Ron Taylor, 63, on Jan. 31, after a long illness. Taylor’s career started as a teen at Moffat Communications’ Winnipeg stations 58 CKY and 92 CITI FM in the late 1970s. He would go on to a four-decade career in broadcast tech that included 14 years as a Senior Field Engineer at Oakwood Media Touch (OMT). He concurrently founded TaylorMade Radio, helping build stations including CFNR Terrace, BC and several stations in the Arctic. More recently, he had done work for Xperi.
Fraser McAlpine, 87, on Dec. 29 in Penticton. McAlpine’s broadcast career started at CJAT Trail in 1956. He landed a job as an announcer with CJVI Victoria two years later, crossing the street in 1960 to CKDA where he covered sports and news, as well as serving as an on-air personality, eventually hosting the morning show. After a decade, he returned to CJVI where he was heard in mornings until 1973 when the station changed formats from soft rock/middle of the road to country music. The move saw McAlpine move to mid-mornings as the host of the popular phone-in request line. He left the airwaves in 1976 and joined the CJVI sales department, officially leaving radio in 1986 to travel and pursue other opportunities. He was inducted into the Victoria Music Hall Of Fame as the Most Influential Broadcaster of 1950-69.
Derek Shanks, 84, on Nov. 17. An alum of Halifax’s St. Patrick’s High School, Shanks’ broadcast career started at CKBW Bridgewater, NS after studying journalism at St. Mary’s University. He and his family eventually relocated to Toronto where he joined Broadcast News (BN) and The Canadian Press (CP). Shanks worked with the wire service for 35 years as a Senior News Editor, before taking early retirement.
