John Kennedy
Birthplace
Sudbury, Ontario
Birthdate
1960
First Media Job
CKSO Radio, Sudbury
Photo Credit
Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
John Kennedy was born and raised in Sudbury and has spent some 25 years on the airwaves becoming one of the area’s popular announcers. He attended St. Charles College between 1973 and 1978 studying Advanced Arts and Sciences. On a tour of CKSO AM, FM and Television he became impressed with the workings of a broadcast centre and his thoughts turned to a career on the air. He enrolled at Canadore College in North Bay where he graduated from Radio Broadcasting in 1980.
Returning home to Sudbury he joined CKSO AM as an on-air host doing all-nights, weekends and mid-day shifts. CKSO AM and CIGM FM were now under the corporate banner of United Broadcasting Ltd. Cambrian Broadcasting Ltd. was dissolved following its sale of CKSO TV to Mid-Canada Television (MCTV) in 1980.
Then between 1985 and 2005, John was at Mid-Canada Communications which had just been given approval on March 27, 1985 to acquire the assets of CHNO, CFBR and CJMX FM in Sudbury from Sudbury Broadcasting. Mid-Canada also purchased assets of CJNR AM in Blind River, CKNR AM Elliot Lake and CKNS AM in Espanola from Huron Broadcasting Limited. In his time on the air, John handled radio news and hosted music programming. Kennedy’s style was personable and friendly. He endeavoured to keep pace on current news, sports and entertainment while maintaining and offering his own point of view. In an interview with Northern Life, Greater Sudbury on the Web, John said turning to radio was the right thing. He said, “I was lucky enough to work 25 years in a business I loved with a passion.”
After two and one-half decades of broadcasting, John Kennedy was ready for something different and he became part of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce where he was employed as Membership Account Manager. Main duties included recruitment and retention of member businesses and organizations. John retired from the Chamber and from the workforce in June of 2016.
Fond of his hometown John has volunteered with several non-profit organizations helping to make the city a better place in which to live and work.