John Gilbert

Who was John Gilbert?

John Gilbert was a Canadian radio broadcaster.

Gilbert grew up in the Cabbagetown section of Toronto before running away from home to join a carnival when he was 13. He began his broadcasting career in Cornwall, Ontario at age 17 and hosted his first talk show in Saint John, New Brunswick around 1966.

Gilbert was a broadcaster with CJCH Halifax, which was acquired by CHUM Limited in 1970. In February 1971, Toronto's 1050 CHUM announced that he would succeed Larry Solway as host of the talk show Speak Your Mind. In 1973, he became the most successful radio talk show host in Canada with 120 000 measured listeners, more than Vancouver media legend Jack Webster. Gilbert's term with CHUM ended in 1977.

In 1980, Gilbert hosted Night Talk, a weekday late night program planned as a national talk show. However, the CRTC ordered that the network of stations broadcasting the program be cut back from 13 to the six stations then owned by Maclean-Hunter: CKEY Toronto, CFCN Calgary, CFCO Chatham, CHNS Halifax, CKGL-FM Kitchener, and CKOY Ottawa. A year after it launched, it was also broadcast by CJJD Hamilton, CJBQ Belleville, CJNH Bancroft, CHSC St. Catharines, and CHEX Peterborough.