When did CKMO/C-FUN leave Robson Street?

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When did CKMO/C-FUN leave Robson Street?

Postby YesterDaze » Thu Aug 27, 2009 12:12 pm

Was CKMO located in the Sprott-Shaw School building on Robson? What was the address, 812 Robson? That was where Jack Cullen started his incredible career. I wonder if Wilf Ray can tell us which came first, the DX Prowl, or the Owl Prowl. I think Wilf may have had a hand in the DX Prowl show.

What year did the move out of Robson Street occur?
Is that when they moved to 1900 West 4th Avenue? I believe the year they started there was 1959.

Robson Street was the home base for many fables about squeaky-MO, several having to do with a race to the bank on paydays. Those who were the last to get there would allegedly find their cheques couldn't be cashed. The old 'insufficient funds' excuse. Thanks a lot, Mrs. Willis.
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Re: When did CKMO/C-FUN leave Robson Street?

Postby jon » Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:04 pm

YesterDaze wrote:Was CKMO located in the Sprott-Shaw School building on Robson? What was the address, 812 Robson? That was where Jack Cullen started his incredible career. I wonder if Wilf Ray can tell us which came first, the DX Prowl, or the Owl Prowl. I think Wilf may have had a hand in the DX Prowl show.

What year did the move out of Robson Street occur?
Is that when they moved to 1900 West 4th Avenue? I believe the year they started there was 1959.

Robson Street was the home base for many fables about squeaky-MO, several having to do with a race to the bank on paydays. Those who were the last to get there would allegedly find their cheques couldn't be cashed. The old 'insufficient funds' excuse. Thanks a lot, Mrs. Willis.

The CCF material on the subject on broadcasting-history.ca has the following answers:
  • Jack Cullen began at CKMO in April 1947 in Engineering, but was on air soon after, doing the all night show known as the Pacific Patrol
  • Later that same year, Jack moved from all-nights to 10pm-1am, which was known as the DX Prowl, and immediately began selling his own advertising
  • He changed the name of DX Prowl to Owl Prowl in either late 1947 or early 1948. No one in CKMO management was going to complain, given that Cullen sold his own advertising
  • CFUN moved from 812 Robson to 1900 W. 4th in 1959, at about the time they increased power to 10,000 watts
  • Sprott-Shaw sold CKMO in 1955, and the new owners immediately changed the call letters to CFUN
  • CKMO/CFUN was at 812 Robson in 1955, but CCF never states that Sprott-Shaw was (or was not) running their school in the same building
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Re: When did CKMO/C-FUN leave Robson Street?

Postby YesterDaze » Thu Aug 27, 2009 3:52 pm

Great stuff, Jon. Thanks.

The only thing I'm sure of is that CKMO shared the 812 Robson address with the Sprott-Shaw Schools, but I'm not sure what the building was called.
Stories of the old days at those hand-to-mouth operations like CKMO shouldn't be allowed to vanish. I'm sure some of the squeaky-mo survivors like Wilf Ray, Gene Kern and Mel Cooper could share great tales.

Are there other similar cash-strapped stations that any members remember? Did anybody get paid in contra rather than cash?
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Cash Strapped

Postby jon » Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:44 pm

I knew two radio folks who worked at CHQB Powell River just before I worked with them, one at CHQM and the other at CJAT (Trail). One or both of them talked about CHQB pay cheques bouncing on a very regular basis. This would be the very late 1960s or very early 1970s.
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Re: When did CKMO/C-FUN leave Robson Street?

Postby Mike Cleaver » Thu Aug 27, 2009 6:19 pm

When I was working at CJCA/CIRK in Edmonton in the late 70's-early '80's, Selkirk Head office in Toronto used to take it's "pound of flesh" every month from the station's bank account.
One month, they took more than they should, leaving payroll short.
When the checks started bouncing, the Manager had to go to the local bank branch and take out a loan to make sure everyone got paid.
Selkirk had several stations that "paid the freight" for the entire chain, financing the others which weren't doing so well.
It helped them keep them all afloat.
Some of the big winners were 'WX, CFAC, CJOC and CJCA.
Money from those operations went to subsidize the less successful members of the chain.
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54 years experience at some of Canada's Premier Broadcasting Stations
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