Broadcaster, Online Publisher, Historian, and Friend
June 1947 – June 2025
We are saddened to share the unexpected passing of Michael Easton, the founder of Puget Sound Radio and Easton Spectator. Mike leaves behind a lasting legacy in the broadcasting world and beyond.
A Lifelong Voice in Western Canadian Broadcasting
Known to Radio audiences as “Mighty Mike Easton”, Mike’s journey through the radio industry began over six decades ago. From his early years as an announcer and producer with CKDA and CFMS-FM Victoria in the mid-60s, to on-air roles at CJVI Victoria (1967-72) and CHEK-TV Victoria (1968-70), Mike’s voice became a familiar one to thousands of listeners.
He later brought his talents to CJJC Langley, CJCA-FM Edmonton, and CKPG Prince George. In 2006, he returned to his broadcasting roots by founding Puget Sound Radio, a hub of radio industry news, community, and commentary that became a cornerstone of Western Canadian and Pacific Northwest media coverage for professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Easton Spectator
Mike founded Easton Spectator in 2017 to be a venue for alternative media, exposing propaganda and corruption, so viewers could see what is really happening.
Mike’s vision and passion attracted respect for Easton Spectator and a big audience. The site was quoted by many significant names in online media.
Mike would want this included:
If you believe we are on a globe, watch this video in Mike’s memory (there are only 200 proofs in this video)
Guardian of Industry Memory
Mike could be a tough character: sharp-edged, opinionated, and unafraid to ruffle feathers. But beneath that exterior was a deep commitment to the people and history of broadcasting. Through PSR, he chronicled station moves, career shifts, industry news, and media obituaries that might otherwise have slipped through the cracks.
He gave a platform to the forgotten corners of the business, honoured voices from radio’s golden years, and kept tabs on the evolving media landscape in Western Canada. His work helped preserve an essential part of our cultural record.
A Legacy That Endures
Mike’s legacy lies not only in the stations he worked for, but in the stories he fought to document. Whether you knew him personally, followed his commentary, or simply read his site to keep up with the latest changes in the business – his presence was felt.
He leaves behind a unique and lasting contribution to Canadian broadcasting history.
Mike will be greatly missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and his audience.
We invite readers, friends, and colleagues to share their memories of Michael in the comments below.
Rest easy, Mike – and thank you for keeping the signal going.
Well……crap. Very sorry to hear this; Mike was a good friend of our family – I’d known him as a kid when he and dad were at CHEK TV.
After my dad, who also worked previously for several years at CJVI, left CHEK and his signature show Club 6 to move over as PD at Victoria Cablevision in 1970, Mike bravely assumed the helm and hosted the show until 1971.
As readers on this site know he was opinionated beyond measure, occasionally snarly, and waaaay over on the political Right; in recent years he and I clashed more than once, to the point he un-friended me three times on Facebook only to later profusely apologize and re-friend me each time, lol. Seeya Mike, happy trails and say Hi to dad for me…..
Sad news indeed. Michael certainly struck his own chord in life…a huge supporter of our industry…and definitely he was very kind and supportive of me…over many years. Very sorry to hear this today!
RIP Mike. You will be missed.
Michael Easton PARKSVILLE – Born and raised in Victoria, Michael knew at a very early age he belonged behind the mic, and at 12 years old, he built a closed circuit radio station in his folks basement which at its peak had about a dozen homes hooked up in the neighbourhood. This story made the local Daily Colonist, as well as the CBC National, when it ran at 11PM local time. His first professional job in radio, was at CKDA’s new FM station CFMS as operator, music programming, and soaking up as much as he could about the business. A year later he moved over to CKDA taking over all nights. Another year later, he was hired by CJVI to do a request and dedication show on Saturday nights. Later, at CHEK TV in Victoria he took on switcher/booth announcer as well as hosting a popular teen dance show call Club Six. Michael also worked for Ernie Mykete at CKAY in Duncan. After a season with CJCA FM in Edmonton it was back to Beautiful British Columbia at CKPG in Prince George and a stop over at CJJC in Langley, BC. In 2006 Michael took over the website [Puget Sound Radio], a media based website serving the broadcast community across Canada and the Pacific Northwest. In 2017 he launched another website [Easton Spectator, Connecting the dots] this one dealing with stories which rarely, if ever make it to mainstream media