John Ashbridge

A young John Ashbridge at CKNW 1965

Ash as PA announcer for the Vancouver Canucks

CJVI Victoria 1960-1961 (unpaid, underaged) operator at age 13

CFAX Victoria 1962-1964 operator/on air

CJOR Vancouver 1964 newsman

CKNW New Westminster 1965 hired as fill-in announcer/newsman

CFUN 1967 (three months) news director

CKNW 1967-1970 newsman

CJCI Prince George 1970-1973 news director

CKNW New Westminster 1973-1980 news anchor/reporter

Australia Radio and Television (Sydney) 1980-1981

CKNW 1981-2005 newsperson and network operations manager.  Retired in 2005.

PA Announcer for Vancouver Canucks since 1987.
PA Announcer for Vancouver Giants (WHL) since 2004.
Played role of  “American Announcer” in movie "Miracle" 2004Lifetime Achievement Award RTNDA 2005

Born June 8, 1946 in Hastings, Sussex, England - "Ash" came to Canada in 1947 and moved from Ontario to BC in 1951, eventually settling on Vancouver Island  and attended schools in Nanaimo and Victoria. At the age of 13, John began hanging around radio station CJVI and soon, when no one was looking, was operating the board.  Some time in 1962 he was hired as a part timer and then moved to C-FAX to work for two years while completing high school. Once he had graduated his talent was heard in Vancouver and Gerry Gawne of CJOR auditioned him. He moved to the big city "in the summer of '64".  About a year later,  someone at CKNW said "this kid should be hired". That started a long association with the Top Dog station. When Ashbridge arrived at NW on May 10th, 1965 he was so  enthusiastic, yet so lacking in real broadcast experience that he was put to work subbing  for everyone, disc jockeys, remotes and news. For most of the next 40 years John was either in or near the newsroom - taking a 3 year breather as news director at CJCI in Prince George 1970-73 when station owners Ron East and Stan Davis needed his help. He returned to CKNW for 7 years before heading to Australia where he worked briefly in radio and television news. That lasted about 18 months. Then back to mother news – Top Dog radio.
Radio has been John's life. Teaching his students has been a passion as well. John is an excellent writer and a cryptic humorist. Although officially retired, one of his  ongoing interests is  Crime Stoppers, where he serves as a member of the Greater Vancouver association’s Board of Directors and voices crime-fighting features broadcast each week. He also volunteers with Emergency Preparedness for the City of New Westminster where he now lives. Among his duties is the production of emergency measures announcements aired on the city-owned low-power FM radio station, ‘CHNW’ (“Community Help New Westminster.”)Ashbridge, also the public address announcer of the Vancouver Canucks since the 1987/88 season and supporter of the Canucks Alumni since 1990, has worn many hats as the Alumni’s publicity manager, video producer, assistant trainer, as well as honorary director.   "The honour of being chosen to accept the NHL Alumni's Association’s “7th Man Award” in 2000 is, without a doubt, the singular highlight of my association with the Canuck Alumni and with the National Hockey League Alumni," noted Ashbridge.  In 2004, he also took on the PA duties for the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants junior hockey team. In recent months, he has also been “recruited” by former CKNW colleague Belle Puri (CBC-TV/Vancouver) to serve on the Board of Directors for New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, where – in 2008 – he was named as RCHF’s Vice-Chair, joining newly-appointed Board Chair Belle Puri on the Foundation’s executive.