Mystery Radio Building

[Neumann Sennheiser]

I remember clearly even now; 1974, sitting at that bus stop (..just a bench then..no glass and steel shelter) past midnight waiting for the last 4th Avenue Brill electric trolley of the night after practicing operating the board for the late evening jock, Russ Tyson I think, learning the mechanics so I could start working the all night show.
I remember sitting waiting for that bus, turning my head again and again to look up at the huge vertical blue and white electric 14CFUN sign virtually right next to the bench and thinking: I can't believe I am actually working here!

[Tape Splicer]

NS (love the name, two great high quality mic's); It would appear that this is becoming a "I remember how the "radio bug" bit me" post, which is great. It would be interesting to know how radio became a passion in our lives perhaps in a new posting ... One does pinch ones self when a dream comes true. whether by chance, good luck, or hard work it is still a dream fulfilled.

[J Kendrick]

Not many old radio station buildings become a Blockbuster store then a Salvation Army Thrift Store ..
That's what has become of the old FUN House at 4th and Cypress in Vancouver ..

... and the few that don't finally become thrift stores.. will end up being a Pizza Hut instead.

... the former CFPR for example...

[Anotherwpgguy]

Not many old radio station buildings become a Blockbuster store then a Salvation Army Thrift Store ..

That's what has become of the old FUN House at 4th and Cypress in Vancouver ..

Like Neumann, I have very vivid memories of my 5 years of working in that building, the fantastic talent, the colourful personalities, the laughs, surviving the excesses, and the accomplishments in the marketplace as we transitioned from being CKVN to "14 C-FUN."

When I decided to add to this thread, there are three instances which come to mind, all involve waiting at the front door of the station.

The first was when Chuck McCoy let me leave the organization to chase my dream of becoming a Commercial Pilot. The wonderful staff had given me a great going-away party, I was lets say "tipsy," and was standing at the front door waiting for a cab to take me to the airport to fly away to the city where Pave and I first met 6 or 7 years previously. It was raining, and as I stood there, I was full of emotion, but above all was the question "Am I doing the right thing?" The cab came, I got in, watched 1900 West 4th, until I couldn't see it any more, as if I were leaving the most intense love of my life. Then I was off to another phase living.

About 18 months later, I was back at C-FUN with my licence, and various ratings including an Instructor rating and roughly 700 hours flying time. I'd been very busy. Chuck had been good to his promise to take me back as soon as I was able to manage it, and I had worked out a schedule where I was going to work at C-FUN in the morning til just after lunch, then go to Vancouver International and work as a Flight Instructor until sunset, augmented by teaching Private Pilot and Commercial Pilot Groundschool in the classroom three times a week in the evenings. Often, I'd be flying on the weekends too. It was a pretty gruelling schedule to be working 2 full-time jobs .... but both were super-exciting, and I was young and healthy. That was a time of my life where I had the world by the tail. Life was not just good, it was superb.

The next story about the front door of that building is very similar to the first. As my flying schedule became more physically gruelling, I became fatigued and whipped by the 2 full-time jobs schedule. Even the positive reinforcement of working with people like Neumann, Hagopian, Brother Benson, Tom Lucas, Darryl B, John Rhode, etc wasn't enough to compenate for 18 months of 18 hour days. I had been offerred a job in Victoria, flying on floats in the harbour to harbour scheduled service on a four day on, four day off schedule. I was "to the bone" tired, and that four days off each week seemed highly attractive.

So after much discussion with my trusted friends and the advice of Chuck McCoy who once again told me I could come back and he'd be delighted to have me return, I gave my official notice, managed to convince the staff to throw another going-away party for me, and after it was over, had called a cab. That was another rainy afternoon. Its funny how some memories can be so vivid .... as I stood there in the doorway watching for the taxi, I clearly recalled the last time I'd done the same thing, and concluded I'd finally reached an answer to my question in time number one .... "Did I do the right thing by leaving for my Commercial Pilot Licence?" ....answer ... "Yes, I had." The cab arrived, I ran out to minimize the number of seconds in the rain, and hopped into the hack to take me to my full-time work as a pilot. Little was I to know at the time, there was a very good reason for four days off .... in that crummy west coast weather, pilots needed the break to avoid going off the deep end. Frankly, it was highly dangerous, and I'm fortunate to have survived that job.

