Stan’s Last Ride — A legend retires

Oct 28, 2018 | 5:00 AM

I WAS BORN A NEWS JUNKIE with an innate love for radio and TV.

(suggested listening while you read: ‘The Ascent of Stan’ by Ben Folds)

Growing up it wasn’t unusual to hear different local radio stations playing simultaneously in various rooms of our house during the newshour in addition to CFJC TV blasting in the background, so it’s difficult to describe exactly how I felt when I joined the staff at Broadcast Centre six years ago.

My first day working at the station was also the first time I toured the building and met the faces and voices that I had grown up with; it was surreal to realize that I would now be their coworker.

It took me two years before I cobbled together enough words to have an actual conversation with Sports Director Earl Seitz (who just celebrated 50 years in broadcasting), I was a giddy mess with Raffelina Sirianni (whose reporting I had been in awe of since I was a preteen) and, no matter how warm and welcoming they were, I was at least three years into the job before I felt comfortable entering the hallowed ground of the newsroom.

If you’ve lived in Kamloops for any length of time then chances are that you also listened to Leo Baggio make prank calls during his afternoon show in the ’90s, set your watch by Doug Collins’ delivery of radio news, counted on Cheryl Blackwell to keep you in the loop about community events, regularly turned to anchor Bill O’Donovan for trusted TV news and, of course, listened to Stan Bailly and Henry Small in the morning on CIFM.

In high school our bus driver listened to Stan and Henry every morning and I remember begging him through bleary eyes to turn off their racket so that I could squeeze in a few more minutes of shut-eye in peace during the ride. I also remember mornings when they had me in stitches with their shenanigans or squirming with discomfort on those vinyl benches because of their edgy and unapologetic banter.

But no matter what I was feeling on any given morning, Stan and Henry were a constant in my life and in the lives of all of their listeners.

Throughout their quarter-century on-air partnership they’ve repeatedly proven that while formats, rehearsals, game plans and strategies have their place, nothing can compete with honest-to-goodness chemistry and friendship when it comes to radio show entertainment.

One day at a time, one show at a time and (most importantly) together, they have become legends.

This week, after 31 years, Broadcast Centre said a tearful goodbye as Stan went for his last ride on CIFM before sailing into well-earned retirement.

It was an absolute privilege to be in the room as so many people expressed their gratitude for the generosity that Stan has shown to both his audience and coworkers throughout his career.

As we sat in the studio during Stan’s Last Ride and heard stories of antics, struggles, laughs and memories, I kept thinking of Stan’s humble words earlier that week: “I was just doing my job and didn’t realize I made such an impact.”

And maybe that’s exactly what a career you can be proud of really is?

Not worrying about how many people are paying attention or stressing about colouring inside the lines; but instead discovering what you love to do, showing up wholeheartedly, bringing joy and authenticity to work every day and doing your best to always do your best — all in the hopes that that one day, like Stan, you can also hear, “You made a difference in my life.”

Whether we’ve been listening through our radios or watching from the wings, Stan’s has been a humbling example of a career done right. It’s no wonder that tens of thousands of people have tuned in to be a small part of Stan and Henry’s lightning in a bottle for the last 25 years.

I never imagined while riding on that school bus that I would one day get to share a microphone, dance at a Christmas party, laugh in the break room and become friends with Stan Bailly.

What an honour to work with legends like him and learn from their experience and character.

Congratulations, Stan. Broadcast Centre and all of your listeners will miss you every day. Don’t be a stranger.

Sincerely, A Fan