last link on the left

He was one of the best-looking guys you'll ever hear. He was also one of the most respected.

Gord Robson died March 21st, 2008 at the age of 56. And with his passing, a small chapter in Canada's history of rock and roll radio turned over its last page.

It has often been said that a disc jockey's life is nomadic, a move from one market to another, a move up often followed by a move down. It was no different for Gord.

While he was last heard on Corus station CHQT Cool 880, Gord had worked in Edmonton several times before at different stations over several decades.

Over the years, "Skip" manned the McCurdy and RCA boards from Vancouver to Montreal, from Moose Jaw to Lethbridge, spreading the news that rock and roll was here to stay with his stacks of wax and pounds of sound. And in his final act, Gord may have ended up making the news – ironically because of the news.

Gordon S. Robison started out in Calgary in 1968 at then Moffat-owned station CKXL 1140 AM. Broadcasting came naturally to the young man: his father was Ron Robison (see below). Winnipeg-based Moffat also owned 630 CHED in Edmonton.

After three years, the bright lights of Montreal called and Robson pulled down a pair of years driving folks home at CFOX.

He returned to his home town province and starred at CHED during the dying days of the Good Guys' dominance of Top 40 radio in Edmonton. Peers at the time termed his show "antiseptic" because of Gord's clean execution.

Next stop: Vancouver, where Gord worked at CKLG-73 from 1974 to 1984 as program and music director in addition to on-air duties in p.m. drive and middays.

He later snagged a sports job at the left coast city's CKVU TV outlet with hair that defined a decade.

Moving from the peaks of lotus land to the flats of next year country, Robson ended up at CHAB in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan as program director before re-bounding to the familiar grounds of CKXL back in Calgary in the mid-eighties where he also rose to become program director of the ratings-winning station.

Robson returned to Edmonton and CHED in 1987, working afternoons at the Mighty 630 before moving on to CKNG-FM Power 92 in 1993. Starting in 1994 Gord could be heard at CKRA K-Lite and Mix 96 for a few years.

From 1998 to 2004 Robson was program director while holding down the morning drive at CFRV-FM in Lethbridge. Bouncing to Toronto, Gord snagged freelance voice-over work for a few years before returning to Edmonton and CHQT, handling swing, remotes, voice-tracking and production.

In the spring of 2006, Gord found himself in the University of Alberta Hospital intensive care unit with liver and kidney problems. Word had it he suffered major organ damage but as his condition improved he broadcast regular updates of his condition to nurses via his bedside intercom.

In 2007 Gord made his way back onto Edmonton airwaves, eventually replacing Tim "The Shooter" Schutz in the Cool 880 afternoon drive slot.

With program director Lesley Primeau as a willing partner, the radio veteran helped revive the long dormant Corus frequency into a tribute to the heady days of Top 40 radio of the sixties.

Robson involved listeners with such bits as the Lost Lyric contest, handing out instant prizes to the first caller to correctly identify portions of a lyric from a Superhit of the 70's or 60's. Gord also hosted live requests from 6 to 7 nightly.

Climbing ratings followed and even the news department joined in by resurrecting the spirit of "20/20 News" popular on Drake-Chenault format stations of the 1960s.

In late 2007 and early 2008 Cool 880 Boss Radio re-vamped its schedule, shedding tired programming while introducing new shows geared toward an audience nostalgic for Powerhouse Radio. But it was all for nought.

On March 14th, 2008 Corus station manager Doug Rutherford announced that Cool 880 would flip to an all news format in less than two months.

A week later Gord was dead. His body was found by Edmonton Police Service officers in his apartment.

Gord's ex-wife Audrey issued a statement shortly after the discovery.

"Our family wants to focus on all the good times we had together with Gord and take comfort that he is now at peace in his new heavenly home."

News of Gord's death first broke on internet radio forums. Soon 630 CHED posted word on their web site and Cool 880 soon followed with its own tribute to the broadcaster who had been on the air in five different decades.

Bob Layton's March 24th blog entry and editorial was dedicated to Robson. It can be read here and listened to here (opens as an .mp3 file).

Tributes and accolades to Gord Robson were posted in great number on internet radio forums such as RadioWest and Puget Sound Radio.

Many once-young broadcasters recounted their time with Gord, often citing him as the mentor that helped shape their careers.

The Edmonton Sun's Graham Hicks talked to Gord's fellow broadcasters.

"He was just the nicest guy," said Standard Broadcasting station manager Marty Forbes. Standard, now Astral Media, owns CFRN 1260 - The Team, 100.3 The Bear and 104.9 E-Z Rock CFMG.

"A true heart of gold. And he had a passion for teaching. He helped so many radio greenhorns learn their craft," Forbes added.

"Gord was kind, considerate, fair. Just a truly loveable guy, a big teddy bear in his healthier days," said close friend Rob Christie of Magic 99, a Rawlco outlet. "He was almost too nice a guy to be in radio."

Christie and Robson had spent early days together in Montreal and at CHED.

The day after a family-only service was held Gord's obituary was posted in the Edmonton Journal.

Gord's father, Ron Robison, started in radio in 1947 at CFQC Saskatoon. Moving to Alberta in 1950, Ron worked at CJOC Lethbridge, later moving to television at CHCT Calgary in 1957. After two years at CKSA-TV Loydminster, Robison – now calling himself Ron Bennett – anchored news at CKWX Vancouver for four years starting in 1962. From there Ron moved back to Saskatchewan and CFMC-FM Saskatoon, later working at CKBI-TV in Prince Albert. He died in 1983.

A tribute to Gord Robson was held April 4th at the Moose Factory on Edmonton's Calgary Trail. Photos and memories of the event can be seen at these posts on the RadioWest and Puget Sound Radio forums.

The Robson Airchecks

Through the dedicated efforts of radio enthusiasts (and the man's own belief in the value of airchecks), the voice of Gord Robson lives on forever. Below is an index to various recordings of Robson on the air at various points in his career.

March 3, 1976 at CKLG - Vancouver – from the Radio West forum (opens as an .mp3).

March 25, 1976 at CKLG - Vancouver – from the Radio West forum (opens as an .mp3).

May 7, 1984 at CKLG - Vancouver – from the dormant www.recordsforsale.com site (opens as an .mp3).

April 5, 1988 at CHED - Edmonton – from the Radio West forum (opens as an .mp3).

January 29, 1989 at CHED - Edmonton – from the dormant www.recordsforsale.com site (opens as an .mp3).

October 26, 2007 at CHQT Cool 880 - Edmonton – from the Radio West forum (opens as an .mp3).

December 4th, 2007 at CHQT Cool 880 - Edmonton – from the Puget Sound Radio forum (membership is free and easy, file opens as an .mp3).

Gord's last show on Cool 880 was on March 13th, 2008 – the day before Corus announced that the station would become an all news operation two months later.

CHED/Cool 880 newsreader Ed Mason paid tribute to Robson during CHQT's morning newscasts on March 24th, 2008. They can be heard here and here – both from the Radio West forum (open as .mp3s).

Fans of 630 CHED's Top Forty heyday can revel in this aircheck from December 1973 – from Keith James Jr.'s Unofficial CHED site (opens as an .mp3).

Fans of the 20/20 News intro can slide over to the 4:52 mark of this 1969 KFRC - Big 610 Drake Series collection lovingly housed at the Bay Area Radio Museum web site (the rest of the jingle package is swell too).

radio - edmonton radio news 2008 - gord robson (1951 - 2008)