Fond memories of Muskoka from 30 years ago
By
Mark Schadenberg
My
first full-time radio broadcasting gig was in Muskoka – Huntsville.
In
the spring of 1987 I graduated from Fanshawe College and thanks to Joe
Duchesne’s connection to London, CFBK Radio in Huntsville reached out to the
London college for a grad to move to Muskoka for summer time (4 months) on-air
employment at their little – yet thriving -- AM station.
When
the afternoon announcer decided to depart the radio industry that fall, I was
offered the full-time job to stay in Muskoka and actually work the 6 p.m. – 1
a.m. shift. It was truly not 7 hours of playing 45s, reading weather forecasts,
and promoting local events as CFBK was affiliated with the CBC, so programs
like the World News At 6, As It Happens, Quirks And Quarks, Basic Black, Cross
Country Checkup, and Air Farce were also on the lineup. If I’m not mistaken,
the 30 minutes beginning at 10:30 had also been purchased by a religious
program called Back To The Bible. I had the pleasure of cuing the reel-to-reel
tapes.
Joe
Duchesne, who had been a morning man on London radio for a long time (CJBK 1290
AM in the 1970s), was not only the morning man at CFBK but also the station
owner. The staff included Joe’s wife Penny and his son Paul. It was truly a
family-owned and operated business with the format of adult contemporary.
The
morning team included newsman Brian Thompson.
I
write this item today as I hope to catch up with Brian for some reminiscing
this week when I and my family have a Huntsville adventure.
Today,
I’m a Realtor.
Nowadays,
Brian Thompson is also a Realtor, but I’m sure the world of cottage living,
boats and snowmobiles is quite different than selling in Woodstock, especially
when topics such as shoreline ownership, roads that are not maintained in the
winter, unique water and septic systems in the rocky terrain, and the idea of
selling a secondary residence are all considered.
Brian
and Joe were a great morning team for a small town radio station. Obviously,
the market was interesting as the listener range might be 25,000 people from
October to long weekend of May, but significantly higher in the summer.
I
have many fond memories of 3 years in Muskoka – 2 at CFBK in Huntsville and 1
at CFBG in Bracebridge.
It
wasn’t soon after my arrival at CFBK that the station switched to FM. Crafty
engineer Charlie Tryon was able to make the transition quite seamless.
The
program director and mid-day announcer was Craig Martin.
It
is interesting to note that the afternoon announcer was also from Woodstock as
Doug Blackwood was the son of a Woodstock doctor.
The
news director was named Kevin Morgan and the sports reader was Garth Thomas. I
believe by the time he retired Garth Thomas worked at that station for about 50
years. Other part-timers could be heard on the air including Blair Sargeant and
Linda Rowe.
These
names likely mean very little (or nothing) to you, but it’s my past and my
cherished memories.
With
the switch to FM radio and CRTC regulations pertaining to content, I created a
10-minute feature called Today In Music History. It was a task back in the late
1980s to compile bio material and use the Canadian Press files for research.
One important souvenir of mine since my radio days is a book called The
Billboard Book Of Number No 1 Hits. The sponsor of the segment was the greatest
name ever for a sports store – Blair McCann Skis & Racquets.
My
on-air times in radio evolved into full-time advertising sales. The sales
manager in Huntsville was Doug Pincoe, while Brian Thompson was also in sales
after his morning show duties ended at 9:01 a.m.
I
bought my first car at Festing Toyota, but I recall other advertisers such as
Bickley Ford. I remember spending about 2 hours on live TV with Ken Bickley on
a TV auction show, which I believe was a Rotary Club fundraiser.
Deerhurst
Resort was hitting its prime with a music revue show starring Frankie Vogl,
Eileen Twain (Yes - Shania), Rhonda Silver, Mike DeGazio, and the comedy team
of Malton & Hamilton. The comedy duo had a routine which included playing
music with a bicycle pump. If I’m not mistaken, after the Duchesne family sold
the radio station, Malton & Hamilton became the morning team.
With
the possibility of having a better client list I moved down Highway 11 in 1989
to FM 101 in Bracebridge (CFBG). Looking back, I’m not sure that was the best
move as I would be returning to Woodstock about 1 year later for a similar role
at K-102. My time at K-102 was not great, but I will not delve into those
Kirkland days here and now.
I
look forward to my trek to Huntsville this week . . . It’s time to remember my
first full-time radio broadcasting gig was in Muskoka – Huntsville.
LINKS:
If you want to buy a cottage in Muskoka,
call Brian Thompson
If you want to live anywhere in Oxford County, call:
Mark Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior Real Estate Specialist
(SRES designation)
Royal LePage Triland Realty
Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
(519) 537-1553, cell or text
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter: markroyallepage
Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
Discussion . . . Direction . . . Determination . . .
Destination
