Retro Radio Dial: 1953 Canada AM Radio
Share your own memories of Canadian Radio
| kc | Call | Location | Province |
|---|---|---|---|
| 540 | CBK | Watrous | SK |
| 550 | CKPG | Prince George | BC |
| CFNB | Fredericton | NB | |
| CHLN | Three Rivers | PQ | |
| 560 | CJKL | Kirkland Lake | ON |
| CFRA | Ottawa | ON | |
| 570 | CJEM | Edmunston | NB |
| 580 | CKCH | Edmonton | AB |
| CKY | Winnipeg | MB | |
| CJFX | Antigonish | NS | |
| CKPR | Fort Williams | ON | |
| CFCL | Timmins | ON | |
| CKEY | Toronto | ON | |
| 590 | CFAR | Flin Flon | MB |
| VOCM | St Johns | NF | |
| CKRS | Jonquiere | PQ | |
| 600 | CJOR | Vancouver | BC |
| CFCH | North Bay | ON | |
| CFCF | Montreal | PQ | |
| CFQC | Saskatoon | SK | |
| 610 | CJAT | Trail | BC |
| CHNC | New Carlisle | PQ | |
| 620 | CKTB | St Catherines | ON |
| CKCK | Regina | SK | |
| 630 | CKOV | Kelowna | BC |
| CKRC | Winnipeg | MB | |
| CFCO | Chatham | ON | |
| CFCY | Charlottetown | PE | |
| 640 | CBN | St John’s | NF |
| 680 | CHFA | Edmonton | AB |
| CHLO | St Thomas | ON | |
| CKGB | Timmins | ON | |
| 690 | CBF | Montreal | PQ |
| 710 | CKVM | Ville Marie | PQ |
| 730 | CKAC | Montreal | PQ |
| 740 | CBL | Toronto | ON |
| 790 | CBY | Corner Brook | NF |
| CKSO | Sudbury | ON | |
| 800 | CKOK | Penticton | BC |
| VOWR | St Johns | NF | |
| CKLW | Windsor | ON | |
| CKFI | Fort Francis | PQ | |
| CJAD | Montreal | PQ | |
| CHRC | Quebec City | PQ | |
| CHAB | Moose Jaw | SK | |
| 850 | CKRD | Red Deer | AB |
| 860 | CJBC | Toronto | ON |
| 900 | CJVI | Victoria | BC |
| CHML | Hamilton | ON | |
| CHNO | Sudbury | ON | |
| CJBR | Rimouski | PQ | |
| CHLT | Sherbrooke | PQ | |
| CKBI | Prince Albert | SK | |
| 910 | CFJC | Kamloops | BC |
| CBO | Ottawa | ON | |
| CHRL | Roberval | PQ | |
| 930 | CJCA | Edmonton | AB |
| CFBC | St John | NB | |
| CJON | St Johns | NF | |
| 940 | CJIB | Vernon | BC |
| CBM | Montreal | PQ | |
| CJGX | Yorktown | SK | |
| 950 | CKNB | Campbelltown | NB |
| CHBD | Saskatoon | SK | |
| 960 | CFAC | Calgary | AB |
| CHNS | Halifax | NS | |
| CKWS | Kingston | ON | |
| 970 | CKCH | Hull | ON |
| 980 | CKWX | Vancouver | BC |
| CFPL | London | ON | |
| CBV | Quebec City | PQ | |
| CKVL | Verdun | PQ | |
| CKRM | Regina | SK | |
| 990 | CBW | Winnipeg | MB |
| 1000 | CKBW | Bridgewater | NS |
| 1010 | CBX | Edmonton | AB |
| CFRB | Toronto | ON | |
| 1050 | CFGP | Grande Prairie | AB |
| CHUM | Toronto | ON | |
| 1060 | CFCN | Calgary | AB |
| 1070 | CHOK | Sarnia | ON |
| CBA | Sackville | NB | |
| 1080 | CHED | Edmonton | AB |
| 1090 | CFJB | Brampton | ON |
| 1130 | CBU | Vancouver | BC |
| 1140 | CKXL | Calgary | AB |
| 1150 | CKX | Brandon | MB |
| CHSJ | St John | NF | |
| CKOC | Hamilton | ON | |
| 1220 | CJOC | Lethbridge | AB |
| CKCW | Moncton | NB | |
| CJRL | Kenora | ON | |
| CKSM | Shawinigan Falls | PQ | |
| 1230 | CHWK | Chilliwack | BC |
| CKDM | Dauphin | MB | |
| VOAR | St John | NF | |
| CKEC | New Glasgow | NS | |
| CFHR | Hay River | NT | |
| CKBB | Barrie | ON | |
| CJBQ | Belleville | ON | |
| CKSF | Cornwall | ON | |
| CFPA | Port Arthur | ON | |
| CKLD | Thetford Mines | PQ | |
| CKVD | Val d’Or | PQ | |
| CFRG | Gravelbourg | SK | |
| 1240 | CKLN | Nelson | BC |
| CJAV | Port Alberni | BC | |
| CFPR | Prince Rupert | BC | |
| CKGO | Eastview | ON | |
| CKLB | Oshawa | ON | |
| CJRW | Summerside | PE | |
| CKLS | La Sarre | PQ | |
| CKTS | Sherbrooke | PQ | |
| CJCS | Stratford | PQ | |
| 1250 | CKSB | St Boniface | MB |
| CKBL | Matane | PQ | |
| 1260 | CFRN | Edmonton | AB |
| 1270 | CHAT | Medicine Hat | AB |
| CJCB | Sydney | NS | |
| CFGT | St Joseph d’Alma | PQ | |
| 1280 | CJMS | Montreal | PQ |
| CKCV | Quebec City | PQ | |
| 1310 | CKOY | Ottawa | ON |
| 1320 | CKNW | New Westminster | BC |
| CJSO | Sorel | PQ | |
| 1330 | CBH | Halifax | NS |
| 1340 | CKDA | Victoria | BC |
| CJOB | Winnipeg | MB | |
| CKMR | Newcastle | NB | |
| CJLS | Yarmouth | NS | |
| CFYK | Yellowknife | NT | |
| CKOX | Woodstock | ON | |
| CHAD | Amos | PQ | |
| CJNT | Quebec City | PQ | |
| 1350 | CJDC | Dawson Creek | BC |
| CBT | Grand Falls | NF | |
| CHOV | Pembroke | ON | |
| CHGB | St.Anne de la Pocatiere | PQ | |
| CKTR | Three Rivers | PQ | |
| 1380 | CKPC | Brantford | ON |
| CKLC | London | ON | |
| CFDA | Victoriaville | PQ | |
| 1400 | CKCL | Truro | NS |
| CKFH | Toronto | ON | |
| CJFP | Riviere du Loup | PQ | |
| CKRN | Rouyn | PQ | |
| 1410 | CKMO | Vancouver | BC |
| CHLP | Montreal | PQ | |
| 1420 | CKOM | Saskatoon | SK |
| 1430 | CHEX | Peterborough | ON |
| 1450 | CFBM | Brochet | MB |
| CBG | Gander | NF | |
| CHEF | Windsor | NS | |
| CFJR | Brockville | ON | |
| CJOY | Guelph | ON | |
| CFOR | Orilla | ON | |
| 1460 | CJNB | North Battleford | SK |
| 1470 | CFOS | Owen Sound | ON |
| 1490 | CKEN | Kentville | NS |
| CHAK | Aklavik | NT | |
| CKCR | Kitchener | ON | |
| CFRC | Kingston | ON | |
| CJIC | Sault St Marie | ON | |
| 1550 | CBE | Windsor | ON |
| 1570 | CHUB | Nanaimo | BC |
| CBI | Sydney | NS | |
| 1580 | CBJ | Chicoutimi | PQ |
| 1600 | CHVC | Niagara Falls | ON |
* Stations in bold are the dominant broadcasters in Canada in 1953. They had antenna systems and transmitter powers authorized for wide coverage of their programs.
