John Allan Slaight, (July 19, 1931 – September 19, 2021) was a Canadian rock and roll radio pioneer, media mogul, and philanthropist. He began his career 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 at the time. He was also an active philanthropist and founder of the Slaight Family Foundation. On September 19, 2021, he died in his home in Toronto, Ontario, at the age of 90.
Biography Slaight was born on July 19, 1931 in Galt (now Cambridge), Ontario, Canada to Florence Eileen Wright and John Edgar (Jack) Slaight. His father was a newspaperman who worked for the Galt Evening Reporter (now Cambridge Reporter).Moose Jaw Times Herald , accessed August 26, 2015; Staff Reporter. 1985. John Edgar Slaight, 83 Retired Newspaper Head and Radio Station Owner Obituary. The Toronto Star. May 20: A7 His family, including his younger siblings Brian and Ann, moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan when their father bought the Moose Jaw Times-Herald in 1945.Frayne, Trent. 1974. The Money Man Trying To Make Global Pay Off... The Toronto Star. April 27:G3; Staff Reporter. John Edgar Slaight, 83 Retired Newspaper Head and Radio Station Owner Obituary. The Toronto Star. May 20: A7. Jack Slaight was also the eventual co-owner of Moose Jaw radio station CHAB-AM, one of Canada's first radio stations.Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CHAB-AM) , accessed August 26, 2015; CHAB 800. About Us, accessed August 26, 2015.
Career A magician since his youth, Slaight's interest in magic started at age eight, after seeing Johnny Giordmaine's performance at the Toyland section of Eaton's department store in Toronto.Ben, David. 2015. The Allan Slaight Awards – $250,000 For Excellence in Magic, accessed August 26, 2015. Slaight began touring Western Canada as a mind reader under the stage name “Will Powers”, a career influenced by his interest in sleight-of-hand and magical inventions.Slaight of Hand. 2005. The Globe and Mail. October 5, accessed August 26, 2015.
He had performed a large-scale magic show under the "Slaight & Co" banner. His traveling magic show would often cause him to 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 show may have been 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. Slaight toyed with the idea of performing on a permanent basis, and indicated that he would have done so had it been profitable.
While working in radio and broadcasting, magic continued to be a part of Slaight's life. In an interview with The Globe and Mail in 2005, Slaight showcased his collection of thousands of magic trick books.
Slaight is the author of several magic titles including Stewart James in Print: The First Fifty Years (1989), The James File (3 Book Set) (2000), 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 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.Canadian Magicians Archive: Slaight, Allan, accessed August 26, 2015; Magicana. Allan Slaight Biography. Accessed, September 15, 2015; Slaight, Allan. 2006. A New Milk Pitcher Idea by Allan Slaight. Genii – The Conjuror's Magazine. August. 69(8): p. 47; The Magic Depot In recognition of his involvement in magic, Magicana presented Slaight with Spins and Needles: The Magic of Allan Slaight, a hardcover book featuring 62 of his magic tricks.Spins and Needles: The Magic of Allan Slaight, accessed August 26, 2015; Spins & Needles.
Business career Radio Days (1948–1966) CHAB Slaight began his broadcasting career in Moose Jaw in 1948, at age 17, as an on-air news reporter and announcer for his father's station CHAB.Bugailiskis, John. 1998. Allan Slaight's Half-Century Rise to the Top of Radio is no Mystery. Broadcaster. October. 57(9):8; Allan Slaight Forbes Profile; His late-night jazz program, Spins and Needles,Juno Awards and Slaight Music Press Release , accessed August 26, 2015. marked the beginning of his five-decade career in the radio industry.Canadian Communications Biographies – Allan Slaight, accessed August 26, 2015; Allan Slaight: The Nine Lives of Allan Sliaght. 2007. Broadcaster: Canada's Communications Magazine. February, accessed August 26, 2015. "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.The Sheaf. Allan Slaight (Staff 1949–50) Entry. He dropped out of his studies at the University of Saskatchewan after his first year and balanced his burgeoning broadcasting career with his traveling magic show.
