Morning Men, 1949

[cart_machine]

Around Your Radio Dial – Tonight
By DICK DIESPECKER (Vancouver Daily Province Radio Director)
[Tuesday, September 6, 1949]
Perhaps I should have called this column today “Department of Disillusionment.” A lot of radio listeners have an idea that the radio personalities they hear on the air, (a) receive fabulous salaries; (b) drive expensive cars, and (c) live on caviar and champagne.
Perhaps they think like this because of what they have read about American radio personalities like Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Arthur Godfrey and Martin Block, the original “disk jockey.” These men do indeed make fabulous amounts of money and most of them live in the style to which most of us would like to become accustomed. But once you cross the border into Canada, the picture changes.
In Toronto, there are a few $25,000 a year men, but you can count them on the fingers of one hand even if you have the normal amount of fingers.
In Vancouver, the Gee Gee Man, that early morning zany who has been corning up the air for 12 years on CJOR does have a beautiful home in West Vancouver, a Packard car and a private airplane. But he is an exception.
Billy Browne, the Daddy of them all, who runs three disc spinning shows on two stations (CJOR and CKWX) boasts the greatest collection of old records in this part of the world, and takes a pride in his modest garden.
Bill Rea, who runs the Rangers Cabin on CKNW, also owns the station. If he is well fixed, it is because he is an astute businessman, and not because he is a radio personality.
Laurie Irving is a hard working program director at CKWX and the only time I have ever seen him eating caviar is when I eat it . . . when it is being supplied free at a cocktail party.
Reo Thompson and Cal George of CKWX may appear to the listener to have glamourous jobs when they are heard on their own programs or as masters of ceremonies on stage-radio presentations. But the sad fact is that they also have to work for a living as announcers . . . and occasionally as control room operators.
And that does not end the list by any means. You can go on and on. Dorwin Baird, “The Man in the House,” is an announcer, operator, production manager, etc., etc . . . all of which boils down to 12 hours work a day to make a living. Bob Tweedy of “Rodeo Rhythm” and Bill Ward at the “Dog House” are both salesman [sic], even Bill Herbert of CBR doesn’t escape the odd announcing shift and the same goes for Wally Garrett and Don Wilson of CKMO.
So you see, like some four hundred thousand other inhabitants of this beautiful city . . . radio personalities here work hard for their money, and the great majority of them have no need to hire a corps of experts to figure out their income tax.

[Jack Bennest]

Around Your Radio Dial – Tonight

Bill Rae, who runs the Rangers Cabin on CKNW, also owns the station. If he is well fixed, it is because he is an astute businessman, and not because he is a radio personality.

I trust you JB but did Dick have his spellin wrong. This is a common error
which I try to correct as soon as possible. It's Bill Rea.

Dick worked with Bill in the dungeon so the error may have been made by the typesetter.



Great article and tanks for it.

[kat]

I trust you JB but did Dick have his spellin wrong. This is a common error
which I try to correct as soon as possible. It's Bill Rea.

Picky Picky Picky ... geez doggie, don't be so freakin' anal, it's not a typo or a spelling error, it's just a vowel movement!

[Jack Bennest]

lol

[Neumann Sennheiser]

In Toronto, there are a few $25,000 a year men,

Anyone possess a formula to convert this from 1949 to 2007 dollars; just get a real idea of what 25 G is in today's money?

[Steve Sanderson]

In Toronto, there are a few $25,000 a year men,

Anyone possess a formula to convert this from 1949 to 2007 dollars; just get a real idea of what 25 G is in today's money?

Well Neumann...Since you asked!
If in (year)1949
I bought goods or services for $ 25000
then in (year)2007
the same goods or services would cost $216701.68

http://www.minneapolisfed.org/research/data/us/calc/

[cart_machine]

Around Your Radio Dial – Tonight

Bill Rae, who runs the Rangers Cabin on CKNW, also owns the station. If he is well fixed, it is because he is an astute businessman, and not because he is a radio personality.

I trust you JB but did Dick have his spellin wrong.

It's likely me, TD, as I transcribed it in a hurry while working on something else.

I just found it interesting how radio salaries haven't gone up at all in about 60 years.

cArtie.

[Jack Bennest]

To be fair aCartie we don't know how low salaries were in 1949 as the article speaks only to the lucky few broadcasters making $25,000.
which translates to $229,303.28 in loonies.
I used a canadian calculator thinking that might make a difference:

http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/rates/inflation_calc.html


I generally use the 10 rule:
if your car is worth 20,000 it would have been bought at about 2000
if your house is worth 200,000 it would have been bought at about
20,000 in 1960. The calculator idea with all of the CPI changes is best
for an accurate reading in any year.

[cart_machine]

To be fair aCartie we don't know how low salaries were in 1949

You mean you weren't working in the business then?

Btw, is the "Gee Gee" man that Dick's referring to Ross Mortimer or Vic Waters? My guess would be the former.

cArtie.

[Jack Bennest]

Jack Gordon - Aka Colin Fitzgerald; as The GG Man mornings CJOR Vancouver time on air unknown




To quote Bill Hughes - "Jack you and I are the only two people in the
room that know or care about this stuff."


aCartie we don't have much on Gordon/Fitzgerald/GG man so if you
find it we shall publish it.

[cart_machine]

aCartie we don't have much on Gordon/Fitzgerald/GG man so if you find it we shall publish it.

Dog Almighty, what kind of historian are you if I do all your work?

See the post in the people index.

cArtie.

[doodles]

is the reference to Billy Browne about senior or JR?

I'm assuming it's senior if it was '49?

[cart_machine]

is the reference to Billy Browne about senior or JR?
I'm assuming it's senior if it was '49?

Indeed it is, Doodles.

Incidentally, this is one of Dick's better columns from a local standpoint. He seems to have spent more time commenting on national (American and Canadian shows) and little time on local ones. I have yet to see him do a lot of biographical stuff or information on comings and goings on the Vancouver scene, which is what I'm more interested in. Instead, I read him bashing Jack Benny's 1949 season opener which many Benny fans today consider one his best shows.

There's a fine column he did on Eric Whitehead's radio career which I'm hoping to transcribe when I find the time. I hadn't realised Eric did any radio work until I read it.

cArtie.