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The Station With
the
Happy Difference
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Boss
Radio!
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On
August 22 1964, a date that coincides closely
with the much-heralded arrival of the Beatles
in Vancouver, CKLG underwent a radical change
and became the third station in Vancouver's
radio history to adopt the "Top Forty" format.
CKLG had been born only 9 years earlier, in
1955, and was originally based in North
Vancouver. (The 'LG' stood for "Lions Gate".)
In those early years, the station carried
programming that appealed to the
"middle-of-the-road" audience.
Now the station was going up against "Top
Forty" giant CFUN and in doing so the station
underwent many changes, including the adoption
of a new slogan "Lion Radio" and the
introduction of several new DJs,, referred to
as "Top Cats", which included Paul Arthur,
Frank "Emperor" Malone, Russ Simpson, Dave
Palmer, Roy Hennessy, and Jerry Landa.
And, of course, it introduced it's own survey,
often referred to on air by the DJs as the
"Fabulous Forty" or "Fab Forty", although
neither of these titles appeared on the actual
printed survey. Rather, the banner at the top
of each chart read "SILVER DOLLAR SURVEY".
The station gained popularity and, over the
next few years, gradually lured over DJs from
C-FUN including Jerry Landa, Fred
Latremouille, Daryl 'B' and later, John
Tanner. By the latter part of of 1966 LG had
adopted the new slogan "Boss Radio" and the
DJs changed from "Top Cats" to "Boss Jocks".
The survey became the "Boss 40", later the
"Boss 30", and then just "CKLG Thirty". |
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By the Fall of 1967
CKLG had toppled C-FUN in the local ratings,
driving the latter out of the "Top Forty"
format. Over the next few years new DJs would
include J.B. Shane, Peter Starr, Timothy
Burge, Stevie Wonder, and Terry David
Mulligan. By the 1980s the lineup consisted of
a whole new generation of DJs.
Over the years, the "Top Forty" format along
with AM radio as a whole, gradually waned in
popularity. The surveys ended in 1993. The
station flirted with other formats including
'talk' radio, although it continued to play
hit music.
CKLG unceremoniously passed into history on
February 1, 2001, when the station, now owned
by the Corus Network, which also owned CKNW,
became an all-news station and was now
referred to as NW2. It has undergone further
format changes since then, including the loss
of its call letters. Today it is all-traffic
station CHMJ.
CKLG was a "Top Forty" station longer than any
other Vancouver station, nearly 37 years. Its
passing, to this day, is lamented by many.
These pages deal first with the earliest years
beginning in 1964 and will eventually work
upward to the 1990s.
For a further tribute to CKLG by Gord
Lansdell click here.
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VANCOUVER TOP 40
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