CKGM

[Jack Bennest]

"Greatly enjoyed your series on Montreal's broadcasters of the past - myself being one of them. Radio in the 1950s, 60s and 70s really was a lot of fun and far more entertaining then the formulaic, yackety-yak, joyless, open-line nitwitery we can't get away from now.

One correction. In your March 5 "Where are they now" feature on Doug Pringle, you report CKGM "went on the air in 1969." You are off by a decade. CKGM went on the air in December 1959. I know, I was there, having moved from CJAD after 31/2 years to be there for the birth of a new station.

The first voice the public heard on 980 was that of Dick Varney, a terrific broadcaster. Other on-air originals were Ray Stevens, Bob Washington, Doc Stone, Bill Pring and Bill Dick.

Another CKGM original was Eleanor Boykowich, who has been married for many years to former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow.

Those were great times and certainly better radio."

Bob McDevitt

[kat]

Did part of the story get lost here?

[johnsykes]

Dick Varney was mid-morning man, 10am to 2pm, he came on after Dan Tyler. Wash was 2pm-6 followed by the "Doc". Stone was a pseudonym for Stein...he and Wash were hired from Winnipeg, along with a damned good newsman, Doug Burrows. Doug eventually became morning man after I left. Earl Reidy was one of the newsmen, along with Paul Taylor...can't remember any others. One guy you folks out here should know is a longtime voice at QM in the Maurice Foisy days, David Geddes. Dave and I started at CKGM at the same time.

And the reason why that molotov cocktail was thrown through the window? Another talk-show host I was operating for, called the Israelis bloody murderers for executing Adolf Eichmann. The cleaning lady? a true story.

[Jack Bennest]

John the reason you are not as successful with finding Tom is you are using two R's
in his name

Only one and you will be able to find more about the life and times of Cher ington

borrowed from the late, great local on-air guy, Tom Cherington. "Here is YOUR news."

I have modified both the CKGM and the Tom Cherington threads to keep some order in here.....gee whiz - Top Pooch next to Pluto

[Flash Frizbone]

Montreal radio has always been interesting for some reason theres not many airchecks around..I'm running a Dick Varney 1969 aircheck from CJAD next month..three of my all time favorite Montreal jocks were Ralph Lockwood who did mornings at CKGM..Mal Faris the "Regina" boy who worked there also in the late 60s and later became morning man at Toronto's CKFH and who can forget the amazing British announcer Roger Scott who has sadly passed away.. he was with CFOX-1470 in the late 60s..Hamilton TV Newscaster Dan Mclean also graced the CFOX microphone.

[johnsykes]

Ralph Lockwood did a stint at CFOX before he went to CKGM...he was one of the stars of our basketball team that played the local high school exhibition circuit. Just as funny off-air as on. A couple of other DJ greats from the CKGM 60's era...Charlie Johnson and John Hart. Marge Anthony, who did weather at CFCF-TV left to become the overnight gal on 'GM 64-65'ish. Fun days in radio then.

[PMC]

Reading this thread has been a trip down memory lane...

I remember Dick Varney because he helped me get my lost dog back with an announcement over the air, which was the not the norm... I had the dog with me during a freight train - communter train collision that occured just north of Roxboro in 1960. He made my day, and I was only 14 at the time.

In 1969, Roger Scott was a super guy at CFOX who gave me a tape of George Harrison being interviewed on the pre-release of Abbey Road so that I could use it at a station in Ontario... he had a very sharp wit, and a great announcer.

Anybody know what became of a nice guy named Jim Kidd at CFCF, poetic Paul Reid at CJAD, Dave Patrick at CJAD, also Malcom Charlton that worked CFQR-FM and then went to the FM side of CJAD.

[johnsykes]

PMC...keep checking back here...I've (amazingly) got a couple of friends in the Montreal biz. I'll do some checking for you.

