As CKNX Radio gets ready to mark its 100th anniversary in 2026, the story is being brought to the stage at The Blyth Festival.
The Blyth Festival has always championed Canadian stories, and this season is no different. One of this year’s most anticipated plays is Radio Town: The Doc Cruickshank Story, which tells the incredible journey of a small-town broadcaster who built a local media empire.
Festival director Gill Garratt said the play follows the rise of Doc Cruikshank, who started the whole thing in his garage in the small town of Wingham in 1926.
"He starts out in his garage, tinkering away with transistors," Garratt explained. "The legend is that he saw, you know, how to build a radio transmitter in the back of a Popular Mechanics magazine. So he did. And then from there, he started broadcasting out. You know, himself, telling jokes on the air and getting friends to dial it in. And then from there, he started welcoming friends and neighbors and farmers."
What started as a personal experiment quickly became a vital community hub, broadcasting sermons, farm reports, and live music
"The play follows Doc through that amazing time, from when he first has the idea to tinker away on this tiny transmitter in his garage, right through when he has built the radio station, and the TV, and become a national broadcaster," Garratt continued.
Doc’s station launched the careers of local musicians and even grew into a national TV program, Circle 8 Ranch.
"People like Ernie King, The Ranch Boys, these folks start showing up, and Doc puts them on the air," Garratt added. "And this grows to become the Saturday Night Barn Dance, grows to become the Circle 8 Ranch, when they go to TV, and there's this amazing wellspring of a celebration of local culture."
Garret revealed that Radio Town captures the spirit of innovation, community, and resilience. He said the festival has always been a hub for celebrating local heritage, proving that small-town stories can have a big impact.
One unforgettable moment in the story is the fire that destroyed his station in the 1960s. But in true small-town fashion, locals—and even broadcasters from Toronto—rallied to help him rebuild.
Radio Town will run from August 20 to September 20, 2025. The play is written by Nathan Howe and Directed by J.D. Nicholsen.