May 27th, 1984, 40 years ago today I began this radio career in high school on-air at CKPE-FM “Cape Country” at the age of 17, while still in high school where I got my start at Memorial High School in Sydney Mines on CMHS Radio.
(Above: The Radio Building in Sydney where it all began on May 27, 1984.)
Little did I know what the next 40 years would bring living the dream of what I’ve always wanted to do.
There have been many changes over the years like back then, we played all the music on records, commercials were on “carts” – think 8 tracks. Specialty programs were on big reel-to-reel machines.
There were live announcers around the clock with 24-hour newscasts on top of the hour.
Computers changed a lot in the business when they came along in the 1990’s, but they make the job easier today in many ways. I no longer need to worry about a record skipping.
(Above: 1985 playing catcher for the CJCB/CKPE FM Radio No Stars, that hat though…)
I’ve been lucky to be on-air for Nova Scotia’s best of times and worst, covering 40 years of history.
My favourite assignment was broadcasting live from the concert site on the Common on July 11th, 2009 when Paul McCartney rocked Halifax.
Been lucky to meet and interview some talented musicians and music legends from the likes of Country’s Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis to Canadian greats like George Canyon, Dean Brody, the Reklaws MacKenzie Porter, Brett Kissel, Jojo Mason, and the list goes on from Canadian Country stars, many who are great friends.
During my Rock Radio Days, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, Randy Bachman from BTO, Myles Goodwyn and April Wine, Trooper, Tom Cochrane, and many more.
(Above: Meeting Gordon Jump aka the Maytag Repair Man and Arthur Carlson from WKRP in Cincinatti!)
For the record, my very first interviews were with Rita MacNeil and Valdy in 1984 at The Down East Music Festival live on location at the North Sydney Exhibition Grounds.
This radio ride has provided me with many other opportunities outside of being on-air, like being the Maritimes regional “Voice of ATV” from 1990 to 1995 saying stuff like “Home Improvement Tuesday’s at 7:30 here on ATV!” “Tonight, on Live at 5” “This week on Unsolved Mysteries on ATV,” and many more promotional commercials.
In 1997, thanks to my radio background, I was lucky to land the gig as the “Voice of the Halifax Mooseheads” and still love each and every game win or lose, it’s a thrill to get to announce in Moose Country, 1,120 games later.
Thanks to radio, I’ve also been a freelance voice-over announcer reading commercials for various media outlets coast-to-coast.
Plus, radio also recently led to my first published book “The Ultimate Hockey Joke Book, Laugh Your Faceoff!”
(Above: Getting ready to announce a Halifax Mooseheads game in October 2023 holding a copy of my book.)
Being a lifelong Bluenoser, for the 40 years, I’ve been blessed to work my entire career on-air in Nova Scotia between starting out in 1984 in Sydney and then here in Halifax beginning in 1987.
(Above: Radio mugs from yesterday and today.)
Over the years, I’ve got to work with some very talented people who have become lifetime friends and are radio family. I even met my wife Roxanne thanks to radio!
(Above: I met my wife Roxanne at CJCH in 1989. Just kids…)
Thanks to Acadia Broadcasting for giving me the opportunity to still get to do what I love to do each day on the Acadia Broadcasting Country Midday Network, where I’m heard daily 10am to 2pm in Halifax and Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Saint John, New Brunswick and Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Thanks to my family for living the radio life with me.
Most of all thank you to you the listeners for tuning in daily and hopefully laughing at one of my bad dad jokes.
(Above: Ian on air today, May 27th, 2024.)
Cheers to 40 years, thanks for listening, reading this and let’s keep the foot on the gas of this radio machine!
-Ian
