I was a longhaired 4th Avenue hippy in the late 60’s, totally consumed by the flower power era. I was also a radio junkie and found myself spending a lot of time hanging out with local DJ’s JB Shane and Long John Tanner from CFUN and LG FM both at their respective stations and at their homes.

One night while playing gopher for JB Shane at CFUN, he suggested that I go into the production studio down the hall and make a demo tape. He gave me some commercial copy; news stories off the wire and a dozen records and off I went.  By 6AM when he was going off the air I proudly showed off my first ever radio demo tape. JB was ecstatic and told me I should take it up to Don Prentice at CKPG in Prince George immediately!

I was off the next morning in my shiny red Datsun 2000 sports car heading for PG. When I finally arrived and called Mr. Prentice from a pay phone for an appointment he told me that he had a list of experienced announcers as long as his arm and that I should try a small market station till I got some experience, then in a couple of years come back and he’d see me.

I was undaunted, remembering the words of my mentor JB Shane two days before, and boldly showed up at the station at 6th and Victoria a few minutes later. I did not expect the cold reception I got from Don Prentice, the Program Director. Don sat behind his desk scowling at me and told me I had a lot of nerve bothering him after he told me to wait a couple of years and that he had no positions open.

I told him what JB Shane had said about me being a better DJ than a lot of the guys then working on Vancouver Radio stations and that I was not leaving until he at least listened to my audition tape. He grudgingly acquiesced to my request. After he listened to it, he rewound the tape and threw it into his desk drawer. “You start Monday” was all he said. That was the beginning of a long and varied career that lasted till 1995. You can view my radio photo gallery here.