Back in 1974 I worked with an evening announcer at CKXL Calgary named Al Adler. He seemed ‘way too smart’ to be introducing Donnie Osmond records and a few years later it was pretty clear that Al, or as he is known today, Charles Adler was a smart cookie and has made a very big name for himself as Canada’s premier talk show host on radio – and soon on “Sun Television” which launches this week.
Charles did the smart thing and worked his way up the radio food chain at various properties both big and small, which meant taking gigs honing his skills in both Canada and The United States.
His evolution into the talk mode actually happened in Calgary in the early 90’s, when then he launched a syndicated show called Hot Talk in 1992.
“Calgary was my first on air job when I worked with you and also where I reinvented myself as a talk show host so on top of everything else it's why Alberta always has a soft spot in my heart....It's where I fell in love with doing radio and talk radio.”
In Toronto at Newstalk giant CFRB, Charles worked with legendary radio guy Roy Hennessey, as he noted for the ‘fourth time’ and it was Roy who helped him gain a foothold in the news talk format.
“Roy's one of my very favorite radio people. He always spoke glowingly of Edmonton where he loved being PD of CHED and working for the Cowboy - Vern Trail”
Flash forward to today and Charles Adler is now heard on Corus Radio’s talk network, as well as on a few independent station's, covering 14 markets that literally are ‘coast to coast’ from Halifax to Victoria.
It’s already a huge amount of work to remain current and compelling on the air on a daily basis so I asked Charles how he is going to be able to juggle the workload with two very high profile positions.
“The two shows will be seamless. Many of the ideas that we discuss on the radio we will also do on TV. The Sun is providing me with great resources both human and content to make it possible.
I am incredibly thankful to Corus for giving me the green light. Without the Corus platforms this could never have happened. I am energized by my different projects and so the columns and radio and tv shows all energize each other. As far as the Citizen of Adler Nation is concerned, I am just Chuck, Uncle Chuck and I am available to them on various media platforms. The brand is the SAME. I have a very deep connection to my listeners and I love the idea of having access to them at various times of day on several platforms.”
When asked “where do you see SUN TV sitting in the Canadian tv landscape?” his response was…
“It won't have an Eastern focus or Eastern Bias. It will be much more people oriented. Much less Ivory Tower. Much less political chattering class. Much fewer professional lobbyist talking heads. Much more personal. Much more like the Talk Radio our listeners love to hear. Spontaneous, Real, Passionate, and Pro Canada. I won't be advocating that we take all our cues from the United Nations before our country decides to get involved in helping people in another country. That's an interesting Canadian Elitist position espoused by the Liberal Party leader others. It's not my idea of the Canada that citizens of Adler Nation feel so strongly about.”
I noted that Sun Television has put together a staff of some top notch broadcast talent, several with RADIO backgrounds, and asked “do you think that's essential in this type of offering now?”
“Yes I think it is. People with Radio backgrounds are far better trained to connect with audiences than some of the professional talking heads who have populated the TV landscape. In radio if you don't connect with a large audience, you don't stay on the air. Radio people have been tested and they know the difference between connecting with the Ivory Tower and real every day people working hard to pay the bills and worried about real life issues not the abstract esoteric duller than dishwater stuff that takes up so much time on elite chattering class tv.”
Finally, “what's Canada's BIGGEST hurdle in your mind these days?”
“What Canada needs to do most is have genuine national conversations that are far less worried about being polite and far more concerned about telling the truth.
Let's tell the truth to Quebec about how much we support Quebec with our dollars and cents. Let's tell the truth to people who come to Canada about Canadian standards, about the work ethic and about the rule of law about our respect for diverse points of view and having discussions without the need to incite hatred and threaten violence.
Let’s not fear telling the truth about how proud we are of our country and why. Let's not wait until we have another Olympic Games on Canadian soil before we express how much love we have for Canadian Excellence and Canadian Talent.
So 'thank you' Al, I mean "Charles." Old habits run deep.
We're long overdue for a face to face visit again after all these years and I can safely and confidently say "you've come a long way from those evening radio gigs in Cowtown my friend."
I have a deep respect for what you have built in your career and I'm very much looking forward to seeing your radio face on television with the brand spanking new Sun Television debuting this week in Canada.
*PS: The rest of the team at CKXL at that time were a pretty talented bunch too. People like Donnie Burns, Rob Christie, Ted Pound, Greg Haroldson, Jim Jackson, Tom Tompkins, Myke Thomas, GM Tom McBride, Johnnie Walker, the legendary Dr. Dan, PD Bob Robertson and news folks like Hal Gardiner Ron Wood, and J Paul Huddelston. In Sales CFL perennial all star Herm Harrison; and Skip Hudson, GM Keith James Sr. came on in the mid 70's as well.
