Dave McCormick off the air

After over two decades with the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, veteran musicologist Big Daddy Dave McCormick will do his final show on Adult Favorites CKBD AM 600 Vancouver this Friday, August 15.  After a stint at CHML Hamilton ON, he started in the Vancouver market at C-FUN in 1957.  He was music director at KMAK & KYNO Fresno CA in the early to mid 1960s, PD at KOL Seattle from 1966-67 and PD/MD at KMEN San Bernardino CA from 1967 until his return to Vancouver in 1972.  Dave is a four time BC Country Music Association Country Broadcaster of the Year and 1998 inductee into the BC Country Music Association Hall of Fame.  CKBD will flip to FM this fall as AAA The Peak CKPK-FM 100.5. (From Northwest Broadcasters)

One of the truly great radio guys has seen another change and is again without a set of headphones and a microphone. Dave McCormick and I go back a long way. I remember when he started working in Vancouver back in the Fifties. He had that honest knack of being himself and that is probably the most difficult thing to convey on radio. He never varied from this personable approach. When listening to Dave you always felt that it was a neighbour leaning over the back fence. His knowledge of music is impeccable and his love of the business is beyond question.

To have yet another radio station go “dark” and move to FM is certainly a sign of the times but to cast aside one of the city’s best communicators is not only a mistake but tragic. However, being the eternal optimist I see him resurfacing. After all Vancouver is about to have 2 more stations (in addition to the Pattison station that apparently has no room for Dave). Maybe a program director or owner at one of these outlets would have the “smarts” to hire Dave.

If I may comment after 51 years in this business, I find it ironic that the new Program Director of The Peak is a lovely woman who is best known for her work in television. Tamara Stanners is taking over the helm as I understand it. I always admired her television work but for the life of me I cannot relate to her duties as a program director unless of course (and this is the norm today) she will be working with a radio consultant and following orders. This in no way is meant to slam Tamara but when a seasoned pro such as Dave is let go and the new direction of the new station is in the hands of someone who is not known (at least to me) as a program expert I find it appalling.

Dave, it was my honor to induct you into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. You are a great guy and a great talent. I hope you don’t leave radio forever. We deserve more from you.