By Lesley Hunter
ST. JOHN’S – Newfoundland and Labrador broadcasting icon Geoff Stirling, founding chairman of the board of Newfoundland Broadcasting, died peacefully at his home in Torbay, NL on December 21st. He was 92.
Born in St. John’s in 1921, Stirling founded the weekly newspaper Sunday Herald in 1946, now known as the Newfoundland Herald. He brought radio and commercial television to the province with the launch of CJON-AM radio in 1951, followed four years later by CJON-TV which later became known as the NTV network. In 1977 he launched the first FM radio station in Newfoundland , now known as OZ-FM .
Outside of Newfoundland, Stirling was involved in broadcasting enterprises in Quebec, Ontario and the United States. A radio station he founded in Montreal eventually became CHOM-FM and remains a popular rock station in the city.
Recognized as an athlete, a political activist and a publisher, Stirling also created graphic novels including Atlantis featuring the superhero Captain Atlantis (a.k.a. Captain Newfoundland) and Captain Canada, the mascot of NTV. But he is perhaps best known for his work in broadcasting. Credited with introducing 24-hour television in North America after airing content like promotional films by popular rock bands when other networks were off the air, Stirling himself often appeared on late night television to speak about personal interests such as eastern mysticism, politics, and matters of public concern.
He also appeared in the 1974 NFB documentary Waiting for Fidel, a story about his trip to Cuba with former Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood and director Michael Rubbo and their unsuccessful attempt to interview Fidel Castro.
Stirling was inducted in to the Canadian Halls of Fame for broadcasting, sports and business as well as the Royal St. John’s Regatta Hall of Fame. When he was awarded the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, John Crosbie , a one-time political foe said “…Geoff Stirling left deep footprints in the Newfoundland landscape.”
Predeceased by his daughter Kimberly, Stirling is survived by his wife of 56 years, Joyce Cutler Stirling; children Scott, Anne, Greg, Shawn, and Jean; nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He was laid to rest on Friday, January 3, 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations in Geoff’s memory be made to the Janeway Children’s Hospital.
