John LeBlanc

John knew from an early age that it was his destiny to work in radio. When he was 5, he would build a pretend microphone and control board with Lego blocks. At 10, John used a Radio Shack 250-in-one electronic kit to create a radio transmitter so that he could broadcast the latest hits as far as the kitchen and den. And when he entered Grade 10, John got his first paying gig as a radio host at CHER 950 AM in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Sure it was only weekend afternoons, but it got his foot in the door! Soon after, he was working at CJCB & K94 – the top rated stations on Cape Breton Island. John worked every part of the day, including mornings when the regular host was on vacation.

Then, while studying to get a university degree, fate intervened. His weekend job was made redundant, and John ended up taking odd jobs for a couple of years. He slung coffee at a Tim Hortons. He sold kitchen supplies. He conducted tours in character at Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery. (That was his favorite job, because he got free beer at the end of the summer!) He delivered furniture. (It lasted two months – John’s not good at heavy lifting. Or navigating big city traffic.)

Missing the good old days when he was in radio, John went back to school to learn more about broadcasting. Soon, he ended up spinning the hits for a country station in northern Nova Scotia. And when MAX 104.9 was looking for new talent, John jumped at the chance to come to New Brunswick! He has since learned that his family has roots in New Brunswick (his grandfather was originally from Chatham), and that Bathurst is great place to live, bike, hike and brush up on his French skills. Not that he had a lot of skill to start with, but still…