The purpose of this webpage is to help people find information on the late and legendary radio talk show host, Pat (Patrick) Burns, who hosted his radio talk show called Hotline. It's my small attempt to fill an Internet void about this previously popular radio talk show host, until a better website comes along.
Pat Burns hosted his call in radio talk show, Hotline, on various radio stations throughout his career. In Canada it was from approximately 1963 up to the early 1990s. Here are a few stations he broadcasted on: CKLG (doing sports in the late 1950s), CKGM, CJOR, CKO, CIMA (Magic 104 AM), and even Television CKVU 13.
Note that since I've only listened to his talk shows from around 1982 and up to the early 1990s, I may be a bit unfamiliar with his previous shows. So some of the information you'll read here may be from other sources I found.
After playing a good theme music I do remember he always opened his show this way: " And-a-good-evening to all of you Hot liners as once again we go forward with another three hours of argument, discussion and debate...on any topic under the sun. The Hotline is the program with no false gods or sacred cows and the ones that dare you to think, want you to think and having thoughts speak out. And when I say any topic under the sun I mean precisely that. For it doesn't matter to me which or what you want to talk about is of a purely local nature, regional, provincial, state wide, national, international, philosophic, outer space or sports. " He always answered the phone by saying "Burns' Line go ahead!"
I have the theme music he used in the 1980s - 1990s but don't know the name of it. His previous opening theme music that he had used before the 1980s was probably a tune called, "Stop! Sit Down! Relax! Think!", by Sauter-Finegan Orchestra. Very appropriate!
But I don't know the name of the tune he used in the 1980s which sounded somewhat similar. If anyone knows, please let us know.
On CJOR 600 in the 1980s his show ran from 6:30pm to 10pm(?) and the telephone number to call was: seven-three-one nine-one-nine-two. I listened to him from around 1983 up to 1988 on CJOR 600 AM. In the later years, CJOR's telephone number changed to 280-talk.
Then I remember one day, in 1988, Pat was vacationing in Reno Nevada when CJOR suddenly announced it would change format. Micheal Levi, who was substituting for Burns' Line on CJOR, made contact with Pat in Reno and asked him to comment on the surprise change of radio format that CJOR was about to make, on air. This on-air phone call to Pat took place on September 1, 1988. I had taped some of it. Someone has uploaded a better copy than what I have, at radiowest.ca.
Pat mentioned he began on CJOR on May 13Th 1963. He added that he then moved to CKGM and then back to CJOR in June 1969.
Pat cut short his vacation in Reno to be back at the studio the next morning (Sept 2Th 1988) to be on the Fanny Keffer show. So the very last time Pat was heard on CJOR was Sept 2th on that show. But I wasn't able to hear this broadcast so I don't know if he made actually it back on time.
CJOR changed format at 12 noon that very same day and became
CHRX - a classical rock station.
He was then interviewed on Rogers Community Channel 10 on cable.
In late 1988 or Jan 1989, Pat moved his show to the "All News And Information Network", CKO (96.1 FM in Vancouver).
So when he moved to CKO, he was heard in Calgary, Edmonton, Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and across Canada. In Vancouver he was heard live at
6pm to 9pm and then taped repeated at 9pm to 12am. I liked the theme music opening his shows. After playing a few seconds of the theme, a voiced announcer opened loudly this way: "And now, from Vancouver, coast to coast, the Hotline with Pat Burns! In Vancouver the number to call is two-five-one seventy-six-sixty-nine! Across the country, the number to call is one-eight-hundred six-six-three seventy-seventy-forty-four! That's one-eight-hundred six-six-three seventy-seventy-forty-four! The Hotline! With Pat Burns! On CKO!"
And while at CKO, he substituted for Dave Abbott on CKVU TV 13 for a daily 1/2 hour current affairs talk show.
Everything was then going well for him. He was heard where he had begun his talk show in Vancouver and even in Montreal where he had been back in the 1960s.
But on November 11Th 1989, the All-News and Information Radio CKO shut down forever!
So in 1990 or early 1991, Pat transferred to CIMA 'Magic 104 AM' (1040Khz).
At Magic 104 AM, he broadcasted from his own studio which was located in the Century Plaza Hotel on Burrard Street in downtown Vancouver. With the Broadcast Network Incorporated (BNI) - which was the owner and producer of the Pat Burns Hotline Program, and with a satellite up-link, he was heard coast-to-coast across Canada (as far East as NewFoundland) and parts of the United States (as far south as St Louis).
Because of his voice, and perhaps of other reasons, I heard some U.S.A. callers referring to him as the 'Larry King of Canada'.
Then one day, quite suddenly, his show vanished.
I believe the very last time his show was on air on that station was in late 1991 or early 1992 (not sure). I did hear this following message broadcasted in his time slot on Magic 104 AM:
"BNI, the owner and producers of the Pat Burns Hotline has
informed Magic 104 AM that the Pat Burns Hotline is no longer
available! Magic 104 AM regrets any inconveniences this may
cause to our listeners." It then offered a phone number to call
for information. I wish I would have called it to see what that information would have said. Not long after this, CIMA Magic 104 changed it's format.
The very last time I heard Burns live on radio was in January 1994 doing radio commercials on CKWX 1130 (which at that time was a country music station).
In 1996, about 3 weeks after he had returned from a Salmon Arm trip where he had just given a speech, he developed pneumonia. He checked himself in hospital. But he passed away June 1996.
