Tayler “Hap” Parnaby, 83, on Feb. 25. Parnaby’s interest in radio started early. Growing up in Orillia, one of the stops along his paper route was local radio station CFOR. Soon, Parnaby was stopping in with regularity to observe the morning show, which eventually led to a part-time job helping with the show’s production before school. After going on to attend both Queens and Carleton University in the 1960s, Parnaby opted not to graduate from either in favour of pursuing a journalism career. After a stint at CFOR, he became the news director at CKLC Kingston, followed by CHUM. From there, he went to Ottawa to serve as Bureau Chief for the Newsradio network, before returning to Toronto as Editor-in-Chief at CKEY and President of Newsradio. He joined the fledgling CKO radio network in 1981, holding roles from President to Editor-in-Chief over the next eight years. At Allan Slaight’s insistence, he went on to join CFRB, inheriting Gordon Sinclair’s 11:50 a.m. news broadcast and commentary, and reporting, working out of Queen’s Park for the last decade of his career. After 23 years with the station, he was among those caught up in a round of cuts in 2009. In retirement, he continued as a community columnist with the Caledon Enterprise, penning his last column in November 2022. Read more here.
Mel Cooper, 92, on Feb. 20. Cooper’s radio career began in 1951 as an announcer at CJAV Port Alberni. The following year he moved to CKMO Vancouver, and then to CKWX as news editor. In 1955, he was named national sales manager of CKNW and two years later was promoted to GSM, before moving into the GM role in 1970. He concurrently served as Vice-President of Western Broadcasting Co. Ltd., which owned CKNW, as well as President of Western Broadcast Sales. In 1974, Cooper’s Seacoast Communications bought CFAX Victoria, with the company going on to purchase CKOV-AM and CKLZ-FM Kelowna in 1988 (later sold to Pattison Media in 1996). As majority owner, Cooper served as President of Seacoast Communications Group and GM of CFAX from 1974 to 1996 when he became chairman and CEO of Seacoast. The company was awarded a second licence in the Victoria market in 2000 for CFEX-FM (now CHBE-FM). CHUM Limited purchase both stations in 2004. Cooper served on numerous boards over the years, including as a director of TELUS and the Royal Bank of Canada. A member of the Order of Canada and Order of B.C., Cooper also served as a director of the Radio Bureau of Canada, Bureau of Broadcast Measurement and president of the BC Association of Broadcasters. BCAB named him Broadcast Citizen of the Year in 1979 and Broadcaster of the Year in 2000.
Harold Wesley on Feb. 14. Wesley’s career as a broadcast technician at CTV spanned six decades. He started as a teenager in the mailroom at Charles Street in 1965, working his way up to Senior Director, On-Air Operations at the network’s Agincourt studios. Wesley contributed to broadcasts and specials for many high-profile events over the years, including election coverage, the Academy Awards, Olympic Games, JUNO Awards, Canadian Idol and the Super Bowl. After 48 years, he retired from the company in 2013.
Carolyn Lamers, 62, on Feb. 15 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Born into the family business as the daughter of Tillsonburg Broadcasting majority owner John D. Lamers, Carolyn had a career in sales and marketing with the station group through the company’s sale to Rogers Media in 2017. She’d most recently served as the Local Sales Manager for Country 107.3 (CJDL-FM) Tillsonburg. Lamers was also active in her community, lending her time to the Helping Hand Food Bank, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the Tillsonburg Chamber of Commerce, and the Tillsonburg Business Improvement Association.
