QCCR founder passes away

Alex J Walling, founder of QCCR and long-time broadcaster has passed away.

The mainstay of the Maritime airwaves began his career in Quebec City in 1965 before moving to Halifax in 1972 to work at CHNS radio.

One of the early highlights of his career was covering the 1972 Summit Series.

Walling worked on the mic, in front of the camera and behind the scenes in radio and television over the next four decades covering sports at every level.

In 1988 he founded the Atlantic Media Institute in Halifax to train the next generation of broadcasters. He sold the company in 2000 to retire.

By 2008 Walling had had enough of retirement and founded this station, Queens County Community Radio (QCCR). He sold the station to the CJQC Radio Society in 2012 and they continue to operate is to this day.

QCCR General Manager Brian Godfrey says Walling left a legacy in Liverpool.

“He made quite a big legacy here with getting people connected. You know, people listening, to have something here in Liverpool, to the community radio station,” said Godfrey. “He was doing just the monthly ones, but at least people had a chance to listen to something local, a local radio station and he brought that here.”

Godfrey said even after Walling sold the station he would still drop in or call from time to time to see how it was going.

Walling was married to Kathleen Davis of Brooklyn who died in 2014.

Walling passed away in Halifax over the weekend. He was 77.

To hear the broadcast version of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com