Sad to hear of the sudden passing of Cape Breton radio icon, Dave Reynolds.
He was the voice of morning radio in the 1980’s at 1270 CJCB, Sydney.
Many of us in the business always looked up to him.
I owe Dave my radio career. He took a chance on me in high school and gave me a job at CKPE-FM “Cape Country” Sydney, as a 17-year-old kid. If he didn’t give me that chance, I don’t know where I’d be today.
Above: At the CJCB-CKPE 2002 Reunion.
Dave was a Cape Breton radio legend, with two stints at 1270 CJCB, including being the one of the hosts of Talkback.
Above: The 1987 CJCB Talkback Studio.
Growing up in the 1970’s watching Hockey Night in Canada, Dave was the host of the Montreal Canadiens games and my mother would say: “He’s from here.”
Dave and his wife Gale would build a home in Big Bras d’Or where I grew up.
Abve: The 2022 CJCB-CKPE-FM Reunion. Left to right: Bill MacNeil, Phil Thompson, Dave Reynolds and Ian.
Working at MacDermid’s Seal Island Irving, they would stop in for gas, when I told Dave I wanted to get into radio.
He told me to drop by some demo tapes off to his home.
I bugged him enough that Dave hired me on his birthday, April 12th, 1984.
Above: 2021 with Dave and my wife Roxanne in Truro, Nova Scotia.
He taught us young kids a lot on how to be a good broadcaster with lessons I carry to this day.
The last few years Roxanne and I would grab lunch in Truro at the Nook and Cranny his favourite spot and hear his stories of radio and the Hockey Night in Canada days about Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden and Glenn “Chico” Resch.
We were lucky to have Dave visit our place in Halifax a few times and in 2023 we worked on a Christmas vignettes voice-over project in my home studio for Coast-FM in Sydney. A thrill.
Above: Dave working a script in my home voice-over studio in November 2023.
Above: Dave holding a copy of my Ultimate Hockey Joke Book, Laugh Your faceoff in November 2023.
He was a mentor who always had great advice, but most importantly, a friend.
Condolences to radio brother Doug and the Reynolds clan.
Above: Home studio visit on September 8, 2022.
Dave was was 82.
Dave’s signature sign-off at 9am on ‘The Reynolds Program” on 1270 CJCB was “Take care and be happy!”
Take care and thanks for everything, Dave, say hello to Gale for us.
-Ian
(Credits: Ian Robinson photos)
