Allan Slaight

John Allan Slaight (July 19, 1931 – September 19, 2021) was a Canadian rock and roll radio pioneer, media mogul, and philanthropist. His career began as an amateur magician before moving to radio. He was the founder of Slaight Communications, and the president and CEO of Standard Broadcasting Corporation Limited, which was Canada's largest privately owned multimedia company. He was an active philanthropist and founder of the Slaight Family Foundation. On September 19, 2021, he died at his home in Toronto, Ontario, at the age of 90.

Biography

Early years (1931–1947)

John Allan Slaight was born in Galt (now Cambridge), Ontario, Canada to Florence Eileen Wright and John Edgar (Jack) Slaight, a newspaperman who worked for the ''Galt Evening Reporter'' (now ''Cambridge Reporter''). His family (including his younger siblings Brian and Ann) moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan when his father Jack bought the ''Moose Jaw Times-Herald'' in 1945. Jack Slaight was also the eventual co-owner of Moose Jaw radio station CHAB-AM, one of Canada's first radio stations.

Magician (1940s)

An avid magician since his youth, Slaight honed his skills starting at age eight, when a trip to Toronto at Christmas time sparked his imagination about the wonders and secrets behind magic after becoming mesmerized by Johnny Giordmaine's performance at the Toyland section of Eaton's department store.

His fascination with the elegance of sleight-of-hand and what Slaight himself termed "the brilliance of inventions" resulted in a robust job as a performer touring Western Canada as mind reader "Will Powers", and where he performed a large scale magic show under the "Slaight & Co" banner. His travelling magic show would often see him spend 14 hours away from home visiting small towns to perform for $10.Frayne, Trent. 1974. The Money Man Trying To Make Global Pay Off… The Toronto Star. April 27:G3. Slaight's travelling magician's show was no doubt inspired from his early days in the 1940s performing for his grandfather's staff at a local bank in Galt for $2,Slaight of Hand. 2005. The Globe and Mail. October 5
Accessed August 26, 2015. or his regular performances at conventions and at the Rotary Club in Moose Jaw.Fraser, Sylvia (April 2001). "The Mogul and the Magician". ''Toronto Life'' 35(5), pp. 104-112. So prominent was magic in young Slaight's life that he toyed with the idea of performing on a permanent basis, and would have done so, Slaight later admitted, had it been profitable.

Instead, Slaight, married to his wife Ada Mitchell in 1950 when he was 19 and with three young children to support ( Gary b. 1951, Greg b. 1953, Jan Marie b. 1954), combined his entrepreneurial spirit and his showmanship savvy to enter the world of radio.

While Slaight focused his talent for showmanship in the realm of broadcasting, the magic continued to be ever-present in Slaight's life. In an interview with ''The Globe and Mail'' in 2005, Slaight showcased his extensive library of magic trick books. The collection numbers in the thousands of volumes and is one of the single largest collections on the craft.

Slaight is the author of a number of magic titles including ''Stewart James in Print: The First Fifty Years'' (1989), ''The James File'' (3 Book Set) (2000), the largest work ever published on magic, let alone on the magic of one man, and ''Essential Stewart James'' (2007). Slaight co-hosted an annual magicians conference, 31 Faces North, with performing arts organization Magicana (Artistic Director David Ben) every summer. It is an annual invitation-only event inspired by and meant to resurrect the spirit of collaboration and camaraderie seen in the once-held magician's event (The Ibidem Event) hosted by P. Howard Lyons.

Slaight's own magic tricks (the Magnetic Miraskill, OTWONE Prediction and others) can be found in most magic magazines from the past 50 years such as ''Ibidem, Genii – The Conjurors' Magazine'', and ''Magic – The Independent Magazine for Magicians''. Slaight's contributions to the world of magic were acknowledged by Magicana when he was presented with ''Spins and Needles: The Magic of Allan Slaight'', a hardcover book celebrating 62 of Slaight's own magic tricks.

Business career

Radio days (1948–1966)

CHAB

Slaight began his broadcasting career in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in 1948 at age 17 as an on-air news reporter and announcer for his father's station CHAB. His late-night jazz program, ''Spins and Needles'',Juno Awards and Slaight Music Press Release
Accessed August 26, 2015. whet his appetite for the radio industry, which, through the next five decades, would become his life. "I had never been inside a radio station before. But after one short visit to CHAB, I realized radio was what I wanted to do with my life," Slaight said in a 2002 interview.Olijnyk, Zena. 2002. A Billion Up His Sleeve: Magician and Radio Baron Allan Slaight Still Have a Few Surprises to Pull Out of His Hat. Canadian Business. December 30.

Slaight arrived at the University of Saskatchewan in autumn 1949 to uphold a bargain he made with his father. In exchange for working one year at CHAB, Slaight was required to attend university. While at the University of Saskatchewan, Slaight worked as a columnist (''A Sap's Fables'') and jazz reviewer for the college newspaper, ''The Sheaf''. Slaight dropped out of his studies at the University of Saskatchewan after his first year and balanced his burgeoning broadcasting career with his travelling magic show.

CFRN & CJCA

In 1950, Slaight and his wife Ada moved to Edmonton, Alberta. Unable to find a job in radio, Slaight sold shoes at the Eaton's Department store before finally joining radio station CFRN that same year as a news reporter before leaving to join CJCA in 1952.

CHED-AM

In 1954 Slaight joined Edmonton-based radio station CHED-AM as the station's News Director. Two years later in 1956, Slaight was appointed Merchandising Director.

CHUM-1050 Ltd: music and talk

In early 1958 Slaight was hired as program and promotions manager for Toronto-based CHUM radio station. CHUM had earlier turned to rock and roll to achieve a larger listenership and it was hoped that importing Slaight from Edmonton would allow CHUM to reach the number one spot on Toronto's radio waves.Duff, Morris. 1966. The Man Behind CHUM Sound, Allan Slaight, Quits. Toronto Daily Star. August 4:P. 28.

Slaight was successful in instituting and shepherding CHUM towards a new format and CHUM dethroned Toronto's top radio station CKEY ( now CHKT). Slaight's emphasis on talk radio was unlike other radio stations of its time. Slaight insisted that while CHUM would still focus on rock and roll, the station would play music during the day that would appeal to housewives and drivers who found number one station CFRB too bland.

By 1960, Slaight had been promoted to become CHUM-AM's Program Director, a position that he held until 1964.Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CHUM-AM)
, Accessed August 26, 2015

His passion for programming served him well when in 1965, Slaight was appointed to become the Vice President of Radio CHUM-1050 Ltd and elected to the board. Responsible for all programming and operations of CHUM-AM and its sister station CHUM-FM, Slaight remained with CHUM-1050 Ltd until 1966 when he and his family left the country for England.

English radio waves

With Terry Bate (of Stephens & Towndrow, a sales promotion company in Canada), Don McKenzie and Saundra MacKenzie, Slaight travelled to England to establish a sales agency for Radio Caroline. Radio Caroline had been founded by Ronan O'Rahilly in 1964 to overcome the BBC
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