Year Born: 1908
Year Died: 1985
Year of Induction: 1986
Pioneer – Member of CAB Hall of Fame
Speers, William A. “Bill” (1908-1985)
On a bet, in responding to a want ad for an announcer, Bill Speers got a job radio in 1932 at CHWC Regina, owned by Williams Department Store which shared a frequency and air-time with CKCK. After CHWC was purchased by the Leader-Post in 1936 and CKCK came under the full-time operational management of All-Canada Mutually Operated Stations (ACMO) Bill was appointed Program Director. In 1940 he was promoted to Assistant Manager.
In 1941 Bill was transferred to CKOC Hamilton as Assistant Manager. In 1944 he returned to Regina as Manager of CKRM Regina, which was also under the management of ACMO. In 1948 he was transferred to Winnipeg as Manager of CKRC.
He moved to Vancouver to manage CKWX in 1959. Subsequently, he was appointed Vice-President of Selkirk Communications. In 1973 he retired from CKWX but continued as a Vice-President of Selkirk and Chairman of the Board for Selkirk-operated stations in Western Canada.
Industry-wise, after years of experiencing first hand the evolution and expansion of radio, Bill served on a number of industry regulatory committees. He was appointed director of the Western Association of Broadcasters, president of the BC Association of Broadcasters, director of the CAB, and a director and president of Broadcast News. While he was in Winnipeg, he also served as president of the Canadian Red Cross Society, Manitoba Division.
He died in 1985.
In 1986, Bill Speers was inducted posthumously into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame.
Written by J. Lyman Potts – April, 1996