Village Squire, 1979-04, Page 6different than what anybody else was doing...1 was part of the
community and I felt there was a story to be told and I was telling
it because the people were telling it to me."
During his years he got involved in much more than the
morhing show. He began hosting a morning featurette called
"Your Town Canada" which he says was a lot of work but a lot of
fun. He hosted a Sunday morning show called "Hi Neighbours"
with excerpts from the. weekly newspapers from the region. He
hosted a weekly television show called People. Places and
Things. The major incentive for these he claims was money,
trying to supplement the normal pay scale at the station.
Whatever the reason, he was a major force in the region his
station served. He boosted sports. community affairs. the arts
and gave many areas of life in the community a higher profile
that it had ever enjoyed before. He made people more aware of
the resources of the region than they would normally have been
by simply listening to the words and music normally played on
the station.
"I think 1 realized the feedback that I got that when I did
particular things with the show that reflected what people were
doing that I realized I was doing something right because they
liked it so I just kept on doing it.
"After 14 years there I had met the people and so there was a
certain responsibility to them that you just couldn't deny. And
also after 14 years of doing a certain thing there were things that
were easy for me because I had the experience, some things
about the equipment, abou'. management if you like. I knew the
ins and outs of the station. So it wasn't so much that I did
anything extra, it's just that some of the routine things that had
to do with the job I could do blindfolded and I had to do those
extra things to keep myself alive. I had to get involved in those
extra things or telling people what time it was and what kind of
day it was going to be would drive you nuts."
This was accomplished under difficult personal trials for Jim.
One marriage broke down and then a happy second marriage
shattered by the tragic death of his wife. That and the feeling
that he had gone as far as he could with the Wingham station
prompted the change when the chance of a new job came along.
"I guess 1 left because I had come to a mid-life crisis in every
way possible. I couldn't see myself doing that forever. The
opportunity for another job has arisen and I decided to give it a
shot and if 1 didn't make it, I didn't make it. But I also didn't
think I could continue in the community.
"I don't know, if you believe in fate like I do and everything
just came together and it was time to leave."
Whatever the reason for his broadening the scope of his work
at CKNX it directly prepared him for what he was to get involved
with at Morning Break. "Initially it certainly led to what I'm
doing with this program because it seemed like a natural
evolution. 1 was involved in a number of different aspects of life
and hoped that the morning show reflected all the different
element that we have to contain in ourselves and the other things
that I did, Your Town Canada and People, Places and Things
reflected that if you look around there are dozens of worthwhile
people right in your own backyard area. And this show does that
every day.
"I guess the difference is that there I initiated what was
happening, that it was my impetus that didit. There were other
people involved, but the producer of the show up there was not
as evident as here. None of those things would have happened
unless those people had decided that it was time, or that they
had the resources and the people to do it.
"Here I'm directly involved with the producer so what 1 do sort
of responds to what they would like to see done and I'm more
aware of it.
The Morning Break show is a much more complicated
arrangement that he has been used to in the past. A full-time
team works on the show. Besides himself and co -host Carol
Campbell (another graduate of CKNX Wingham) there is the
co -producers George Clark and John Sommers and many backup
people. including researchers, writers, production assistants and
4 Village Squire, April 1979
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