Ross Crain - is next!

[Jack Bennest]

Thanks to Mike, Gord Lansdell and radio fan for making all this info possible.
Below is Ross Crain on right sitting, standing is Gene Kern and sitting left is Dave Abbott



Ross Crain - DJ CKWX Vancouver 1954-55; CJOR Vancouver 1955-56; CKWX 1956-60; CFCF radio/TV Montreal and CFOX Montreal 1960-65; writer/analyst Market Development Department CBS TV Network Sales New York 1966-69; Toronto: Research Director CTV Network 1969-71; Research Director TV Division All Canada Radio and Television Ltd. 1971-74; Marketing Manager BBM and Membership Director/VP Toronto Chapter American Marketing Association 1974-75; Research Director Calendar Magazines 1975-77; Marketing Research Manager The Globe and Mail 1977-79; Project Manager ADCOM Research 1979-80; Project Director Newspaper Marketing Bureau 1980-82; Instructor Marketing Department School of Business Administration Ryerson Polytechnic Institute 1982-83; Professor Business Management Seneca College 1983-97; Vancouver: retired/volunteer textbook recorder Crane Resource Centre Production Unit for the blind and visually impaired UBC Vancouver 1997-current



Mike talks to Ross

[ronrob]

Hey Mike & F. Ross .. thanks so much for 52 minutes of great memories. Ross hosted me several times to the Army-McCarthy hearings while the Wisconsin senator was on his red-baiting tear. The Crain house was in the much more advantageous south slope of Kerrisdale where the Seattle TV signals were more easily received on rooftop antennas. Day after day in the late spring of 1954 the Army-McCarthy hearings were televised live gavel-to-gavel, and one of the networks (was it ABC TV) rebroadcast highlights at night.

Ross has aged much more handsomely than most of us. He`s much better looking today than he was 50-plus years ago! And his memory for detail seems so much sharper than mine. I never before heard how it was that Bill Ward`s Doghouse departed CKWX!

Mike Cleaver, thanks so much for this great nostalgic listening treat.

[BossRadio]

Masterfuly conducted as usual Mike. Mr.Crain is a real gent, possessive of a sly wit, and we are lucky to have his recollections recorded for posterity.

I wonder if he might have recalled Cal George,another WX announcer,who along with Dave,Red and Ross is one of a dwindling breed: a veteran of the Vancouver radio scene during the golden age of rock and roll.

The last time I checked,Cal was golfing in Penticton. Another one for your next interior roadtrip?

br

[Mike Cleaver]

It's amazing.
Almost to a man (as I haven't been able to talk to any women yet,) everyone says after the end of the interview, "Oh, I forgot to talk about so and so or such and such."
It's pretty tough to get a lifetime of memories into an hour or so.
And a lot have great stories that they don't want to tell because the "guilty party" still is alive and they think that person should tell the story.
Hopefully, when Jack gets the interviews set up on his BC Radio History website, those interviewed will be able to add written footnotes and some favourite pictures.
Again, lots of credit should go to Jack, Ted and Gord for their help and support in lining up the interviews, hosting them and providing links on their sites.
The interviews also are going to the newly developing Canadian Radio Broadcast Museum in Toronto, which hopefully will be in the CBC Headquarters building.
But I'll let the principal organizers tell all about that when the time comes.

[cart_machine]

Cal George

BR, there's another great subject. I'd love to hear what Cal has to say, too.

I haven't heard when Ron Robinson is coming over for the baseball Hall of Fame inductions. I understand it's sometime in August.

cArtie.

[Jack Bennest]

I will send an email to Ron and ask him to contact Mike Cleaver. I have looked for Cal but never found him on the street and I don't golf. Will try to set that up when Mike does his Okanagan tour.

Will be a valuable resource once complete.

[cart_machine]

I will send an email to Ron and ask him to contact Mike Cleaver.

Ron's over here on August 7th (Saturday) for the induction ceremony. I would hope his old colleague Jim Robson will be there.

Just about the first thing that pops out of anyone's mouth when talking about the Vancouver Mounties of the 1960s is the re-creation of the games on 'WX, and the amazing accuracy and adroitness in the handling of the sound effects for each broadcast. Ron deserves an awful lot of credit.

cArtie.

[BossRadio]

Cartie,your mention of the recreated WX games brings to mind 60's Vancouver newsie Fred Straw. Fred was my ND at CKOK Penticton,and I can remember him mentioning that he did some baseball game recreations during his time in the Burrard Street studios.

Fred is another veteran Vancouver broadcaster that Mr. Cleaver might think about adding to his list of potential interview-ees.

br

[cart_machine]

Fred Straw was my ND at CKOK Penticton,and I can remember him mentioning that he did some baseball game recreations during his time in the Burrard Street studios.

Fred is another veteran Vancouver broadcaster that Mr. Cleaver might think about adding to his list of potential interview-ees.

You're right, BR. Fred's another good subject. To be honest, I had no idea he was still around as it's been years since I heard his name. And I didn't know he did re-creates; I suspect a bunch of people did them over the years. Brian Brenn was one.

cArtie.

[johnsykes]

Getting back to the subject.....I've written to Ross Crain some few weeks ago....and he actually remembers me and our crew who bugged the hell out of him when he was at CFCF in 1960.....Dial 60 was his show....and he called for songs to be played and suggestions etc. It was a great intro to my job at CKVL in St. Jerome, Que. A great summer was 1960....will never forget it, nor Mr. Crain. A super host on Dial 60.

John Sykes, and my passed on comrades, Ted Blackman, John Demole and Rod Muirhead.

[johnsykes]

Ross, I replied to your personal message...but somehow just rejected. Just to let you know....I really appreciated hearing from you...if you do get your project going...I'll be the first in line to get a copy. Cheers!