However, I was able to make occasional forays into “Short Wave” broadcasts, usually from the “BBC World Service” or “Voice of America,” along with the beeps of the Dominion Observatory Official Time Signal!
We had two “local” stations:
-- 580 - CJFX, Antigonish, which had been set up in 1944 primarily by St. FX University as a means of distributing adult education programs of the highly-successful Antigonish Movement. These programs featured presentations and discussions on cooperatives, primarily for farmers and fishermen. The rest of the time (!), they played country music, along with the local music of Scottish fiddles and bagpipes. They were also affiliated with the CBC Dominion Network, and had to carry news and public affairs programs, primarily in the evenings.
One of the big must-listen program successes was a suppertime program of music and news and weather by the character dubbed “the Old Timer,” who was none other than the station's general manager, J. Clyde Nunn. The station had also presented the debut of sports announcer, Danny Gallivan, the English radio and television voice of the Montréal Canadiens.
Because of its low position on the AM dial and its geographical position in northern Nova Scotia, CJFX had a host of regular listeners throughout eastern New Brunswick, the Gaspé region of Québec and Western Newfoundland. Not bad, putting out only 5000 watts at the time!
Today, CJFX has moved over to FM, and plays rock music.
-- 1270 - CJCB, Sydney, which had opened in 1929, was owned and operated by the Nathanson family; father Nate had owned a shoe store, and wanted to advertise his wares. They played a variety of music: country and the morning, with standards throughout the afternoon and drivetime, followed by showtunes in the evenings. (CJCB-FM on 96.1 presented an AM simulcast, with evening productions of showtunes and classical music.) CJCB is still on 1270, playing country music.
The Nathansons were famous for many reasons: because they were first, because they captured 90% of the listeners across Cape Breton (CBI Radio, still on 1140 and later, 950 - CHER, had to be satisfied with the rest!), and they believed in technical redundancy: ALL of their equipment was backed up, including an in-house emergency transmitter (with an antenna array on the roof), which they used successfully during storm emergencies.
One of their personalities, "Anne Terry" MacLellan, who presented the midday women's program achieved legendary status, by her use of an extensive descriptive vocabulary, which she would use to paint pictures for the listener. She was well known throughout the area, and even expanded her status by doing live commercials for baked beans (!) on local CJCB Television, also owned by the Nathanson family. (No kidding, everything local was LIVE!)
I proudly present two anecdotes about this remarkable woman:
1. CJCB gave a first paying job to this inexperienced news announcer (moi), and I usually hung out at the station when I was off duty. I watched in fascination as "Anne Terry" would speak to the microphone, using vocal AND hand gestures, as if speaking to an individual listener.
I was greatly impressed!
2. FIVE YEARS LATER, my mother lay gravely ill in hospital and asked if she could meet "Anne Terry," and a visit was hastily arranged. (In Cape Breton, this is not as difficult as you might imagine.) As she entered the hospital room and introduced herself, her next line was, “How is Colin?”
Now, THAT, Dear Reader, is 'class.'
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