Rock Radio Scrapbook: Aircheck of the Week

Rock Radio Scrapbook

AIRCHECK OF THE WEEK
For week of November 2, 2008
Weekly issue #503

By 1990, the music era was pretty much over at CFRB. It had gradually been morphing into a talk station since the mid-1980s, with many familiar weekday music shows like those hosted by Earl Warren, Bill McVean and Ray Sonin disappearing during that decade. David Lennick was one of the last music hosts at CFRB, and he tells us the backstory of this aircheck...

"This was a month or so before John Keogh phoned me one Friday morning and asked if I was ready to take over the all night show (like I had a choice) that Sunday night. Never mind that I was doing a fundraising gig on CJRT that night. I did both. They'd given Wayne Van Exan the heave ho after his shift on Friday morning, either Napoli or Proctor did the weekend shifts (I think I'd been doing weekend overnights for a couple of months by that time) and next thing I knew, I was the all night guy. I stood it for about 4 or 5 months, by which time I was doing little more than plugging into the news feed and running the Gulf War live. I packed it in and Terry McElligott replaced me, still playing minimal music for a couple of months."

CFRB was one of many stops in a brilliant career for Lennick. Here's a list:

CAREER-AT-A-GLANCE: DAVID LENNICK

CKFM, Toronto, 1965-68: Swing
CJRT, Toronto, 1965-67: weekends & special programming
CJFM, Montreal, 1967: Evening announcer
CKEY, Toronto, 1968-72: Swing, Remote broadcasts
CJRN, Niagara Falls, 1968: Mid-mornings
CKLB, Oshawa, 1970-73: Music director, midday announcer
CKQS-FM, Oshawa, 1973-77: Evening announcer, Program director
CHFI, Toronto, 1977-81: Music director, swing announcer, special programming (Classics till Dawn)
CBC, 1978-85: Free-lance contributor to Arts National, Morningside, Sound Reviews, Mostly Music
CBC, 1981-2: Morningside, studio director, contributor, item producer CBC, 1982: Morningside, host
CBC Edmonton, 1982-85: RSVP, host; Summer Camp, host & creator (full AM net)
CBC Toronto 1985-90: Night Camp, host & creator (full AM net)
CKDS, Hamilton, 1986 & 1988: weekend & swing announcer
CJEZ, Toronto, 1988-92: “A Touch of Classics”, host & programmer
CJRT, Toronto, 1986-96: Collectors Choice, host & creator
CFMX, 1990: Evening host (9 weeks)
CFRB, Toronto, 1990-91: swing announcer & all night announcer
CBC, 1990-2001: Free-lance contributor and consultant to Stereo Morning, Basic Black
Various private stations, 1991-4: “Real Radio”, “Top 10 Hit Parade”, “Comedy Classics"