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Bill Carroll's CFRA Anniversary Show
I listened to quite a bit of Bill Carroll's CFRA morning show today. The show and all day today is in celebration of the stations 75th Anniversary in Ottawa.
Good job overall, some old jingles from their top 40 era and interesting comments and memories from Bill, and a few personalities like Ken (The General) Grant, Lowell Green, Paul Anka and others.
Bill also played and read some comments from listeners. One that he read around 7:40 was very interesting. It was totally critical of Bell Media, the current CFRA and it's personalities. The listener said the station was just a shell of it's former self and critical of the CTV newsroom taking over the newscasts, and the listener didn't like Bill's morning show either. All Carroll said was that you need to pass along the good and the bad. He laughed and indicated that the management was spinning right now! He also mentioned that CFRA likely wouldn't have 75 more years but would be around at least for a few more years.
Regardless, I think CFRA has always been great radio and still is. Bill mentioned the other markets and stations that he has worked at in his career. He said that in the radio business Ottawa is considered to be the most competitive market in North America, which surprised me. In the 50's there were four stations in town. When CFRA adopted the talk format in 1993 Ottawa/Gatineau had 22 stations and today there are 35 in the metro area, not including some out of market radio like Montreal that reach Ottawa. My brother who lives in the city listens to TSN Montreal regularly.
Carroll mentioned that there is more crossover of listenership between the English and French stations than before which also makes the market competitive and unique. Bill was a top rated talk host in Los Angeles at KFI for six years. He came back to Canada in 2016. But he is likely still best known for his work in Toronto.
Leslie Roberts is continuing right now with more alumni (Dave "Pussycat" Pascal) and they are talking more about the music that CFRA played when they were a top 40 station. Interesting that the station actually had a "metal hour" midnight every Friday and played heavier music and album cuts.
- RadioActive
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Re: Bill Carroll's CFRA Anniversary Show
One of Carroll's guests was Paul Anka, who admitted growing up listening to CFRA in its rock days and wanting to get his music on the station. He made it, of course, but it wasn't the first place he actually heard one of his songs back in those early days.
"I think the first time, I was in New York, recorded in May, the song came out, and I think it was on WINS Radio, WINS in New York. Then I came back to Canada and then I heard it on one of the Ottawa stations. I could very well have been Gord Atkinson because he was out front and centre then at that point. I know it was WINS Radio in New York and maybe CFRA when I got home. It was CKOY and CFRA, the two stations that I listened to in Ottawa."
Paul Anka reflects on Ottawa, CFRA, and stardom
- paterson1
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Re: Bill Carroll's CFRA Anniversary Show
Just noticed that CKLW will be 90 on June 2nd this year. Wonder if anything is planned for this birthday? CKLW should take advantage of this big day. However the station wasn't known as CKLW at first. The call letters were originally CKOK, but eventually calmer heads prevailed and changed to CKLW in 1933.
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Re: Bill Carroll's CFRA Anniversary Show
Interesting that when Bell's CFRB celebrated its 90th anniversary a few years ago, there was not a word on 1010 about the occasion. But CFRA reaches 75 and it prompts an all day remembrance. I wonder if it's up to the individual station to decide.
It would be great if LW paid tribute to itself. It was once one of the most powerful and influential radio stations in all of North America and if any station deserves a tribute, it's the Big 8. And there's certainly a lot of tape from their rock days around that would be incredible to hear on that signal again.
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Re: Bill Carroll's CFRA Anniversary Show
RadioActive wrote:
Interesting that when Bell's CFRB celebrated its 90th anniversary a few years ago, there was not a word on 1010 about the occasion. But CFRA reaches 75 and it prompts an all day remembrance. I wonder if it's up to the individual station to decide.
It would be great if LW paid tribute to itself. It was once one of the most powerful and influential radio stations in all of North America and if any station deserves a tribute, it's the Big 8. And there's certainly a lot of tape from their rock days around that would be incredible to hear on that signal again.
Maybe Bell doesn't want to make too much of RB anniversaries because they'd have to mention Ted Rogers (even if it's Ted Rogers Sr.) and his role in founding the station?
I wonder if this means Rogers will avoid making any mention of the upcoming 150th anniversary of the telephone so that they don't have to talk about Alexander Graham Bell?
- paterson1
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Re: Bill Carroll's CFRA Anniversary Show
I think it is up to the station itself if there is going to be any sort of celebration on or off the air. CJAD for it's 75th and CHOM FM for the 50th both had a lot of recognition on air for their anniversaries. I always thought it was more CFRB that dropped the ball when nothing happened for their 90th. Should have been some TV or newspaper mention for this heritage station as well, but as I recall the day came and went with nothing.
I don't think Ted Rogers Sr. being the founder of CFRB has anything to do with the lack of a 90th celebration on the station. CFRB over the years has talked about both Ted's many times and certainly talked about the founding of CFRB and Rogers role in this. I think it was the station management itself that chose not to do anything or couldn't be bothered for some reason. Even today on CFRA, at various times call letters from competing stations were mentioned or personalities from other stations have come up..
Last edited by paterson1 (May 3, 2022 2:48 pm)
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