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Vintage Al Boliska Column Complained About Radio Pay In 1964
I can't quite recall if I've ever published this before, but it's fascinating. It's a 1964 Toronto Star column from the legendary Al Boliska complaining about the pittance disc jockeys and announcers were paid, even back then. He mentions a number of on-air personalities and reveals what they were making when they first started in radio, wondering how they could possibly have survived.
Including Boliska himself.
"I started in 1952 in Pembroke, Ont. at CHOV where I existed for a year on scrambled eggs and French fries. For announcing three or four daily shows, picking music and filing records, making service calls on sponsors and writing commercials, I was paid $27 take-home pay."
Even in the days when things were cheaper, it's tough to believe how low their salaries were. (The real question is, comparatively speaking and accounting for inflation, have things really changed?)
- torontostan
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Re: Vintage Al Boliska Column Complained About Radio Pay In 1964
Back in 1960, you could buy a detached home in Toronto for less than $25,000, even adjusted for inflation that would only be 260-thousand in 2025.... a fifth of the cost of that same home in 2025. So while $27 take-home pay (per week) in 1960 is the equivalent of making 16-thousand dollars per year now, your money went further back then. Of course, minimum wage today for any radio announcer would be $35-thousand. If you managed to save every penny you earned in 1960, you could pay off a house in less than 20 years. In 2025 making minimum wage, it would take over 45.... of course, you'd never be approved anyways.
- The Weed
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Re: Vintage Al Boliska Column Complained About Radio Pay In 1964
Not a lot of starter jobs left with voice tracking, consolidation, automation, remote shows "beamed in" to other markets and syndication.
- Doug Thompson
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Re: Vintage Al Boliska Column Complained About Radio Pay In 1964
In 1965, I was hired as a board operator at CHUM, working 6 hours a day, 6 days a week for $65.00 per week. I had a bachelor apartment in the Yonge/Eglinton area, ate a lot of Kraft dinner (still do actually) and loved every minute of it.
At that time, CHUM had a cafeteria with a woman cooking and making sandwiches. Her name was Kay Sutherland and she was wonderful. Prices were much cheaper than any restaurant or fast food joint. CHUM subsidized the pop machine. And IIRC, drinks were a quarter when I started. I first worked with Bob McAdorey, Dave Johnson and two hours of Larry Solway's "Speak Your Mind" from 10 to midnight. On weekends, Duff Roman and I worked many shifts together and we always ordered pizza from Luigi's. I wouldn't have traded any of that for the world.
Last edited by Doug Thompson (November 28, 2025 3:56 pm)
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Re: Vintage Al Boliska Column Complained About Radio Pay In 1964
It's easy to forget that in those days, everyone - even Jay Nelson - worked Saturdays as well as the weekdays. For the most part, they worked 6 days in a row and got only Sunday off. Hard to believe that today.
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: Vintage Al Boliska Column Complained About Radio Pay In 1964
I wonder what Jay and Wally were paid back in 1964.
- unclefester
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Re: Vintage Al Boliska Column Complained About Radio Pay In 1964
mace wrote:
I wonder what Jay and Wally were paid back in 1964.
Can't answer that but I do know that in the great article written by Susan Ferrier MacKay in the Globe and Mail from December of 2012, it states that the late Tom McKee was making 12 thouand dollars a year in 1957.
He was 21
If you want to read a fascinating life story check it out
Globe and Mail from December 2nd 2012 with the headline "Blue Jays Broadcaster Tom McKee Dies At 76"
What a life he had
- Doug Thompson
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Re: Vintage Al Boliska Column Complained About Radio Pay In 1964
Jay Nelson left WKBW radio and TV in Buffalo and came to CHUM in December 1963 for $18,000. CDN.
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