In Brentwood Bay, I split a house with a radio friend .... John Gryde, who was working at CKDA, while hoping something would open up in Vancouver. So after I got rested up, PD Bob Morris offerred me part-time at CKDA. I took it because I can't resist a control room with a microphone. I also couldn't resist the knock-out gorgeous blonde copywriter Charmaine Cooper, and we became "an item." When we moved back to Vancouver, she would work at CFUN as Creative Director. So once again, I was often seen wandering the halls of 1900 West 4th and in close touch with all of "the folks." Then came the job offer to work in the Yukon for a few months of summer contract flying ... I took it. That short term became almost 3 years. Char joined me, taking a job at CKRW in news to be with me. Of course, I couldn't stay away from being on-air any more than a chronic alcoholic can resist the offer of a free beer. I did Saturday night 6 to midnight, and had a ball doing and playing anything I pleased. It was a throwback to my early days of radio with total freedom to drag in a stack of records and put together a radio show.

Jump into the time machine and now skip to roughly 1980 something. By now, after quite a few years of mastering diverse areas of aviation, including being General Manager of a small 15 airplane airline, I was working for the Federal Govt as a Dept of Transport Civil Aviation Inspector with a specialty in multi-engine instrument flying, and I was one of the eight to ten pilots in the working group that set pilot performance standards for the country. I was in Vancouver for a conference, and of course made contact with the staff at CFUN because I just can't stay away from radio and radio people. I'm one of the terminally afflicted.

I was invited to the station to "hang out" .... so I spent the entire day wandering the halls, talking to people .... I specifically recall spending quite a bit of time that day with Neumann, sitting in during his shift. That afternoon I was offerred the opportunity to come back to CFUN once again ... on a part-time basis. If I could transfer to the Vancouver office of Transport Canada, I could come back and do anything I wanted to whatever depth of involvement I wanted. I was highly flattered, and on top of the world to hear that I was still welcomed into the CHUM organization whenever I wanted to return. It was like dangling a jam buster in front of a hungry man. I wanted it, .... really, really badly. But another voice in my head said, "No, that's another time and place."

After a great afternoon with buddies, in a building I knew every nook and cranny, it came time to leave. I called a cab, stood at the door, and strangely enough, it was raining again. Then it was a moment of strong and vivid recollection. I thought of the first time I'd left, and it had been the right decision, the second time I'd left, and it too was the correct decision. Now, as I stood there in a nice suit, conservative-looking gray overcoat, with a stable well paying job of considerable professional importance, I decided it was the right decision to decline the offer to return. The cab came, I hopped in, and this time didn't look back.

There would be another phase to my radio ventures though, a big one. I'll save that for another time.

I sure miss it though..... there is still a lot of life left, and who knows what siren call will entice me into the deep?

All the best to my friends and colleauges at "14 C-FUN." I remember you fondly.

Now, I'm known as just "Anotherwpgguy"

[hagopian]

Thanks for my winger from Wpg for the wonderful CFUN stories.

I have trouble seeing 1900 West 4th as a bed bug store. When I drive by, my heart sinks, but the love is still hovering.

The people that I worked with in this building left me with more memories than I could even begin to write here.

So - I have (believe it or not) been given the chance to write a book - an editor in Toronto has expressed interest.

This was a special place. I was there with the cast of characters named, and there were some not only incredibly talented - but also wonderful people.

Clara Carotenuto (*our Music Director) Robin Hagenbuck, Production, Curtis Staples, John Rode, Russ Tyson, Nueumann Sennheiser (a particularly fine man, and one I admire tremendously), our pal from Winnipeg, Freddy, Jim Hault, Tom Larscheid (*BC Lions broadcasts), Merv Connelly, Buzz Leboe, Cathy Baldazzi, Boom Boom Benson, JJ Richards, Susan Booker, Russ "Too Loud " McCloud (*a real gem) and so many more. J. Robert, Ski, and of course my personal favourite Chuck McCoy (you talk about a straight up guy).

It goes on and on.

Funny how fast it all goes.

Thanks for the memories.

Look for the book. I will let you know if we get anywhere!

[Muzik]

Very nice to read all these memories. I honestly enjoy this thread and all I can do is dream of all the Good memories of the superb talent at 14 CFUN the station I grew up listening to.I remember visiting Russ McCloud and Jack Casey sitting in that Control room thinking I truely can't believe I am here.I visited 1900 West 4th avenue everytime I was in town.This was even after I had started my own radio career.The feeling,the magic and the whole thought such a Powerhouse 14 CFUN was is amazing. The night pattern skipped across Western Canada at night making it like a local station in Cities like Saskatoon,Edmonton,Calgary and even into Manitoba. I even picked up the signal in Montana and further into the U.S. as well.
And it all originated from that little building on the corner of west 4th ave and cypress in Kitsilano.At least I still have airchecks to listen back to that era in Great Radio.

