. The copy was couriered by motorcycle to the Howe Street studios for Dick Diespecker’s 8 o’clock morning news broadcast. Prior to this time, CJOR would get its news from a station CKCD owned by The Vancouver Daily Province. One of the important chores linked to my job was that I first turned the transmitter on at 5:45 am under instruction from Engineer Bud Seabrooke.
I only worked at one station, which is uncommon in the broadcast field. I came through the front door meeting the likes of Dorwin Baird, Diespecker and Ross Mortimer - all were announcers and involved in current affairs.”
He worked with Bernie Braden, Andrew Allen, Charles Hovey, Dal Richards, and Al Jordan. Hector McKay was a named with fondness, well known in the copy writing world. Waters talked a lot about those first two years of 1938-1939 as if they were yesterday telling the story of Laddy Whatkis, the bookkeeper who used that name and others on CJOR including Margaret May, the pianist and Mrs. Fennell.
After WW2 broke out Waters enlisted and served 4 years. He returned to what he knew best. Waters was asked about the Chandler Family – owners of the station and he responded that Art Chandler was the chief engineer and George ran the business side until his death and then his wife, Marie took that role. He said the Chandlers were gentile. He talked fondly about Cardo Smalley and his violin program and the talented blind pianist Ronnie Mathews. He said in those days no recorded music was allowed to be played between 7:30 and 11pm – so the station had entertaining programs through the evening.
Waters says the station built the CJOR Radio Theatre across the street from the Grosvenor Hotel that could handle a 16-piece orchestra and many broadcasts were made from that location including ones transmitted over the Dominion Network of the CBC.
“I held most positions within the production side of radio, studio operator, news editor, engineer, program director, talk show host, and announcer.
Quietly he has a lot of respect for Red Robinson. He hired him first.
I remember once being the operator to Pat Burns who was doing a telephone talk show. This lady caller asked Burns if he had been born on a farm. He said no. She asked was Vic Waters born on a farm. The answer was no again and Burns asked why this particular question. She responded that she had never heard so much bull manure (or words to that effect) in her entire life.” So a delay system had to be invented. It was the birth of modern talk radio.
In 1969 Waters retired. Ownership had changed. His day of doing everything for that one station was over. He had been the glue for nearly thirty years. Vic was a great deal happier when he arrived home to see Thelma.
WATERS Vic Long-time Vancouver Radio Broadcaster and B. C. Entertainment Hall of Fame member Vic Waters died peacefully with his wife Thelma at his side on August 19, 2008. Born Charles Victor Waters on September 9, 1918, Vic was the youngest of 4 children born to William James Waters and Enid Vivian Ramage. Vic grew up in Grandview, and was well known for his theatrical performances at Britannia High School. From his early teens, Vic had a strong interest in "The Magic of Radio", and earned his Amateur Radio License and set up his own amateur radio station, VE5QH. He remained an avid "Ham" throughout his life. Vic began his broadcasting career at pioneering radio station CJOR as a technician and operator. Soon, he was a wireless operator copying the news services for the radio station and the Vancouver Province newspaper. With the advent of World War II, Vic became an on-air personality at CJOR, until he too left to join the service in 1942. Vic was a member of the Canadian Army, Special Wireless Group Number One, and was stationed in Darwin Australia from 1944 to 1946. After the war, he returned to CJOR, where he became one of Vancouver's best-known announcers. He worked at CJOR as a disk jockey, program director and talk-show host until he retired in 1969. While he was at CJOR, Vic became a mentor to several young Vancouver Broadcasters, among them Red Robinson, Frosty Forst, and Fred Latremouille. He later joined Premier Cablevision where he, set up one of the first community television channels in Canada, pioneering locally-produced live television in Vancouver. During his retirement years, Vic was actively involved in community service, and enjoyed traveling, family affairs, music, and lawn bowling. In addition to Thelma, his wife of 67 years, Vic is survived by their two children, Rick and Laura, and by grandchildren Catherine, Michael, Paul, and Emily, and by 5 great grandchildren. At Vic's request, there will be no service, but Vic loved a party, and a sharing of memories and celebration of his life for family and friends will take place on Friday, September 5 from 5 PM to 8PM, at 3692 Quesnel Drive in Vancouver. "If there's a microphone in heaven, you can be sure Vic will grab it!"
Obituary published in the Vancouver Sun and/or The Province on 8/21/2008
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