Year Born:
1889
Year Died:
1971
Year of Induction:
1982
Pioneer – Member of CAB Hall of Fame
Love, Gordon (1889-1971)
Gordon Love was another of the trail-blazers in the development of Canadian broadcasting. In Calgary, in 1912, he founded his own company and electrical business under the banner “H.G. Love, Westinghouse Jobbers”.
In 1922, he worked with W.W. “Bill” Grant in building a station that became CFAC.
In 1928, he acquired control and became President of CFCN, “The Voice of the Prairies” which had been founded by Bill Grant in 1922, when he re-located his High River transmitter in Calgary. CFCN’s “flat-top-antenna” transmitter was located at Strathmore, 30 miles from Calgary – one of the then most powerful stations in Canada, operating with 10-thousand watts, with regular listeners from as far south as Alcatraz, California and as far north as the area from the Yukon to the North-West Territories.
In 1954, the three Calgary radio stations established a company in which each owned one-third, and obtained the first private station TV licence for Calgary. Gordon Love was elected president. In 1958, Love sold his shares to CKXL, who later sold out to Selkirk Holdings Ltd. In 1960, H.G. Love formed a company – CFCN-TV which was granted the second Calgary TV licence. It remained with the Love family until it was sold to Maclean-Hunter, who sold it to Rogers Communications, who, in 1996, sold it to Baton Broadcasting of Toronto.
Gordon Love possessed a strong voice in the Canadian broadcasting industry. He was active in both the Western Association of Broadcasters (of which he served as President) and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. He was a tireless fighter against frivolous regulations which had been imposed on private broadcasters in the 20s and 30s and carried forward – among them the forbidden mention of price in commercials.
In 1960, as President of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, he formed an Ad and Sales Club, and annually presented H.G. Love awards to local media people. He also served as President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede made him an Honorary Life Director after his many years on the Board, and having acted as President for the 50th year celebrations of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
Gordon Love died in 1971.
In 1982, he was inducted into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame.
Written by J. Lyman Potts – April, 1996