Former CKBI GM Jim Scarrow holds a picture from the early days of CKBI during a Coffee and Conversation at the Historical Museum. (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

By Derek Craddock

WAKE UP, SHAKE UP

‘It’s 5 minutes to 8’: Former broadcaster shares history of radio and TV in P.A.

Mar 23, 2023 | 5:00 PM

They are names many in the city of Prince Albert know too well: “The 4 o Clock Hop”, “Wake Up, Shake Up”, and “The Happy Gang Show”.

Those were just some of the memories unlocked during a Coffee and Conversation at the Prince Albert Historical Museum. The host for the event was a former mayor and general manager of CKBI, Jim Scarrow.

Scarrow highlighted the history of CKBI from its early radio days in the 1930s to the launch of its television station in 1957. Over time, the station would grow and reach thousands of people in northern Saskatchewan including Tisdale, Spiritwood and Big River.

For decades, radio and television captivated audiences in these cities, but few knew the people behind the scenes and the microphones. That was one of the purposes behind Scarrow’s talk on Thursday.

READ MORE: A look back at the history of CKBI and local radio in P.A.

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He brought up names like Ed Rawlinson, Jack Cennon, and Tom Van Ness, the chief engineer who helped build the CKBI studio.

His daughter Vilda Poole was at the event and said she wanted to be there to make sure no one forgot people like her father, who worked so hard to bring radio and television to Prince Albert.

“I’m trying to show people that it didn’t start with the announcers, it started from scratch. My dad built the radio station and eventually television,” she said. “He was a very hard worker and whenever the station went off the air, no matter where he was and what he was doing, he was gone to fix it.”

She said that throughout the years, people like Tom were invisible and she was pleased that Scarrow mentioned him as one of the greatest influencers in P.A.’s broadcasting history.

Scarrow said he was pleased to give the talk and reminisce about the golden days of radio and TV.

“It was a wonderful opportunity for me to kind of re-engage with my roots and the industry that I worked all my life in.”

He joked that he had so much material that he had to cut some of it out, pointing to just how much rich history there was in Prince Albert’s media scene.

After his presentation, Scarrow took time to talk more with the audience, who shared some of their greatest memories of CKBI. He said it was as much a benefit to him as it was to those in the building.

“Reliving their own memories to the media that provided so much in their lives in terms of information and entertainment.”

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @PA_Craddock