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It was 85 years ago when the predecessor to CFPL-AM 980 radio went on the air. Called CJGC, the station broadcast for the first time on Sept. 30, 1922, with Sir Adam Beck handling the official ceremonies.
Three years later, CJGC was to make its mark in news and public affairs in London by carrying live the funeral of Beck. The call letters CFPL came with a new license in 1933.
On Sept. 28, CFPL -- known on air as AM980 -- will hold an anniversary party to celebrate its years of broadcasting. Listeners will hear celebrations involving current staff, but also listen as former staff reminisce about the good old days of radio.
It was CFPL that broadcast the band of London's Royal Canadian Regiment live to help launch the fledgling CBC radio network. And the station was one of only a few in North America to host its own staff band, the CFPL All-Stars. As live in-studio drama and bands gave way to television, news, sports and call-in radio became the staple.
Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts come from a storied past that included broadcasting results of games in a simulated "live" fashion. A reporter at the game would send notes by wire on the play and an announcer at the station would fill in the blanks by what he thought had happened leading up to that play.
But it was the news and community voice that made the station an integral part of Southwestern Ontario. In times of calamity, people turned to the radio for reassurance and the latest information. When London was hit by snow and ice storms in the 1970s, it was Bill Brady on his "open line" program who kept everyone informed as to what was happening, when help would be on the way, and generally reassuring Londoners that all would be well. Peter Garland was to follow, also becoming an ambassador of good works in the community. Joe Duchesne follows that tradition with live remotes to promote the London Food Bank's Christmas drive.
AM980's award-winning news department has earned its reputation as the place to turn on the dial when emergencies occur. The latest example was in August 2003 when the lights went out across Ontario and border states, leaving Londoners in the dark and sweltering in the heat. Driving through the city that first evening, you could see people standing outside their cars and the sounds that permeated the neighbourhood were the voices of Gord Harris and Loreena Dickson on the radio, explaining what had happened, what was being done, and helping organize special relief efforts where needed.
London has also been a breeding ground for many who have gone on to become national figures in broadcasting. Former station manager Ward Cornell headed off to Toronto weekly during hockey season to conduct interviews on the Hot Stove Lounge during Hockey Night in Canada. Years later, Rob Faulds went from his start at CFPL to CTV Sports, then Rogers Sportsnet. Another Western grad who worked at CFPL was Alan Thicke, an operator at the station before starring in the TV sitcom Growing Pains in the '80s and '90s.
The late Hugh Bremner, former editor emeritus of CFPL, was recognized in the industry as the "dean" of news in Southwestern Ontario. I'll never forget my first newscast while still at Western. When I finished, Bremner came into the studio and began to tell me where I'd gone wrong and how I could do better. The phone rang. It was radio operator Helmut Bergholdts, who was listening on his car radio. He told Bremner that while the lesson was valid for the green announcer, perhaps listeneners didn't need to hear it. Could we turn off the microphone?
One constant has remained. The first person you hear on the phone or meet when you enter the Corus radio stations' lobby is Donna Kerhoulas, the aptly named "vice-president of first impressions." And that first impression is always a good one.