The radio industry in B.C. had few personalities like Terry Moore, the former C-FAX 1070 host who always had kind words for young broadcasters and strong ones for politicians.
Moore died Monday afternoon after a brief battle with colon cancer. He was 82.
The veteran on-air personality was remembered Tuesday morning during a tribute on C-FAX than ran several hours. The broadcast was dedicated to stories about Moore, a 62-year veteran of the radio industry who had been with the station since the early 2000s.
B.C. Premier John Horgan called in to pay his respects, along with longtime listeners who commented on Moore’s on-air authenticity and skill during call-in segments.
Horgan said later in a statement to the Times Colonist: “I had the privilege of being interviewed by Terry many times. He had the powerful voice for the radio, but he also had a passion for people. He was mischievous, to be sure, but fair and well-informed.”
Moore is survived by his wife, Ramona, four children, and several grandchildren.
The occasional actor and classically trained singer — he was a founding member of what is now the Edmonton Opera Company — always exuded professionalism when it came to his radio job, said C-FAX sales executive Alan Brown.
Moore was scheduled to host a remote broadcast for an advertiser in November and lamented that he would not be able to make the appointment.
“He always helped the sales department with our job,” Brown said. “He was passionate about all aspects of the industry.”
Moore told co-workers in late August that he had stage 4 colon cancer. He had been filling in for a variety of C-FAX personalities in recent years, having ended his run as the station’s afternoon drive host in 2016. Moore died just 10 weeks after receiving his cancer diagnosis. His last shift at C-FAX was on July 20.
His one-time boss, former WIC Radio Group president Ted Smith, said Moore led those gathered by his bedside in a rendition of For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow shortly before he died.
Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins has fond memories of her many on-air exchanges with Moore, who was as passionate about local politics as he was about arts, culture and wine (Moore once co-hosted C-FAX’s Wine Talk program).
“Terry was very special on air,” Desjardins said. “He could ask the tough questions and still be nice at the same time. You could walk away feeling like you had a really good interview. He got what he needed, and you weren’t beaten up over it. It was respectful, always. But he dug, and he got to the tender spots.”
C-FAX morning show host Al Ferraby visited Moore in hospital on Sunday, and the two friends spent 90 minutes revisiting their years together at the radio station. “He mentored everybody and took the time to talk,” Ferraby said. “He did it unsolicited. It was part of him giving back.”
Moore’s career began in 1956 at CKUA Edmonton, followed by stints at several stations in the Toronto area. He worked as a TV news anchor in Edmonton, Sudbury and Calgary, and acted briefly in the films My American Cousin and American Boyfriends. He also worked at U.S. radio stations in Connecticut and New York, and in 1987 compiled a collection of household hints into the Canadian bestseller Toothpaste & Peanut Butter.
“You will never, ever find a guy at 82 years old who was as good as he was,” Ferraby said. “He was totally likable.”
A public celebration of life is planned, but the date has yet to be determined.