It Happened in 1953
| Population: | 14.845m | |
| Governor-General | Vincent Massey | |
| Prime Minister | Louis St Laurent | |
| Premier: | Alberta | Ernest Manning |
| British Columbia | WAC Bennett | |
| Manitoba | Douglas Campbell | |
| New Brunswick | Hugh John Flemming | |
| Newfoundland | Joey Smallwood | |
| Nova Scotia | Angus Macdonald | |
| Ontario | Leslie Frost | |
| Prince Edward Isl | J Walter Jones/Alex Matheson | |
| Quebec | Maurice Duplessis | |
| Saskatchewan | Tommy Douglas | |
| Queen Elizabeth II coronation | ||
| Korean War ends | ||
| Frederick Allan ‘Rick’ Moranis [actor/DJ] born |
| Arrivals: |
| Playboy magazine |
| Pat Benetar |
| Pierce Brosnan |
| Alex Van Halen |
| Cyndi Lauper |
| Kim Bassinger |
| Departures: |
| Hank Williams |
| Joseph Stalin |
| Alice Prin ‘Kiki de Montparnasse’ |
| Django Reinhardt |
| Rene Fonck |
| Dylan Thomas |
| Registered Broadcasting Receivers: | 2.33m |
Favorite Movies of 1953: Your Personal Collection
 From Here to Eternity |  Roman Holiday |  The War of the Worlds |  Peter Pan |  The Big Heat |
 Stalag 17 |  House of Wax |  Little Fugitive |  Julius Caesar |  The Band Wagon |
Top 20 Singles
| Artist | Song | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Percy Faith | The Song from Moulin Rouge |
| 2 | Les Paul & Mary Ford | Vaya Con Dios |
| 3 | Patti Page | [How Much is] That Doggie in the Window |
| 4 | Eddie Fisher | I’m Walking Behind You |
| 5 | Ames Brothers | You, You, You |
| 6 | Teresa Brewer | Till I Waltz Again with You |
| 7 | Les Baxter | April in Portugal |
| 8 | Perry Como | No Other Love |
| 9 | Perry Como | Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes |
| 10 | Frankie Lane | I Believe |
| 11 | Pee Wee Hunt | Oh |
| 12 | Frank Chacksfield | Ebb Tide |
| 13 | Nat King Cole | Pretend |
| 14 | Richard Hayman | Ruby |
| 15 | Stan Freberg | St George and the Dragonet |
| 16 | The Hilltoppers | PS I Love You |
| 17 | The Gaylords | Tell Me You’re Mine |
| 18 | Julias La Rosa | Eh Cumpari! |
| 19 | Tony Bennett | Rags to Riches |
| 20 | Doris Day | Anna |
Top 5 Music Albums: Your Personal Collection
 Classic Sinatra – His Great Performances 1953-1960 |  The Best Years of Our Lives 1953 |  Your Hit Parade: 1953 |  Blowing the Fuse: 29 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox 1953 |  Hits of 1953 – Coronation Party |
Reflecting on Canada
Top 10 Recommended Reading available right now:
 Cool Blues: Charlie Parker in Canada 1953 |  Marching as to War: Canada’s Turbulent Years |  American Woodies 1928-1953 |  Canada’s army in Korea: The United Nations operations, 1950-53 |  Star Weekly Coronation Supplement 1953 |
 A Toronto Album 2: More Glimpses of the City That Was |  Alberta and British Columbia |  A Zoologist on Baffin Island, 1953 |  The Drive: A Retail, Social and Political History of Commercial Drive, Vancouver, to 1956 |  Down East: Maine, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, the Gaspe |
Share your own memories of Canadian Radio
On January 2nd, 2022, Jim Birtch emailed us:
I was the last DJ on 1490 91.9 CFRC in 1990 . Sad day.