CJOY marks historic milestone with 75th anniversary
Global News
It was 75 years ago on Wednesday that CJOY went on the air in Guelph.
It was June 14, 1948, that CJOY went on the air in Guelph.
Wally Slatter acquired a license in 1947 to broadcast on a frequency of 1450 kHz at 250 watts. He and Fred Metcalf co-managed the station under CJOY Limited. It was, at the time, the first and only radio station in Guelph. It would move up the dial in 1960 to 1460 kHz at 10,000 watts during the day and 5,000 watts at night.
CJOY is marking its 75th anniversary on Wednesday and the radio station remains a fixture in the Royal City.
“My wife is a big fan of the oldies and the clock radio would be set to CJOY each morning,” said Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie. “I remember the birthday club in the morning and that was always fun.”
So many people have come through the doors at CJOY over the years. Among them: Lloyd Dafoe, Howard Manning, Cam Langford, Guus Hazelaar, Dave Hannah, Neil Clemens, and Larry Mellott. Mellott, the former program director and afternoon drive host, has been at the radio station on two different occasions since 1974 and continues to do play-by-play for the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm.
Long-time broadcaster Michael Kane recalls his time at CJOY. He says he remembers when his mom was doing print ads for a local department store and also did voice work at the radio station.
“I would follow her there and got to know some of the people,” said Kane who began his broadcasting career at CJOY in 1967. “I eventually got a job as an operator where I played the music and commercials at the station while the announcer was on location.”