Rick Cluff, certainly one of British Columbia’s most liked radio personalities, has died.
Cluff handed away following a brief battle with most cancers days after marking his 74th birthday.Â
A consummate broadcaster, Cluff introduced his pleasant voice and massive personality to CBC Vancouver in 1997 and helped flip The Early Edition into the No. 1-rated morning present within the aggressive Metro Vancouver radio market.
Cluff admitted he was scared on his first day on the job in Vancouver, after making the transfer from Toronto the place he had spent twenty years with CBC radio sports activities.
But his means to attach with folks, real curiosity and sharp journalistic instincts helped endear him to a rising legion of listeners, which peaked at over 1 / 4 million per day in his 20-year run as host.
In a 2007 profile marking his first decade at CBC Vancouver, Cluff confessed he by no means spent a lot time considering the scale of his viewers or place at the highest of the radio rankings.
“If I thought about that it would drive me crazy,” he stated. “So it’s just the one person [I imagine] I’m speaking to, whether it’s a he or she in their car or their kitchen. That’s the relationship I develop with them.”
Shiral Tobin, a former producer of The Early Edition, remembers Cluff as an excellent individual and gentleman to the core.
“He truly got joy from elevating and coaching others to find their path to success as journalists,” stated Tobin, now CBC Vancouver’s journalism and programming director.
“He mentored many people who came through the program, often quietly and privately, yet always in a meaningful and genuine way.”
LISTEN:(*74*) Rick Cluff interviews Terry Fox on Day 9 of the Marathon of Hope in 1980Â
Cluff counted protecting the announcement of the International Olympic Committee awarding Vancouver and Whistler the 2010 Winter Games and broadcasting because the 9/11 World Trade Centre assaults unfolded as two unforgettable moments in his radio profession.
“[9/11] happened at about 10 to six our time. We were just about to go on the air,” stated Cluff in 2007.
“I remember telling people that if you’re listening, get up and turn on your television because what’s going on in New York now is certainly going to affect the way we live and life as we know it.”
Cluff and The Early Edition staff earned a lot of awards, together with for his or her protection of the Robert Dziekanski tasering at Vancouver International Airport, B.C. training strife, and protests over gentrification.
His sports activities broadcasting profession additionally drew honours. In 1999, Cluff was inducted into the Football Reporters of Canada part of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. As a former participant, soccer — and particularly the CFL — held a particular place in his coronary heart.Â
Besides broadcasting from Grey Cups, Super Bowls and Stanley Cups, “Cluffer,” as his sports activities household known as him, additionally travelled the world to cowl Canadian groups and athletes at eight Olympic Games, 5 Commonwealth Games and too-many-to-mention world cups and world championships.
Following a 41-year profession at CBC, Cluff retired in 2017 after present process quadruple coronary heart bypass surgical procedure.Â
In a narrative marking the event, Vancouver Magazine author Matt O’Grady requested Cluff about becoming a member of the general public broadcaster in 1976, towards the recommendation of his father.
“I talked to Peter Mansbridge about this recently,” Cluff advised O’Grady. “The opportunities we’ve had — we really did work during the golden age of broadcasting. I walked across Checkpoint Charlie, I stood in the DMZ in Korea, I was behind the Iron Curtain in the 1970s. It really has been a remarkable career.”
Rick Cluff leaves behind his spouse Cecilia, daughter Mallory, son James and 5 grandchildren.