Rock Radio Scrapbook

AIRCHECK OF THE WEEK
For week of March 2, 2014
Edition #773

Talent: BIG G. WALTERS
Station: CKFH Toronto
Date: May 14, 1968
Time: 22:56 (unscoped)

CKFH was not your typical cookie-cutter radio station.

When it switched to a rock format on January 2, 1967, CKFH made an effort to be different. They would play British releases, soul tunes, album cuts and other tracks that no one else - especially CHUM - would go near. While other stations were running news, CKFH played three in a row (the `FH Triple Play!). They had a late-night progressive rock show called The Whole Bag (later The Open Lid) that would be more in place on an FM station. They billed themselves as ''number-two radio'' (because all the other radio stations are number-one.) Same-old, same-old it wasn't.

On a station full of interesting personalities, Big G. Walters stood out. In the early `60s, he had been on Toronto Top 40 outlet CKEY and he would resurface yet another CHUM rival, CFTR, in the `70s. With his laid-back ''hipster'' style, Walters was the antithesis of your typical fast-talking Top 40 jock. Big G. - he got his nickname from one-time sponsor General Foods - worked at 14 markets during a 40-year career including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Cleveland, Duluth, Minn., Akron, Ohio, Honolulu, London, England and his final stop, Thunder Bay, Ont. He was hosting a country oldies show at CJLB Thunder Bay when he died in December, 1999 at the age of 62.

Enjoy Big G. Walters on CKFH from May 14, 1968 here.

(The Geets Romo Collection, courtesy Doug Thompson)

More 1968 airchecks here!