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I've been hanging on to this story since Monday, because I wanted to get confirmation that former CFRB host Bill McVean had passed away. On Tuesday, John Moore confirmed it on air. McVean was a huge part - and the last - of the legendary line-up that dominated Toronto radio for so many years. No cause of death has been released but he was 94.
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I was at CFRB twice in my life. The first time was in the mid 80s; when we hadn't quite gone talk yet. Ed Needham would be the first. We were still playing music. Bill McVean was a very gentle person. A wonderful man to work with. If I remember correctly, Bill had relationship with Wardair. R.I.P. Bill. One of the greats of that fabulous on air staff. Thank you RadioActive for bringing this to our attention.
Last edited by John D (March 23, 2021 9:10 am)
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R.I.P.
Bill even turned up in an episode of the kid series TODAY'S SPECIAL on TVOntario explaining the ins and outs of CFRB.
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I had the pleasure of meeting once when he and I were scheduled to do a read together at VoicePrint. This would have been around 2012, I think. I felt starstruck and watching him work, even in his 80s, was a masterclass. It made my part of the read that much better because I had to rise to his level.
But most of all, as JD mentioned above, he was a very gentle soul and so pleasant to work with.
Rest in peace and may your memory be a blessing.
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Dale Patterson's always great Rock Radio Scrapbook site has an example of McVean on CFRB. It's a rare aircheck on the site, which is mostly dedicated to Top 40 radio greats. But it's a classic slice of 1010 back then and what stands out to me is the astounding blandness of the place. But that's what sold back then.
And the "Why do more Canadians shop at Dominion?" spot brings back some great memories.
Rock Radio Scrapbook: Bill McVean on CFRB, 1967
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Listening to that clip brought back horrible memories, from a teen's viewpoint, of how boring CFRB was. You couldn't escape it at home or in the car. My parents and all my friends parents listened to 1010 all day long. Wally, Earl, Betty and the the two Bills [McVean and Deegan] Thank God we had transistor radios.
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He looks a lot like Ronnie Corbett of the Two Ronnies.
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mace wrote:
Listening to that clip brought back horrible memories, from a teen's viewpoint, of how boring CFRB was. You couldn't escape it at home or in the car. My parents and all my friends parents listened to 1010 all day long. Wally, Earl, Betty and the the two Bills [McVean and Deegan] Thank God we had transistor radios.
It may be a generational thing but when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s it was unfathomable to me why CFRB and CFTO World Beat/Night Beat News were always #1 in the ratings. I thought they were unbelievably tedious, even compared to Global and CBC TV News (and CBC Radio) which were never particularly youth oriented.
Last edited by Hansa (March 24, 2021 1:11 pm)
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I found an interesting Bill McVean article on a house Bill and his wife Catherine bought. It's by the Globe's Dave LeBlanc (Architourist). Some interesting insights to his off-radio life. Here it is.
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Before his work at CHCH, Mr. McVean worked in Hamilton radio, too, CKOC, then CHML.
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I finally found his official obit online and there were some incredible revelations I'm sure most of us never knew about.
McVean was an experienced pilot who learned to fly at 12 years of age and while at CKOC in the early 50s, became the first person in the world to do a live traffic report from a plane he was also piloting.
He was instrumental in getting Buttonville Airport up and running and was also in charge of the CNE's annual Air Show for 20 years.
And the notice reveals that he was involved in a serious crash that destroyed the plane he was in and almost took his life. He survived and incredibly, for six months did his show on CFRB from his hospital bed, with no one being the wiser. Pretty incredible.
The cause of death is said to have been multiple strokes.
His obit concludes with these words:
"There will not be a service, but feel free to remember him for a minute and smile."
From everything I've read about the man, that would appear to be exactly what he would have wanted.
Bill McVean obit
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FYIMusicNews.ca drew my attention to this article in the Globe & Mail. It was published a few days ago, for some reason, a month after McVean passed away.
But it adds details about the plane crash that almost killed the veteran CFRB personality, relates the bizarre tale of how they almost lost the legendary place they called home in Oakville, contains quotes from John Donabie and Andy Barrie, publishes long unseen radio-related photos and even has a link to Dale Patterson's rockradioscrapbook.ca.
That alone makes it worth the read and it does not appear to be behind a paywall.
CFRB broadcaster Bill McVean was a gentleman of the airwaves
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His wife Catherine just died
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestar/obituary.aspx?n=catherine-sara-mcvean&pid=199116451
Last edited by Calhame (June 19, 2021 8:24 am)