Ottawa Valley icon of country music radio Doug Anderson dies

Such sad news.  Doug Anderson, an icon of country music radio in Ottawa and the Valley has passed away.

Doug had a radio career spanning 35 years, and was most recently the program director at Country 101.1 (CKBY) and 92.3 Jack FM until his retirement from Rogers Radio in 2012.  Doug was inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

(Doug Anderson photo:  Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame)

Doug also in his career hosted and produced the shows “Country Music Report” and “Cross Canada Country” (a weekly radio program syndicated across Canada).  He hosted the only live coast-to-coast radio show of the annual Big Country Awards (now the Canadian Country Music Association Awards).  He was also a member of the Ottawa Host Committee for the first Canadian Country Music Week, held in Ottawa in 1977, and again when it was in Ottawa in 1981 and 1989.  In 1996 Doug chaired a delegation to successfully win the bid to bring Country Music Week back to Ottawa and also sat on the host committee.

He was 64-years-old and leaves behind a wife and son.

A celebration of Doug’s life will be held at the Capital Funeral Home at 3700 Prince of Wales Drive on Friday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.  Memorial donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

(Doug’s last day at CKBY in 2012 with Mark Papousek)