Early radio

When I was growing up in Sackville, NB, we only got a few AM radio stations.  There was a station in the nearby town of Amherst and a CBC station in the city of Moncton. (FM radio was something we heard about.) In the morning we'd listen to The World at Eight on the CBC.  In later years I'd listen to The World at Six more.

I recall a phone-in talk show on the Amherst station.  There was a woman who often called in with a rather strident voice, who often said, "That is what I was born and brought up to do!" People made fun of her a lot.  Also, a guy from the local supermarket would call in and say what their current specials were.  Looking back, I wonder if they got into trouble with the CRTC, considering how they were blurring the line between programming and advertising.  You could phone the station to request music for them to play, and when I was sixteen I successfully requested Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good."

My hometown was surrounded by flat marshland, and the Canadian Northern Service had several radio towers transferring shortwave signals long distances.