[johnsykes]

Another amazing thing about radio in the 60's.....all the ads for cigarettes. I was sponsored by Rothmans...I had a station wagon with CKGM and Rothmans splashed across the sides and back....a yellow flasher on the roof...and the bzack of the wagon filled each month with cartons of Cigs. I had to give out the cartons to those who helped with news stories I reported on. My microphone also has a Rothmans flash on it. Other stations, CBC and CFCF-TV in particular, used to fume about that.

I quit smoking two and a half years ago....cold turkey...on New Years Eve....to that point, I was a Rothmans man all the way...

Funny thing, when I was reporting on a late night story, we had to be careful...Barry King was our overnight jock...sponsored all the way by Craven A I believe it was.

If only a brewery had been my sponsor!!!

[PMC]

PMC...keep checking back here...I've (amazingly) got a couple of friends in the Montreal biz.  I'll do some checking for you.

Thanks John, I have not been back to Montreal since the mid 70's and then it was only for a few days. I know Gord Sinclair Jr, was at CJAD after CFOX, and that he died a couple of years ago... Gord was the first radio announcer that I met, when he did live audience radio shows at CFCF in the mid 50's.

My mother worked at CFCF for a couple of years, but I can't tell you what she did there... it had many staff that were not broadcast types. I only remember going to the live studios when there was a school holiday, for something to do. I would watch the producers and operators do their thing

This experience was what got me interested in radio, however when I started in the biz, the entire concept was completely different. I believe the concept of radio will continue to evolve with the technology.

[johnsykes]

I hate to bring news like this...but here are the results from my buddy in Montreal.


Jim Kidd (not familiar with the name)
Paul Reid (passed away)
Dave Patrick (passed away)
Malcolm Charlton (as of recently was working at the Corus all-news station in Montr?al, 940 News)
George Balcan (passed away)
Gord Sinclair (passed away)
Ted Blackman (passed away)

Malcolm Charlton (as of recently was working as news editor and commentator at the Corus all-news station in Montr?al, 940 News


I added a few names because I thought you would know who they were. Ted Blackman and I grew up in Rosemere, just north of Montreal....we were best friends until he died three years ago.

Bill Roberts, ex morning man at CJAD was my next door neighbour in Rosemere. Not sure if he's around any more either. I do remember Paul Reid....he was on evenings before I came out to Vancouver in 1969. What a gorgeous voice....the ladies were known to swoon when he spoke.

Anyway, here you are.

[PMC]

I hate to bring news like this...but here are the results from my buddy in Montreal.

Jim Kidd (not familiar with the name)
Paul Reid (passed away)
Dave Patrick (passed away)
George Balcan (passed away)
Gord Sinclair (passed away)
Ted Blackman (passed away)

Malcolm Charlton (as of recently was working as news editor and commentator at the Corus all-news station in Montr?al, 940 News

Jim Kidd was the PD at CFCF in 1968. He was known for having a record collection that was similar to Jack Cullen's.

Dave Patrick was with John Lennon and Yoko at the QE hotel when they did their in bed for peace bit, and it was one of his many times when he related to his audience.

Paul Reid was the poet with the voice, and the audience numbers I saw for him were large... three hundred thousand plus, mostly women listening to him recite and play mellow music... or play a christmas tune in July when it was 9:30pm and 90 F degrees in the streets and burbs of Montreal... one night he played Me & Bobbie Mcgee atleast a dozen times consecutively... and the audience only grew larger.

I remember George Balcan, Bill Roberts too. As George Harrison sang, all things must pass...

I will see if I can find an e-mail address for Malcolm.

Thanks for the info

[johnsykes]

In the late 50's and early 60's....there was a CBC-TV show...Your Hit Parade. The stars were Joyce Hahn and Wally Koster...two singers who were fine in singing the old style of music....certainly not when rock and roll came to the forefront. Co-incidentally, CKGM came on air in December of 1959, and a year later, I joined the station. A guy who helped me to no end was the chief engineer...none other than Don Hahn, Joyce's younger brother. Don stayed with the station for about three years before he was snapped up by a top recording studio in New York.I don't think he was known much longer as Joyce Hahn's brother, more like Joyce became known as Don's older sister.

Another snippet from the past.