Mr. Charles McLean on "the new AM 1040" (which had previously been Magic 104AM) spoke at length about Pat, shortly after his passing. He said Pat had once married but did not give more details. This is exactly what he said: "He mentioned once he...well I knew he'd been married because he told me the story how he got the job in London and so on, but I never met any of his people [relatives]".
Many callers phoned in to talk about him. Charles also mentioned a Mrs(?). Elaine Alexander who was always a big help to Pat.
Another caller mentioned that Vancouver's biggest traffic jam was created the day Pat spoke at the Queen Elizabeth Theater in March 1965. And that a little known previous 'big' meeting from Pat was in 1964 at another location.
Other radio talk show hosts spoke about him too, such as David Berner who was on CKNW at the time.
Click here for: a photo of resting place for Pat Burns
Photograph
Photograph #59691 no.12 at the Vancouver Public Library - Special Collection Division: A portrait of Pat as a North Vancouver City alderman in 1959.
"Across Canada / The Town Crier".
From CBC Nov 27th 1964?. A public affairs program broadcast live (in Vancouver) with host
Bob Quintrel. Open-line and radio shows in BC. Barry Clark, CKWX open-line show: Jack Webster, and Pat Burns, CJOR Hot-Line show with Doug Collins as the moderator. A discussion on the contribution of radio talk shows, etc.
"This Hour Has Seven Days".
From CBC 1965. Television public affairs show hosted by Laurier LaPierre, Patrick Watson and Dinah Chrisitie. Doug Collins interviews Vancouver broadcaster Pat Burns about his leaving CJOR in 1965. Has comments from listeners. This is from CBC host, Laurier LaPierre; Patrick Watson; Dinah Chrisitie; reporter, Warner Troyer; Larry Zolf; Doug Collins, David Steinberg.
"Seven O'Clock Show" CBC-TV 1964. He was interviewed on this show to discuss his own Hotline show. The program made news in the Vancouver Sun the next day.
Pat recorded for RCA Victor back in the mid '60s.
The title of the recording was: "My Kind of Guy". [A commemorative radio programme, Nov. 22 1965, on CKGM in Montreal for the 2th anniversary of the death of president J.F. Kennedy. A Eulogy with Lucien Hetu at the organ.]
Issued as a 33 1/3 RPM record. ISSUE NO. CC-1028 (1OURPM 1829-1830) by RCA Victor Canada International Classica. 33 1/3 RPM.
This is available at Bibliotheque National Du Quebec and at
Bowling Green State Univ. OH. in the US and perhaps others.
Pat was interviewed by the legendary Jack Cullen of CKNW in Jan, 1968. Jack played this interview on CKNW in 1996 shortly after Pat passed away. In the interview Pat mentioned to Jack that he had once recorded for RCA back in 1965. By the way, here are some of my listening memories of Jack Cullen: https://www.angelfire.com/ok5/jackcullen
UBC library held two sound recordings from two of his Hotline shows from CJOR in the 1970s. Find them in UBC Library Cataloge.
Pat also did TV commercials back in the 1980s. Someone has posted one on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg0LjButwrQ
Pat makes a brief, one second appearance, in one of the lenses of the sunglasses just two seconds into the TV add, for Tru-Valu Optical in 1982. His adds, whether radio or TV, were always clear and to the point. He never needed music to sell anything. His voice alone was enough.
Pat was interviewed on "Rogers Cablevision 10" in
Sept 1988 shortly after CJOR changed format. I saw the interview replayed shortly after his death in 1996.
Pat said his father had been mostly a chemist but had also been a longshoremen and a taxi driver.
Pat says he himself traveled to the British Isles and settled in Great Britain and found a job at the treasury Dept. at the Canadian Embassy of Veteran Affairs. When he heard the BBC was looking for a fast talking North American sport commentator, Pat tried it out. He did a live audition at a The Empire Pool and Sports Arena. He then went on to Radio/TV. More later...
See pages 73-75 of the book: "Top Dog! - a Fifty Year History of B.C.'s Most Listened to Radio Station [CKNW]"
Here are a few related websites I found:
http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/personalities/personalities.php?id=249
http://www.canadianfreespeech.com/cafe/ Near the bottom of this webpage there was a most recent photograph of Pat. But it's not there anymore. You may be able to see a copy in the Internet Archive (wayback machine) at : http://web.archive.org/web/20050722082936/http://www.canadianfreespeech.com/cafe/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Burns_(broadcaster)
http://bcradiohistory.com/Other/boat.htm
Search this archive for some recordings of Pat Burns donated by CJOR. http://www.bcarchives.bc.ca/bcarchives/default.aspx
By typing "Pat Burns" as a search:
http://search.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/sn-5D1A4EE/search
And also:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search-recherche/all-tout.php?Language=eng
http://www.radiowest.ca/airchecks10.html
http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl
http://www.radiowest.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5885
http://www.bcradiohistory.com/Music/PatBurns-1977-08-17.wav
https://www.google.ca/#psj=1&q=%22Pat+Burns%22+CJOR
Abr: Van.Times = Vancouver Times newspaper; Van.Prov. = The Vancouver Province newspaper; Van.Sun = Vancouver Sun newspaper; Van.Courier = Vancouver Courier (a community newspaper).
Spot any errors or omissions? Please let us know if you know of other important news clippings not listed here.
