Cameron Dennison, his wife (Kimberly Johnston) and their two children (Elliott and Hannah) stand in front of the Tuff City Radio headquarters.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
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Winning a DJ for a day contest in Medicine Hat just a couple of years after graduating high school led Cameron Dennison to a career in radio.
“They (CJCY) picked me up in a limousine with my cousin and we went down in the limousine and had a really fantastic day at the station,” he said. “I thought, ‘I really like this. I could get used to this.'”
Dennison’s family is well known in the Hat. His parents are Stan and Sue Sakamoto and his brother is Mark Sakamoto, executive producer and host of the CBC Gem series Good People.
“My brother is a pretty famous guy, so it’s kind of fun to share the love a little bit,” said Dennison with a laugh. “I remember telling my mom all I really ever wanted was to be in the Medicine Hat News.”
Dennison, now 51 years old, stayed away from radio for a little bit and managed the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, but he still booked live acts and supported local music. It wasn’t until he moved to Tofino, B.C. in 2000 when the radio waves recaptured his attention.
“As I was driving into Tofino for the very first time, I was listening to the radio station and I thought, ‘I think I can do a better job than what’s going on right now,” said Dennison. “When I was driving in the second time with my mattress in my truck and all my stuff in my car, the first thing I did even before going to my house, was stop at the radio station to volunteer.”
Dennison eventually became the manager of the station, but later decided he wanted to own it. He started Tuff City Radio about eight years ago and took ownership of the station with his wife Kimberly Johnston last June in the middle of the pandemic.
“To tell you the truth, it was terrifying,” he said. ” … I thought, ‘What am I going to do,’ and the little voice in my head and in my heart said to go to work, do a good job and enjoy your new business while you can. When I did that, it was the best thing I ever did. I showed up, stayed in a good mood and we were able to lift people’s spirits.”
Tofino has a population of about 2,000, and Dennison says it felt like the station was able to bring people together. The station even hosted a singing competition called “the Screech,” which brought in 85 entries of original songs people wrote.
“It was sort of like a return to 1940s, 1950s radio when the family would get around the radio and shared family time. It was a strange, but very special time,” said Dennison.
Tuff City Radio also delivered public health messaging right from the start of the pandemic with Dr. Carrie Marshall, Tofino General Hospital’s chief of staff, being part of the station’s weekly programming.
Dennison says his goal is to bring the community together in any way he can.
“The fundamental thing is that the radio waves exist for the uplifting of our community and the bringing together of people – that’s it,” he said. “Whether that’s through entertainment, or interviews, or mostly just laughing, I really love laughing and I think this has been a real hard time for people and laughter is more important than ever.”
If you want to listen to Tuff City Radio you can listen live at tuffcityradio.rocks.
