Welcome to a little bit of nostalgia for those of us who were involved with or who listened to a Toronto radio station called CKEY and, in my case, the glory years when we took on CHUM and, later, CFRB trying to be top dog in the hectic market that was Toronto radio.
Through this website I hope to hear from some of the former staff, be it announcers, operators, the news folk and the office gang who helped make the operation at Av/Dav and, later, Number One Yonge, one of Canada's best radio stations ever to hit the airwaves (I can't believe I said 'airwaves').
October 31st, 2011 update
Got an email from David Samuels at New York Univeristy. He's looking for some Joe Crysdale airchecks. Hope one of you can help. Here is the email:
David Samuels dws2004@nyu.edu to memories
Hi, I stumbled across your website while doing some research and thought you would be as good a place to start as any. I am very interested in finding out if there are any archived recordings of Joe Crysdale's dramatized Sunday night broadcasts of Maple Leaf games from the 40's and 50's? Any advice you can offer about whom I might contact is greatly appreciated.
Many thanks for your consideration.
Sincerely,
David Samuels
Well David, Gary Megaffin, an old radio guy, has some memories he would like to share with you and our website visitors:
Hi Bob.
I regularly check your CKEY website and saw where someone mentioned Joe Chrysdale.
I had the pleasure of working with Joe at CHIN in the late 60’s along with Pete Nordheimer, Ted Curl and other Toronto notable broadcasters now long retired. I later became their News Director but left in ’75 when the station went all ethnic thus there was no need for English news.
Joe was a really nice guy and we had a few laughs talking about the old baseball broadcasts and Club 580.
When I began broadcasting in 1959 at CFOS in Owen Sound I was in Toronto one afternoon on vacation when the CKEY broadcast trailer I believe was on Mutual Street doing a remote. I had a CFOS placard on the car and got a wave from Keith Sandy to come in and say hello. I think it was just before Martin Silburt was to go on the air at 2:00. Spent about an hour talking with Keith, Martin and the others. It was a great afternoon to remember. That’s when a “remote” was a “remote”, now it’s just a cell phone!
If you recall, I was able to contact Lee Vogel about a year ago through email and passed on some updated info to your website. When Lee Vogel and his wife were living in Toronto in the 60’s, we became friends and they became god-parents to one of our children.
Will keep checking your website for more updates.
Regards…
Gary Megaffin
Thanks Gary,, and thanks for reconnecting me with Lee Vogel.. one of the original Good Guys.
This just in (sound like a real radio guy don't I?)
Hello, and what a pleasant surprise to see your site. I’m Joe Chrysdale’s youngest son, Joseph. Growing up, everybody called me Joe Jr., but my Dad called me Joseph and that’s what I prefer.
I wasn’t born until 1956, long after my Dad’s CKEY glory days and must say it’s heartwarming to see people still inquiring about him.
Several times I’ve made attempts at finding audio of the reconstructed baseball broadcasts, but so far, no luck. Would sure love to hear if someone else can come up with some of it.
I’ve bookmarked the site and with a new sense of adventure, will e-mail back with any archival nuggets.
Cheers – Joseph in Toronto
Thanks Joseph. Can anyone help with his request?
And another question from another recent visitor to the site:
James Randi randi@randi.org to memories
My name is James Randi. I was born in Toronto in 1928. I knew many of the on-air people who worked for CKEY. Was it on University Avenue…? And in those days – about 1945 or so – only AM radio, of course…
In any case, I was interviewed on CKEY in my role as a magician, while working night clubs in Toronto. There was a radio personality there named Mike Kashin (?) who had me on his show several times… Does anyone remember him?
Back then, I was known as Randall Zwinge – my original name – and I used Randall the Telepath as my billing, doing “mentalism.”
Am I nuts, or did Lorne Greene once work as an announcer for CKEY? I know I met him there…
J.R.
Hope someone can help James with the first question and, yes James, Lorne Greene did indeed do the news on CKEY before fathering the Cartwright clan.
Please use the menu on the left of the screen to visit the various comments, memories, sounds and pictures that are continuously being updated as I hear from more and more people almost daily.
This will be a labour of love for me and, with your indulgence, I'll sprinkle some of my own memories throughout the website.
The site itself will get fancier as I add more pages and if you want to contact me just click on 'EMAIL US' on the left menu.
Don't forget to click on the 'BOOKMARK US' feature on the menu so that you can easily check up on the site often.
Enjoy!
'Captain' Bob Rice
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