With Permission
March 10, 2024
I rarely post on Facebook. And admittedly, I spent the past five, six days pondering whether I should even post this at all. I didn’t want it to be self-serving. But at the same time I wanted to tell a bunch of people how grateful I am to them. So – here goes!
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On Monday, March 4, way back in 1974, I walked into the newsroom at THE greatest radio station in western Canada at the time – 630 CHED. So hard to believe it was 50 years ago I did that. The time has just raced by.
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I mean, I haven’t BEEN at CHED for those 50 years. Had stops at CISN and K-97, and with Vista Radio on Vancouver Island. And – spent nearly 30 years doing public relations and media relations before returning to CHED for the third or fourth time.
Ya know, in my head I’m still 20, 21-years-old. But then I look in the mirror every morning and go: “Oh yeah!!! Not 21 any more…”
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I am so deeply grateful to the mentors I had in those early and formative years when I jumped into the broadcast business.
I got to work alongside, and more importantly learn from the very, very best. I’m not name-dropping here; I just want them and their family members to know how much influence they had on me professionally and personally.
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I had the honour and distinct pleasure of working with and learning from Bob Layton, C.R. Nichols, Eddie Keen, Stan Ravndahl and Gary Bridger. The five people with whom I was teamed up in the newsroom in the basement at the old CHED building on 107 St. and 100 Ave.
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They aren’t the only individuals I want to recognize, though.
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The announcers / disc jockeys all made me feel like I was an important member of the bigger team. Wes Montgomery, Chuck Chandler, Wayne Bryant, Bob McCord, Gord Robison, Len Thuesen, Bruce Bowie, Keith James, Brad Phillips, Ralph Layton, Ken Connors, Glenn Moore, Billy Williams, Kyle Gordon…I’m sure I’ve missed a couple of people…or more.
Huge, huge thank you to Jim McLaughlin for hiring me more than 50 years ago, and of course to Jerry. Jerry Forbes. The person who unendingly encouraged everyone on the team, from reception and admin to the sales people to the copyrighters to the production people. It didn’t matter to Jerry if you were having an off day. He always made everyone feel that they sounded better than ever on his radio station. And that we were all so important to how successful CHED was, and still is to this day.
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Thanks to you all. For helping me live my dream – to work at the station I listened to all day, every day growing up in Edmonton.
Eternally grateful.
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On to the next 50 years…
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