Dick Williams, 83, on Jan. 10. Williams, who earned the nickname “The Tall One,” got his start in broadcasting at age 16 in Kitchener. From there, he went to WSAI Cincinnati, while attending university, and by age 19 was doing mornings in San Diego. A program director stint in Sacramento at KROI followed, and then KEWB Oakland, before Williams returned to Canada and CFPL London in the summer of 1960 to host an evening teenage rock n’ roll show. A CBC affiliate at the time, he would come back on after the 11 p.m. news with the program, Journey Into Melody. Credited as one of the first DJs in North America to spin The Beatles, Williams also hosted CFPL-TV programs like Hootenany and Wing Ding. Following a format change at the station in 1967, Williams formed a production company that offered pre-produced and customized radio contests to stations across the country, before CFPL hired him back in 1972. He had taken a detour writing for an ad agency when he got a call from CJBK-AM London to take over afternoon drive. He went on to host mornings at CHLO and then middays at Q97.5 – which became EZ Rock (CKQM-FM). In semi-retirement, he split his time between Port Stanley, ON and Key West, FL, taking on voiceover work and running online station Southernmost Radio. With the help of his son D.J., an account manager with Corus Entertainment London, Williams returned to the CFPL airwaves in 2021 as the host of weekend program, Dick Williams’ Solid Gold Rock and Roll. Read more here.
Warren Beck, on Jan. 8. Beck began his broadcasting career in 1950 in his hometown of St. Thomas, ON as an operator at CHLO. In 1954, he moved to CHML Hamilton, where he worked as an op until 1962. Interested in gaining more experience in news, he eventually was hired in the newsroom at CJOY Guelph. While he briefly detoured to Indiana where he took a job anchoring television, he returned home where he was offered a reporting position at CHML. He was appointed assistant news director in 1970, before being promoted to news director. He remained in the position until 1985, going on to teach journalism at Mohawk College for a decade. Beck went on to run a media consulting company and served as news director on a part-time basis at CKPC Brantford. He was recognized in 2012 with the RTDNA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Peter Puxley, 81, on Dec. 7. Puxley studied economics and geography at Dalhousie University, Clark University, Worcester MA, and, as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. He went on to work for the CBC for 17 years, as a producer and editor at CBC’s Morningside, Business World, The World at Six, and The National before being appointed Parliamentary Bureau Chief in Ottawa. Following his journalism career, he worked at Canadian Policy Research Networks and the Canadian Council for International Cooperation. In 2009, NDP leader Jack Layton appointed him Head of Policy and Research for the NDP Caucus. Since 2012, he’d been writing, editing and consulting.
David Gell, 94, on Dec. 8. Born in Calgary, Gell developed an early passion for radio, landing a job at age 15 in the record library of a local station. Two years later, he was made an announcer, going on to work at seven stations in five years during his university years in Calgary and Edmonton, including CKUA. After graduation, he became the European Correspondent for CFAC Calgary, based in Paris. From there, he went to Luxembourg in 1955 as a summer replacement announcer for Radio Luxembourg where he quickly rose to Head of the British Department. He notably was the first British DJ to play Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel.” In 1957, Gell started freelancing as a presenter on both BBC radio and Radio Luxembourg, becoming the first Canadian DJ to be heard on the national broadcaster on programs including “Music for Sweethearts,” “Housewives Choice,” children’s show “Playtime,” and “Twin Beat.” He was tapped to host Granada Television quiz show “Concentration” in 1959, followed by “David Gell Meets…” Numerous television appearances followed. in 1977, Gell was offered the evening anchor position at CBC Calgary, also hosting arts shows, “Saturday Side Up” and “Sunday Arts.” He retired in the 2000s, continuing to work as a freelance voiceover artist and narrator and as an instructor at Mount Royal University.
Margaret Saundry, 97, on Nov. 23. Saundry joined CBC Winnipeg in 1959, starting as an accountant, but eventually took on the role of script assistant. Primarily covering sports, including the forerunner to the Canadian Football League, Saundry is considered a pioneer for women in sports broadcasting, holding senior roles at a time when few women worked in the industry. She moved to Toronto in the late 1960s, travelling the world as a network producer with CBC Sports to cover Olympic, Pan-Am and Commonwealth games. She retired from CBC in 1985 after 27 years with the public broadcaster. In 2013, Saundry was inducted into the CBC Hall of Fame.
