Jim Scarrow (1939-)

Jim Scarrow

Year Born: 1939

Year of Induction: 2003

Pioneer – Member of CAB Hall of Fame

Scarrow, Jim (1939- )

Jim Scarrow was only 15 when he got his foot in the door of radio station CKBI-AM in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1954 as a part-time operator. Such beginnings often blossom into a full time job, and in 1956 Jim was not only an operator but also an announcer.

Four years later, he was selected to push the button to launch CKBI’s sister TV station.  As might be expected, Jim worked in both TV and radio and in his elevation to the position of Vice-President and General Manager of Rawlco Radio in Prince Albert covered every base on the way up.  He was also instrumental in the launch and success of Rawlco’s two FM stations in the city, one in 1982 and the second in 2001.

Jim Scarrow combined a stellar broadcasting career with outstanding leadership in service to his community. As a member of the Kinsmen Club of P.A. which built an arena, park and Water Park, a community workshop and the Heritage Centre, he eventually became  the governor of Kinsmen in Saskatchewan and served a term as president of the National Association of Kinsmen Clubs.  He was a founding board member of the Saskatchewan Kin Foundation for the handicapped, and for seven years served as the producer of the Kin Telemiracle telethons that raised millions of dollars for the disabled.  In 1982, Jim co-chaired the Saskatchewan Winter Games and the P.A. 75th Anniversary Celebration, and three years later was voted Citizen of the Year. In 1986, he was the “Share/Big Brothers’ Good Guy” and a founding director of the Broadway North Theatre Company.

Jim went on to spearhead the P.A. Children’s Haven in 1990 and was the fundraising chairman when the facility opened in 1995, completely debt-free. As the chair for the E.A. Rawlinson Centre for Performing and Visual Arts Jim launched a whirlwind campaign that in less than two months raised 3.7 million dollars. It is difficult to envision a single community group, service club or activity in Prince Albert and area that, directly or indirectly, did not benefit from the support and creativity of Jim Scarrow. He was awarded the Queen’s Silver Anniversary Medal and the Canada 125 Medal for Community Service.

As a broadcaster, Jim’s radio stations won three Gold Ribbon Awards from the CAB. Jim himself qualified as a member of the CAB’s Half-Century Club. In 2001, the Western Association of Broadcasters named Jim “Broadcaster of the Year”.

In 2003, Jim Scarrow was inducted into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame.