July 25, 70 Years Ago

Bits and Pieces of BC Radio History

July 25, 70 Years Ago

Postby cart_machine » Sat Jul 25, 2020 4:14 am

Dick Diespecker’s column in the Province 70 years ago today was taken up with CKDA, which had signed on about six months earlier. I trust some of the names are still remembered. It was on 1340 when it began broadcasting.

Nothing exciting in Diespecker’s “Best Bets.” “Mr. Feathers” (not “Feather”) was a Mutual network sitcom starring Parker Fennelly, who had been Titus Moody on Fred Allen’s show, as a small-town druggist. Critic John Crosby remarked it was “full of homespun chuckles.” Mr. Crosby had evidently partaken of Mr. Feathers’ drugs immediately prior to the review. The show went for whimsy but was dull instead.

Channel 5, being the only TV station in the northwest, had its pick of programming from all the networks. Morey Amsterdam was from DuMont; Kukla, Fran and Ollie from NBC; Toni Time from CBS; The Lone Ranger from ABC. King’s Queen was Bea Donovan; she had a housewife-type show that I recall. The Buick Sports Special was a local show hosted by Bill O’Mara. The Sherman Clay Music Room was a KING-originated show; Sherman Clay sold radios, TVs, record players and pianos before closing in 2013.

cArtie.

Your Radio Dial Tonight
JET-PROPELLED STATION

We wrote the other day to our old friend and former co-worker, Dave Hill to find what was happening at CKDA, the new radio station in Victoria.
A most enlightening letter came. Aside from the fact that Dave still insists upon calling the writer of this column "Chief Barking Dog" he is a very nice fellow and appears to be extremely happy in his new job as sales manager at CKDA.
Dave Armstrong was turned down twice by the CBC Board of Governors in an attempt to start the new station in Victoria. But on the third try he was successful. The licence came through late last year and then Dave and his cohorts were faced with one of the worst winters in 75 years. In spite of that the transmitter and studio construction work was finished on time and CKDA went on the air on Jan. 18.
At the start, there were nine employees, including owner-manager Armstrong; Gordon Reid, formerly assistant manager of CKNW and Dave Hill, formerly on the sales staff of CJOR. Now there are 20 on the staff.
Ed Farey is program director, Ray Tate chief engineer, and Rod Walter continuity editor.
All the announcers are familiar names and voices to Vancouver listeners. Ed Dahlin, Bill Stephenson and Tom O'Neill all worked for CJOR and Terry Garner, a former member of the UBC Radio Society, worked for CKWX.
Traffic manager Lillian Armstrong came from CKNW (she is Mrs. Dave Armstrong in private life). Salesman Ferdie Baglo came from CKNW, and before that was with CKMO.
As a matter of fact, one of the outstanding things about this brand new little station is the wealth of radio experience in the 20 members of the staff. Among them they can name around 20 odd stations at which they have worked. Represented on the staff are former members of the staffs of CFCT, CKBI, Prince Albert; CJOR, CKMO and CKWX, Vancouver; and CKNW, New Westminster; CFRN, Edmonton; CKRC and CJOB, Winnipeg; CFAR, Flin Flon; CFPL, London; and CHLO, St. Thomas, Ontario, CFAC and CJCJ, Calgary and in B C. again CKOV, Kelowna; CKPG, Prince George; CJAV, Port Alberni; and CJVI, Victoria.
According to Mr. Hill, CKDA is not suffering any pain in the business sense with more than 200 advertisers on the air and since they went on the air seven months ago they have received 67,655 letters.
All in all, this newest station in B.C. with its young and energetic staff appears to be doing a good job.
* * *
SPECIAL NOTICE . . . Funeral Services for the late Prime Minister Mackenzie King are being broadcast on Wednesday and will be carried over stations CBR, CKWX, CKMO, and CJOR, Vancouver and CKNW, New Westminster from 12:45 to 2:00 p.m.
TONIGHT'S BEST BETS

6:00 p.m.—Easy Listening, CJOR; Penny Singleton, KOMO.
6:30 p.m.—Candid Microphone, KIRO; Charles Boyer Show, KOMO.
7:30 p.m.—Leicester Square, CBR; Waltzes with Strauss, CKNW; Dr. Kildare, KJR.
8:00 p.m.—Mr. President, KJR; Open House, CKMO.
8:30 p.m.—Who Said That, KOMO; Paul Weston Orch., CKWX.
9:00 p.m.—Muzak Show, CJOR; Baseball, CKMO.
9:30 p.m.—Jake and the Kid, CBR; Mr. Feather, CKWX.
TELEVISION TONIGHT, KING-TV, Channel 5
6:00, Test Pattern; 6:15, King's Queen; 7:00, Kukla, Fran & Ollie; 7:30, Toni Twin Time; 8:00, The Lone Ranger; 8:30, Buick Sports Special; 9:00, Telenews Digest; 9:30, Morey Amsterdam.
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