Talent: BIG JIM (RIPLEY)
Station: CHAB Moose Jaw, Sask.
Date: September 1, 1976
Time: 30:55 (unscoped)
             8:05 (scoped)

CHAB rose from the ashes of one of Canada's first non-commercial radio stations.

CHAB's forerunner - 10AB - went on the air April 23, 1922, broadcasting from the Moose Jaw YMCA. Originally at 1200 KHz, it was licenced as a non-commercial station with 50 watts of power. The station was originally supposed to have been run by the Moose Jaw Amateur Radio Association, but they couldn't afford it. The Kiwanis Club took over until handing it back to the Moose Jaw Amateur Radio Association in 1924.

Lack of financial support led to 10AB's demise on November 11, 1933, as the station signed off with Rudy Vallee's "I'm Heading to the Last Round-up." But five weeks later, on December 17, 10AM returned to the air as a commercial station, CHAB, and the station grew from there. One of its first major hires was Elwood Glover, who left in 1938 for a storied career at the CBC. It later became a Top 40 station, as we hear in this mid-'70s aircheck of "Big Jim" at CHAB.

Just who was "Big Jim?" After this aircheck was posted we got an e-mail from a viewer saying that he was pretty sure "Big Jim" was Jim Ripley, a.k.a. the Bionic Ripley. He later went to CKY in Winnipeg before moving to C-JAY and CKIK in Calgary. Ripley also hosted "Home Cookin'", a TV show on CFCN-TV Calgary simulcast on C-JAY which also featured local acts.

Hear "Big Jim" (UNSCOPED) here.

Hear "Big Jim" (UNSCOPED) here.
 

Hear "Big Jim" (SCOPED) here.

Hear "Big Jim" (SCOPED) here.
 

(The Charlie Ritenburg Collection)
 

More from the Charlie Ritenburg Treasury here!
 

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