Celebrating the Old-disc Jockey

CKUA's Old-disc Jockey, John Worthington talked with Monica Miller about the highlights of his 60-year broadcast career at CKUA, on How I Hear It, Friday, May 22. Adding to the fun, former CKUA employee Bryan Hall dropped by and past CKUA employees Bob Rhodes, Gil Evans and Herb Johnson called in to share memories between songs from his second CD of restored music, The Old-disc Jockey Restored, Volume II.

Hear the interview:

In celebration of John Worthington's 60 years of broadcasting, CKUA is proud to award the inaugural John Worthington Hagerman Radio Scholarship to NAIT Radio and Television program student Molly McMahon. Molly, a first year student in the Radio and TV program at NAIT, won the $500 John Worthington Hagerman Radio Scholarship on the basis of her high academic performance in her first year of the program.

CKUA General Manager Ken Regan presented John Worthington with a framed, autographed Duke Ellington songbook in recognition of one of John's favourite artists. John was also presented with a framed Duke Ellington record album, which was also autographed by the famed composer.

John Worthington began his broadcasting career in 1946 as the junior announcer at CFQC in Saskatoon. He came to CKUA in Edmonton in 1949, when it was a small and strictly local radio station operated by Alberta Government Telephones. As an employee of AGT, he was successively announcer, chief announcer, program director and, for 19 years, manager. In 1974, when The Alberta Educational Communications Corporation assumed CKUA's operations, he became General Manager of Broadcast Operations for the Corporation and moved through the positions of General Manager of Operations and Executive Officer.

Also in 1974, The Old-disc Jockey became part of his life, while he filled-in temporarily while the station looked for a permanent host. That permanent host never materialized, and John Worthington had a permanent hobby!

Records and the big bands have always been one of his interests, and he has also become interested in restoring old records possible digitally; his listeners hear some of these efforts on the program. Both CD volumes of The Old-disc Jockey Restored are available for purchase now through CKUA.

Photo by Tracy Kolenchuk

A documentary celebrating John’s long and distinguished career was broadcast on CKUA’s Artist in Focus. Program Director Brian Dunsmore assembled an hour of thoughts, comments and anecdotes on John's wondrous career. The hour included music from The Old-disc Jockey Restored, Volume II.

Hear the documentary (57 minutes and 9 seconds)
(In order to listen you must have Windows Media Player. To install the latest player, click here.)