TORONTO — Evanov Communications Inc. announced last week the company’s founder and president, Vasil William (Bill) Evanov, died on February 28 at the age of 77.
Born in 1942, Evanov was the son of Bulgarian immigrant parents. After learning the business during his tenure with CHIN Radio, working with the legendary Johnny Lombardi, Evanov launched his first radio station, CIAO-AM 530, a multilingual station in the Brampton/Toronto market in 1984. Evanov Communications now operates 19 stations across the country and has several hundred employees. According to the company statement, Evanov’s children, Paul and Kristina, will continue to run the broadcasting company in their father’s tradition.
As an independent broadcaster, Evanov created several unique radio formats including Energy 108 (since acquired by Shaw/Corus) and Z103.5, the company’s flagship station which broadcasts from the company’s headquarters in Etobicoke, Ont. Among the company’s other current formats are: multilingual ethnic radio stations that broadcast in more than 40 languages; The Jewel, which offers light adult contemporary music over eight stations across the country; Toronto-based PROUD FM, Canada’s first LGBTQ radio station, launched in 2006; a Christian station; a French-language station; and country music stations.
Evanov was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcasting Industry Hall of Fame in 2011.
