World Radio Day - Radio's Enduring Power: Past, Present, Future

Friday, 13 February 2026 00:05

From the pioneering waves of Marconi to the "Courtesy-Kars" of the 1950s, the story of radio is the story of human connection—a legacy reclaimed today by Hunters Bay Radio (CKAR-FM) as the resilient, community-powered heartbeat of Huntsville, Muskoka, and the Almaguin Highlands.

In the mid-19th century, the world was a collection of isolated islands of information. Then came the pioneers—Marconi in the misty hills of Italy and Tesla in his New York workshops—who realized the very air around us could carry invisible waves of human thought. This was the birth of radio, a silent revolution that would eventually shrink the Atlantic Ocean and knit the Western world together.

By the 1920s, radio had moved from a scientific curiosity to a societal pillar. In the United States and across Europe, it became the "theatre of the mind," a digital hearth where families gathered to hear the first live reports of global triumphs and tragedies. It was the catalyst for the vacuum tube and the transistor—the literal building blocks of the computer age. Without these radio pioneers, the modern smartphone would be a brick, lacking the cellular, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi architecture that all operate on fundamental radio frequency principles.

But the global story of radio has a deeply personal chapter in the rugged, granite-lined corridors of the Almaguin Highlands and the shimmering lakes of Muskoka.

In 1958, a new voice crackled to life on the AM dial at 1340 kHz: the original CKAR. Founded by Lloyd Olan and Muskoka-Parry Sound Broadcasting Ltd., it was known as the "Countryside Station." Its mission was simple yet profound: hometown reporting, hometown entertaining, and hometown interest. In those early days, the station operated a fleet of "Courtesy-Kars"—Ford station wagons equipped with heavy reel-to-reel recorders—that roamed the winding roads of the Highlands to "hunt down" local stories and interviews.

CKAR was the lifeline that brought Hockey Night in Canada to remote cabins and pioneered airborne traffic reports for summer weekenders. It was the "eyes and ears" of Huntsville, ensuring that even the most isolated farmhouse felt connected to the heartbeat of the town. Eventually, the airwaves shifted, and in 1977, the CKAR call letters were retired, resting in the archives for over thirty years.

The silence ended in 2009. What began as a kitchen-table ambition to fill a void in local media became Hunters Bay Radio. When the station fought to move to the FM dial in 2014, they didn’t just choose a random set of letters; they reclaimed CKAR-FM. It was a homecoming—a deliberate act of picking up a torch that had been lit half a century prior.

Today, as we celebrate World Radio Day, the spirit of those original "Courtesy-Kars" lives on through The Bay 88.7 FM. In an era where algorithms curate playlists and corporate media feels distant, this volunteer-powered, non-profit hub remains the "social glue" of the region. Through initiatives like the Bay Food Crew, which delivers hundreds of thousands of pounds of food to local families, and the legendary radio bingo that has raised over $750,000 for area charities, the station proves that radio is a service, not just a signal.

From the first transatlantic signal sent from Cornwall to Newfoundland to the live local broadcasts from Main Street in Huntsville, radio remains the world’s most resilient medium. It is the only communication tool that requires no expensive data plan and survives when power grids fail. It is a democratic bridge that ensures no one—whether in a bustling European city or a quiet corner in Muskoka or the Almaguin Highlands—is ever truly out of reach.

The frequency may have moved from AM to FM and into the digital stream, but the mission remains unchanged: to be the voice that checks in on you, the hand that helps the community, and the persistent signal that says, "We are still here, and we are still listening."

For more history on CKAR: budrileyradio.com/ckar_radio

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