I got the re-tweet just as we were leaving my mother's today. Bill Ozard had died.
Most of you have no idea who he was, but he was a seminal radio broadcaster in Halifax. He was the host of Phone Forum in the late 1960's before leaving the show in '69 to oversee the remaining development of the then-new Scotia Square; his article in that paper remains a firm justification for the existence of open line radio programs and their importance to democracy. Phone Forum eventually morphed into The Hotline and remained on the air in some form until CJCH went off the air in 2008. Of course, that station is now The Bounce. On a personal note, I listened to CJCH-AM for more than 30 years and its loss still hurts a little.
I don't have a personal story to tell about Bill Ozard. I never met the man, but I found him on Facebook and gently asked for an interview. He didn't say yes or no, which is the kind of response I should be used to by now.
There are more of these anecdotes in the story and in the Globe and Mail obituary. You must read about the time he was fired from a job after 2 hours. Both it and the story referred to the Bill Ozard article I found in a 1969 issue of The 4th Estate newspaper. At least the tweet and the story linked to two different blog posts, and referred to me as "the author". Appreciate that.
Here is the link. Go ahead and read it and I will be here when you get back.
To the family and friends of Bill Ozard, I offer my condolences and my best wishes to you during this difficult time. Rest in peace.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
2 comments:
I stumbled across this today, on the 10th anniversary of his death. He was my father, and I appreciate your kind words.
Thank you for finding me and leaving your comment. If you want to talk about your dad, please look me up.
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