More C-FUN Memories

Red, my husband and I watch you often on Global TV in the mornings and you bring back to us memories of Vancouver Radio in the 1950’s.

In 1956 I moved to Vancouver from Prince Rupert and hunted for my first job in the record business. I was trained in a record department from the age of 14 and took over the buying, selling etc. at age 18, then went to Toronto in 1950/51 working at Promenade Music Centre and studying piano at the Conservatory. In 1954 I went to England and worked for His Masters Voice (EMI) on Oxford Street in London, returning to Canada in 1955. In Vancouver in the fall of 1956 I was hired at Wards Music when they had a record department as well as sheet music.

In the spring of 1957 I had an opportunity to work in the music library at C-FUN, the sweetest listening in town. The studio was on Robson Street and my job was mixed. I was hired to program Monty McFarlane‘s morning show, do reception, program and write the evening Classical show for Stan Lettner. At that time Jack Cullen was there on the Owl Prowl, Myron Balagno did the Question of the Day at Birks corner under the clock. I assisted Myron on the corner, stopping passersby so he could ask them the question of the day (which we made up as we ran with the equipment to plug in at Birks). Such a busy corner, I met some of my hometown friends there as we worked. My husband Bert Ljungh was also working part time at the station.

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Those were the great days of all the Jazz Clubs, which we haunted, and Jazz Concerts, remembering musicians that worked with me at Western Music on Seymour Street on the week-ends.  Some of the musicians from the Cave Orchestra sold pianos and instruments on the Upper Floor. You were just a young one then. My career at C-FUN came to a close in 1956, when all of the staff arrived at work one morning only to find the station had been sold and they were going Top 40. They asked me if I wanted to stay and I declined as I am sure the record library would be very boring with the Top 100. Later I worked on the North Shore for CKLG. The music business is a bygone business… we used to have travelling salesmen from all the companies come north to sell their wares, and in Vancouver they used to come to the libraries with all their new discs… what a change, and I am not sure if it is for the better. When I answered the phone at the radio station we used get some interesting answers when we said  “This is FUN!”

All the best, Rusty Ljungh

Rusty,  what great memories of the halcyon days of radio, records and people. I knew of everyone you mentioned in your letter and have fond memories of most. Sadly they are mostly gone now. I hope you are enjoying life and will write again.