[Anotherwpgguy]

Muzik:

Thanks for reminding about the signal. When I was on-air in the evening, or when I started at CKVN doing the all-night show, I used to commonly receive request calls from Northern BC, all over Alaska from the panhandle to the north slope, and the Yukon. Every now and then, there would be a signal report arrive in the mail from Scandanavia or even as far south as central Europe. Being a technical type, and long time radio operator, that stuff was right in the centre lane of my personal interests.

It wasn't until I moved to Whitehorse that I realized just what a powerhouse signal CFUN had from the excellent ground conductivity of the salt water delta marsh area north of Boundary Bay. During the winter months, CFUN was the first signal to open the band at about 3 in the afternoon, and continue all night until almost the end of Jim Hault's show. Without exaggeration, an hour after band opening, it's skywave signal had a far better carrier to noise ratio than the local stations of CKRW and the CBC. The only thing that would interfere was an Aurora display. Then you may as well be trying to send a signal through a mile of lead, the radio would be dead from the broadast band through the HF ham bands .... dead, dead, dead. Groundwave signals only.

Summer, with virtually 24 hour daylight, it was a different matter. I felt cut off from the outside world when I couldn't listen to my friends "Brother" Benson, and Tom Lucas in the evenings as I would be driving around, and while flying, unless I needed it for navigation to augment map reading and dead-reckoning, I'd always have the aircraft ADF tuned to 1410 and feeding the headset. Again, as I write this stuff, I remember one time listening to Peter while I was flying, and hearing him play Boz Scaggs - "Lowdown." My feet were tapping on the rudder pedals during the "Baby's into runnin' round, hanging with the crowd, putting your business in the street, talking out loud .... ," and I realized I'd been swinging the tail of the airplane around in rhythm to the tune. While they never said anything, the passengers had a rather funny look on their faces.

Excellent thread folks.

Thanks.

[jon]

Yes, when CFUN went 50,000 watts in the late '60s, they got this great two tower pattern with a tight null to the South East that sent lots of power to the North and anything North of due East. Since I moved to Edmonton in 1975, I've met a lot of people who listened to CFUN in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

I used to listen to Fred Latrimouille as I drove to work in the morning, and well remember his morning shows done from China with the winning listeners who went with him. Early 1989, I think.

[hagopian]

I should also have mentioned Tom "The Luker" - Lucas among me favs.

Yes - we knew that CFUN was special, and no one that worked there ever did anything but kick butt.

When we went "Light Rock - no jock"- that was the end of the real Rock era at CFUN.

Think about the crew - Bob Merchant - *what a guy - all of them - Ron Carbine - heck even "Hollywood and Vine".

(*Let's not go there, I like Ferger and let's let sleeping dogs lay).

I can relate to my pal from Winnipeg - I was heading off to a new life in a far region after many years at CFUN.

As I shook Neil Gallagher's hand, and stepped onto the front balcony (*not in the rain) - I couldn't believe that I had so many years with so many great people. When the cab pulled away, it was the last time I ever saw the CFUN sign. I lived out of country for a long time.

When I saw it had become a thrift store, I about fell over.

Memories. TONS.

Daryl B. deserves the Gold star among the firmament of radio. Wherever you are right now my friend - thanks for being part of the CFUN legend - (*to know him was to love him - supposedly hard shell - he was a sweetheart and very kind...if you behaved

[Neumann Sennheiser]

Daryl B. deserves the Gold star among the firmament of radio. Wherever you are right now my friend - thanks for being part of the CFUN legend - (*to know him was to love him - supposedly hard shell - he was a sweetheart and very kind...if you behaved

..AND stayed outta trees!
That was a deal-breaker.

Seriously, that MONSTER signal at night. Wow!
I still have postcards from New Zealand and Kwajalein Island in the South Pacific.
Regular calls every night from Montana, Spokane and Saskatchewan.

[Muzik]

Hey Anotherwpgguy..good description of the engineering side of things.I would have loved to see the TX tower site configuration. Made the mighty 1410 CFUN a .05 night pattern signal strength for many miles.
And speaking of legends Newmann, Remember the other sign off 's like Rockin Russ to loud McCloud..."That's gonna put a lid on it" or Tom Lucas The Lucer...."Thank Ya all, BYE!
Man do I miss 70's radio!!!