N.S. broadcasting legend Frank Cameron dies at 85

Frank Cameron, whose Nova Scotia broadcasting career began in the 1950s and lasted until 2023, died Saturday at the age of 85.

Cameron’s last employer, Seaside FM, announced his death in a Facebook post. 

“Frank’s dedication to his craft extended beyond the radio waves and the written word,” the post from the Eastern Passage radio station said. 

“He was a tireless volunteer in his community, always ready to lend a helping hand or a friendly ear to those in need.” 

Cameron was barely out of high school when he got his first broadcasting job at CKEC in New Glasgow. 

He spent a year there before moving to CKCL in Truro in 1956 for three years and then to CHNS in Halifax in 1959, where, as a top-40 disc jockey at the city’s dominant radio station, he enjoyed considerable popularity. 

After several years at CHNS, he was offered the chance to move to television and host Frank’s Bandstand on CBC, which for a time was broadcast nationally, and showcased Nova Scotia talent, including Anne Murray, who would drive to Halifax to tape appearances after teaching gym class in Springhill. 

Cameron would stay at CBC in a variety of roles for decades. He anchored the evening news, hosted morning and afternoon radio shows and presented the weather. 

Later in his career, he teamed with sportscaster Doug Saunders to deliver a relaxed and informal version of the late-night TV news that was extremely popular. 

After retiring from the CBC in 1995, Cameron went back to CHNS for another stint that lasted 10 years, leaving in 2005. 

By now 67 years of age, he retired again, but once more retirement didn’t take. Cameron was approached by community radio station Seaside FM and asked if he would like to volunteer there. 

In November 2023, Cameron decided it was time to sign off for good, a decision that resulted in a four-hour Frank Cameron retirement show on Seaside FM that aired only a couple of months before his death. 

“For me, the passing of legendary N.S. broadcaster Frank Cameron today, is a bit like ‘the day the music died,’” former CTV anchor Steve Murphy posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Frank was the Maritimes’ Dick Clark, forever young, the face and voice of a generation, or two. The first and the best.”