A former owner of CKBW has passed away.
Bob MacLaren died shortly before 9 a.m. this morning at age 82.
He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure a couple years ago and it became progressively worse over the last few months.
MacLaren joined CKBW in 1952 and progressed from announcer to sports director, to news director, to program director.
He became part owner in 1974 until the station sold to New Brunswick Broadcasting in 1989.
He stayed on as general manager until he retired in 1995.
In a recent interview, MacLaren says one funny memory was answering the station’s doorbell early one Sunday morning.
“And this huge, big man was standing in the door way and he stuck out his hand to shake hands. His hands were like hams, they were huge. I said ‘Hello, what’s your name?’ He said ‘Jack Sharkey.’ He was the former world heavyweight boxing champion.”
MacLaren recalls doing play-by-play sports with Gerry Regan, who later became the premier of Nova Scotia.
“He certainly was the type of guy who could’ve taken the slot of a Danny Gallivan; he had the same kind of pitch and we got along wonderfully well.”
MacLaren was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1996.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made public.
