LITE 96

Don Stevens as been in the radio business a long time, however unlike the radio station cafeteria fridge he still smells okay.

Born in Saskatoon (and really who isn’t) Don’s career has taken him to many places, some even Environment Canada has never heard of. Lloydminster, Weyburn, Peace River, Fort St John, Edmonton (see what I mean) Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and back to Calgary.

Since 1993 Don has had the privilege of working with Joanne Johnson (thanks for the five bucks Jo) and he’s a much better person for it...(according to Joanne).

Each morning when that alarm goes off at 3, Don can’t wait to get up and get to work, or he grumbles and mumbles, and stumbles his way into the shower. My guess it’s the latter. Once he showers, shaves and has some breakfast gruel he’s ready for another day of waking up Calgary. Sometimes he just phones people at random. It often leads to some irate Calgarians telling him what he can do with the phone but Don figures, if he’s up, the whole city should be.

Don lives with his lovely wife Diane and their two dogs Carrigan and Andrew. Daughter Emma is currently off to university, so if you’d like to rent her room please call Don at the station and make the arrangements. (Just kidding her room isn’t for rent, it’s now a shrine where Don and Diane go and weep openly to the "Empty Nester Gods" begging for her quick return. They can only be best described as "pathetic".)

The years Don has spent a LITE 96 have been fun and that’s what the show every morning is all about. Joanne, Don’s other wife, has kept him in line all these years , and when he misbehaves she and Diane get together and make his life a living... "heck".

Much more "heck" is in store over the years for Don but he doesn’t seem to mind. Getting up at 3 in the morning is a small price to pay for the opportunity of working with the lovely and talented Joanne Johnson (that’s another 5 bucks Johnson).

Growing up in Lakeview, the Johnson kids: Clare, Joanne & Marc, all went to Clem Gardner Elementary, Bishop Pinkham Jr. High and Central Memorial High School.  (If you check closely at all 3 schools you can find their names etched on various lockers)

It was at Central that a wonderful teacher named Dave Cormack encouraged Joanne to apply for the Broadcasting Course at S.A.I.T. She did and after graduating from the CTSR Program in 1982, radio jobs at CKAL Vernon, B.C., CHRB High River and 66CFR in Calgary followed.

After doing the morning show with her pal Jerry Steen for 9 years Joanne took a break from radio and went to Australia & New Zealand.  After a 6 month tour she was rested and ready to come back to Calgary and face a new career challenge…Don & Coach!

The Don & Joanne show was born on March 1st, 1993 and it is Don's wish to see Joanne turn 50 "on the air" and if you keep listening (for many, many more years) that may just happen!!

Born and raised in Calgary, I am thrilled to be covering the mat leave for my friend, Christina Rowsell.  I have done a little of everything in broadcasting: TV reporting, Radio News, Helicopter Traffic and Co-hosting a Morning Show.
 

My first degree is in Psychology, which comes in handy in this biz!  But after a few years trying to be helpful in the nonprofit sector, I decided broadcasting would give me the chance to raise awareness and have way more fun!  So I signed up for the “Cinema, Television, Stage & Radio” program at SAIT, and have spent the last several years at a variety of stations in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

When I'm not at work, I love going for adventurous walks with my dog, Jessie, the Shepard Cross I adopted from Calgary's Humane Society.  Mr. Gibson and I always have a houseful of pets with at least one dog, a cat and humongous fish tank.

I also love skiing and dirt-biking, and think it's fabulous you can do both in the same season thanks to our bizarre weather. 

Charities that matter most to me include:  The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Canadian Mental Health Association, Easter Seals, and any Humane Society.

It’s hard to believe it’s been over 20 years since my wife and I made the trek across the Rockies into Alberta. It’s also hard to believe we did it in an empty car. These days, heading through the Rockies involves a truck, a trailer, 3 kids and a puppy named Ryder.
So many things have changed since I played my first record, at my first radio station, back in 1982 in Vernon, B.C. First of all, records disappeared 20 years ago. Even CD’s are gone. The three things that have remained constant through the years are you, me and the music. I still get excited when I hear a new artist or a great new song.
Who are my favourites? I’ve always been a big Eagles fan. Same for Sarah McLachlan. I love new music. Colbie Callait is great. I saw Jason Mraz live at the Jube last year, and he was amazing. Oh, I also saw Blue Rodeo live on the field at McMahon during the Grey Cup halftime show. From the front row!
I love living in Calgary. I love the mountains, the people, the fact that I live on the outskirts of the city, yet I’m only 15 minutes away from the Saddledome or downtown. I love the fact that it cools off at night in the summertime, and that it warms up in the middle of winter. We’ve been here for almost 15 years now, and I suspect we’ll be here for awhile longer.
What else can I tell you? I love watching my boys play baseball and my daughter dance. I spend my winters working for the Calgary Hitmen. I live for spending summer weekends at the lake. Nothing beats a campfire, good friends and the occasional spin around the lake on a tube. I can’t imagine driving anything but a Jeep, even when the roof’s off and the rain is falling.
Thanks for sharing the drive home each day. As long as you’re there, I’ll be here. You, me and the music. Cheers.

David Spence is best known for his face, on television, as the CFCN weather man. Calgarians plan their lives around his Sky Watch weather forecasts, seen each evening on the 6 o'clock news. However, before he was a weather guy he was a radio guy and his newscasts have been heard on Calgary radio since the early 80's. David made the move to LITE 96 in 1993 where he joined Don, Joanne, & The Coach every morning, because they had the best morning show buffet.

David is married to the lovely Susan and they have 3 energetic children. They love to camp, along with other outdoor activities, because after all, David knows where the good weather is.

In 1995, while attending B.C.I.T for Broadcast Communications, I received a call from Calgary.  "How would you like to move to Calgary and fly in a Cessna and report traffic?"  Sure!  I’d love to!  At the time I was almost 21, and didn’t even know Calgary.  But I pulled it off and reported traffic for the first time March 15th, 1995.  (Thanks to the pilot who told me what to say).

That’s how it all began for my life in on the radio in Calgary.  Since then I’ve worked in this city from a morning show to a syndicated evening show across Canada.  And now, I have the privilege of working for the radio station that has been on my dial since moving here, LITE 96.

Before moving to Calgary, my life in radio started in my home town Castlegar, BC.  I was 18 at the time, working at a bottle depot (sorting bottles).  I was listening to the radio, and a woman on the radio was telling a story and it just clicked for me.  I said "I can do that".  And so I did.  I ended up moving to Vancouver to take the radio program at BCIT.  The rest they say is history.

My home is now Calgary with my family.  My husband and I had our first child in July 2007, and can't imagine a life without him.  Life has definitely changed since landing in Calgary.  I look forward to hanging out with you through out your work day, right after Don, Joanne and The Coach weekday mornings from 9am-2pm.