CKBW host John Wiles’s last broadcast will take place Friday, June 28, as he enters retirement after nearly four decades in broadcasting.
In recent years, Wiles has become best known for hosting the Drive Home program on CKBW, where he regularly chats with listeners and plays music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
Wiles first got into broadcasting while studying biology at the University of King’s College. He helped start the school paper as well as launch Dalhousie’s radio station in 1985, which now operates as CKDU.
After graduating, he visited Canada Manpower, which helped match recent grads with jobs. He was advised to take a radio training program, after which they’d be able to place him somewhere with a job.
“I got a call from one of the instructors on a Thursday telling me to get packed because I had a job with a station in Stephenville starting on Monday,” said Wiles. “I told him, great, where’s Stephenville?”
He quickly discovered it was in western Newfoundland and recalls that, having started in February, he didn’t get to see the town until three months in when the blowing snow in the area finally broke.
After getting initiated into the radio industry in Newfoundland, Wiles spent the next 11 years bouncing around various stations, including a handful of stations in Saint John’s as well as in Carbonear.
Eventually, he got the call to return home to Nova Scotia, as his father was starting a furniture business and needed help. After a few years in the furniture business, the family decided to get out of the industry, leaving Wiles searching for new opportunities.
Wiles got a call from the then-manager of CKBW , Don Abbey, whom he met during his time in Newfoundland. He asked Wiles if he’d be interested in filling in for some shifts while other employees were on vacation.
Jon Wiles manning the CKBW trailer at the Big Ex. Photo: CKBW Archives.
He didn’t know it at the time, but that was to be the beginning of Wiles’s 29 years of broadcasting with CKBW.
After filling in for various vacancies, Wiles was eventually offered a part-time position working evenings in the summer of 1995.
At that point, he had a passion for radio, and the proximity to his home and family cottage in Queens County helped make CKBW his long-term home.
“I was comfortable. I’m from here, and plus, I like being close to our cottage on Ponhook Lake because that’s my happy place,” Wiles said.
He’s worked in various roles during his time at CKBW, including roles in the news department and hosting various shows. He’s also a passionate fisherman, and in recent years, he’s hosted The First Cast Show on CKBW with angler Mark Weare.
Although Wiles will officially retire on June 28, he is planning to continue doing his fishing show throughout the summer.
Reflecting on his time at CKBW, station manager Eric Whynot says he will be missed by both his colleagues and listeners. “One thing that I will miss around the office is John’s light-hearted demeanour,” Whynot said. “He is always one to share a story and a laugh or two, and I always liked that I could bounce something off of John or ask for his advice.”
“Our listeners will miss an individual they trust deeply, as John made connections with many along the South Shore,” said Whynot. “His ability to tell a great story and inform folks of what is happening in our region is going to leave a hole for many.”
Wiles admits that he will miss radio once he finally hangs up his microphone, but he is excited to dive into hobbies new and old that he didn’t have the time for until now.
