Happy 50 CJIB

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Around Your Radio Dial—TONIGHT
By DICK DIESPECKER [Daily Province, Aug. 31, 1950]
BANANA BELT STATION
Up in the sunny Okanagan there is a brash young radio station, just three years old, which claims among other things to be the fastest growing station in B.C. Its call letters are CJIB and it is in the city of Vernon. While its title as fastest growing station might very well be challenged by CKDA, Victoria, it nevertheless is a healthy and bouncing baby as radio stations ho.
CJIB first went on the air in autumn of 1947, and after a few difficulties, began to forge ahead about a year ago. While some of its claims to fame are a bit on the enthusiastic side, there is no doubt it is doing a good job and giving the other interior stations more than a run for their money. It is filling what has been a bad gap in B.C. by releasing CBC Dominion Network programs.
Ever since the CBC set up the Dominion Network, there has been considerable complaint because it had three stations here at the coast, CJOR (the key station); CJVI, Victoria, and CHWK, Chilliwack. There was nothing between here and Calgary. Now, with CJIB, Vernon, added to the network, the gay is not quite as wide and people in the Okanagan are able to hear a lot of good network shows like The Leslie Bell Singers, Album of Familiar Music, Club Fifteen, Harmony House, Contented Hour, Chuckwagon, Ford Theatre and the Friday night fights from New York.
CJIB was originally planned for cover large sections of the North Okanagan Valley which were pretty well left out in the cold. Now, places like Salmon Arm, Enderby, Armstrong and Lumby call CJIB theirs as much as Vernon does.
It takes 11 people to man CJIB. Manager is Howard Thompson, who began his radio career in 1936 as a free lance sports announcer in Saskatchewan. In 1939 he joined the staff of CKCK, Regina as an announcer, operator and writer. Later he became promotion manager, then joined the commercial department. In 1945 he went to Toronto where he free lanced for a while, doing considerable work on CFRB in such shows as Soldier’s Wife and Big Town. Then he moved to CHML, Hamilton. Mr. Thompson joined the commercial department of CJIB in 1949 and May 1 this year became station manager.
Production manager Don McGibbon started out as a newspaper reporter on the Peterborough Examiner. Then he joined CFQC as a newscaster in 1946. He came to B.C. and joined the staff of CJIB in 1947 and was made program director in 1948.
News editor Stan Jones started as a feature newscaster at CFCF, Montreal, and later at CKEY, Toronto.
Women’s Editor Dagmar Kirkpatrick started with CJIB even before it had a licence. She first was secretary and traffic manager, then took on continuity writing and operating.
Other members of the staff are Traffic Manager Aileen Farmer, Announcer Ray Jobling, Promotion Manager Michael Aeyrs, Continuity Writer Enid Meston, Writer-Announcer Isabel Buffum, Salesman John Crofton and Chief Engineer Loren O. “Pop” Merriman.
As if the case with most small community stations, most of these people have to double in brass, and program directors and promotion managers probably are on the air as often as any announcer. But like the country weekly newspapers, such radio stations would be difficult to get along without.
TONIGHT’S BEST BETS
6;00 p.m.—Suspense, CJOR, CBR, KIRO (Pat O’Brien in “True Report”).
6:30 p.m.—Duffy’s Tavern, KOMO; Glover’s Lane, CBR; Crime Photographer, KIRO.
7:30 p.m.—Beach Party, CJOR; Showtime, CKNW; Cisco Kid, CKWX.
8:00 p.m.—Open House, CKMO; Amateur Hour, KJR; Musicale with Jack Bristow, CBR.
8:30 p.m.—Aldrich Family, KOMO; Kostelanetz Concert, CKWX; Kesten and Fletcher, CBR.
9:30 p.m.—Crime Fighters, CKWX; Beulah, KIRO; The Stars Sing, KOMO.
10:15 p.m.—Racing Highlights [with Jack Short], CJOR.