CFRN & CJCA In 1950, Slaight and his wife Ada moved to Edmonton, Alberta. Unable to find a job in radio, he 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.Bugailiskis, John. 1998. Allan Slaight's Half-Century Rise to the Top of Radio is no Mystery. Broadcaster. October. 57(9):8.; Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CHED-AM) , accessed August 26, 2015; Fraser, Sylvia. April 2001. "The Mogul and the Magician". Toronto Life 35(5): pp. 104-112.
CHED-AM In 1954 Slaight joined Edmonton-based radio station CHED-AM as the station's News Director.Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CHED-AM) , accessed August 26, 2015. Two years later in 1956, he was appointed Merchandising Director.
CHUM-1050 Ltd: music and talk In early 1958, he was hired as program and promotions manager for the Toronto-based CHUM radio station.Appointment Radio Chum – 1050 Ltd, 1966. Toronto Daily Star. January 10. P. 22; Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CHED-AM) , accessed August 26, 2015. Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CHUM-AM), accessed August 26, 2015; Bugailiskis, John. 1998. Allan Slaight's Half-Century Rise to the Top of Radio is no Mystery. Broadcaster. October. 57(9):8. 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.
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
English radio waves With Terry Bate (of Stephens & Towndrow, a sales promotion company in Canada),Drew, Dick. 2010. Canadian Rock Pirates: Shake the British Empire; Rattle the Radio Industry. Broadcaster. March/April. 69(2):10–13. 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's radio broadcasting monopoly.Bugailiskis, John. 1998. Allan Slaight's Half-Century Rise to the Top of Radio is no Mystery. Broadcaster. October. 57(9):8.
Slaight relocated to England to co-found a consulting firm specializing in sales, merchandising, and advertising within the emerging English commercial radio sector.
Canadian companies (1967–1984) Slaight returned to Toronto in 1967, with a renewed passion to own his own radio station. Upon his return, he formed Allan Slaight Limited, a company engaged in advertising and communications.Staff Reporter. 1967. Allan Slaight Limited. The Globe and Mail. January 20:B4 He then established a strategic partnership with Stephens & Towndrow, a sales firm that placed commercials with radio and TV stations, for his company to act as consultants in Programming, Sales and Marketing. They represented 18 AM and FM radio stations throughout Canada and had been acquired by Canadian broadcasters from CBS Radio. By September of that same year, Stephens & Towndrow publicly announced that Slaight was to be appointed President and Managing Director.Staff Reporter. 1967. Stephens & Towndrow Appointments. The Globe and Mail. September 22:B3
Slaight Broadcasting Ltd. In 1970, Slaight founded Slaight Broadcasting Ltd. and bought CFGM-1310 AM (previously known under the call sign CJRH and now known as CFMJ:AM 640) from owners John Graham and Stewart Coxford.Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CFMJ) , accessed August 27, 2015 for $2.5 million. In order to raise the necessary funds, Slaight put a second mortgage on his house and sought out investment partners including Gordon Lightfoot, guaranteeing them a generous return on investment should they back him.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; Bugailiskis, John. 1998. Allan Slaight's Half-Century Rise to the Top of Radio is no Mystery. Broadcaster. October. 57(9):8. The following year, Allan Slaight took ownership of CFGM, which was Canada's first full-time country and western music station.
On July 13, 1972, Slaight was granted permission by Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to acquire 80 per cent holdings of Montreal-based station CFOX-AM. Upon ownership, Slaight changed the format to "new country music" to match CFGM.Frayne, Trent. 1974. The Money Man Trying To Make Global Pay Off... The Toronto Star. April 27:G3; Staff Reporter. 1972. CRTC Clears Purchase of Quebec Station. The Globe and Mail. July 14:P. 10; Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CHOK-AM) , accessed August 27, 2015; Canadian Communications Foundation: Radio Station History (CFOX-AM) , accessed August 27, 2015