Russ Hilderley & SSM Radio History – The Smart As Trees Podcast

Russ Hilderley was there when radio made its mark in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, with CKCY, established in the 1950s by Carmen Greco. A few years later, when the opportunity presented itself to be an owner of a radio station, Russ stepped up and CFYN broadcast in Sault Ste. Marie from 1977 to 1992.

Following the change of ownership in 1977, the majority of the on-air staff and news departments of Hyland and Algonquin stayed with Huron Broadcasting, leaving Gilder Broadcasting to find a new staff for its two stations.

On February 1, 1977, CFYN signed on with an on-air line-up that included Norman M from 6:00 to 10:00 am. Joe Petrolo was the main news presenter and Randy Russon was the sports director. Russ Hilderley, president and CEO of Gilder, hosted Reaching Out, a daily phone-in program from 10:00 am to noon. Other hosts included Fred Edwards from noon to 2:00 pm and Brian W. Martin from 2:00 to 6:00 pm. From 6:00 pm on, the station broadcast a variety of CBC and syndicated programming. The overnight program was simulcast from CHAS-FM.

Bob Wood was the morning show host over a three-year period from 1979 to 1982. “Woody” brought an outrageous style and humour that Sault radio had not really heard to that point. Wood subsequently moved to North Bay, where he was the federal member of parliament for Nipissing from 1988 to 2004.

News director John Campbell, who joined the station in 1979, introduced listeners to the daily “Campbell Comment”. His commentaries ranged from goings on at Algoma Steel to the Language Resolution and beyond and often generated talk in the community and occasionally rebuttals and headlines in the local papers.