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{{Short description|Canadian sportscaster (1946–2023)}}
{{BLP unsourced|date=April 2012}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=November 2023}}
'''Alex J. Walling''' also known as '''A.J. Walling''' is a major sports analyst in [[Atlantic Canada]]. He also contributes weekly to a sports column on www.tsn.ca, A.J. was Atlantic Canada's first [[The Sports Network|TSN]] sports reporter for nine years. and he is daily on [[Halifax Urban Area|Halifax]] Information Radio (97.9 [[FM radio]]). Walling has been observing [[Atlantic University]] football for over two decades. He has covered major professional sporting events, including the 1972 [[Summit Series]] where he was one of the first to talk to [[Paul Henderson]], moments after the historic goal. He is also active in covering sports from the High School level and began by covering the 1973 High School Provincial Football Championship featuring the [[Queen Elizabeth Lions Football]] team.
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox person
⚫
| name = Alex J. Walling
⚫
| image =
| image_size = 225px
⚫
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth year|1946}}
| birth_place = [[Quebec City, Quebec]], Canada
| death_date = {{death date and given age|2023|11|25|77}}
| death_place = [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], Canada
| occupation = Sports analyst, broadcaster
⚫
}}


'''Alex John Walling''' (1946 – November 25, 2023), also known as '''A.J. Walling''', was a Canadian sports analyst and broadcaster. Well known for his distinctive voice and opinionated commentary, he was the Atlantic Canadian sports reporter for [[The Sports Network|TSN]], a position he held for nine years. He contributed to a regular sports column for the TSN web page and was heard each weekday morning on [[CIOE-FM]] (97.5 FM).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/alex_walling/?id=columnists-alex_walling |title=Alex Walling |publisher=[[The Sports Network|TSN]] |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724005344/http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/alex_walling/?id=columnists-alex_walling |access-date=November 28, 2023}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greaterhalifax.com/en/home/investorsingrowth/investordirectory.aspx?mode=2&invId=180&sl#selection-405.0-416.2 |title=Investor directory: 107.7 FM - Halifax Information Radio |publisher=Greater Halifax Partnership |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125043303/http://www.greaterhalifax.com/en/home/investorsingrowth/investordirectory.aspx?mode=2&invId=180&sl |access-date=November 28, 2023}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023}}</ref> He was also the founder and owner of [[CJQC-FM]] in [[Liverpool, Nova Scotia]].
Wallings distinctive voice is well known by all [[Nova Scotians]], and many Atlantic Canadians as well, and is considered as the top resident sports expert, above local gurus [[Harv Stewart]] and Cecil Wright. Walling was the first Halifax-based sports anchor at [[CIHF-TV|MITV]] (now Global Maritimes) when it went on the air in 1988. In 1994 Alex J. had a television sports talk show on a Halifax community local station the show's name was A.J. Harv & company. a one hour call in sports show. A.J. left the show in May 2000 to enjoy his retirement from television, radio & newsprint.


==Broadcasting career==
Walling has been around the Nova Scotia sports scene since arriving in 1972. His first major assignment as the first full time sports director of radio station CHNS was to travel to Edmonton, Alberta and cover Dartmouth Dairy Queen in the National Softball title. In fact Walling arrived in Halifax in the zenith of this sport. From 70-75 crowds of several thousanda witnessed the likes of Keiths, Mooseheads, Brookfield and DDQ in stellar competition.
Walling's career began in 1965 as a newspaper reporter in Quebec City. He soon moved into radio and, in 1972, he moved to Halifax where he began working for [[CHNS-FM|CHNS]].<ref name=QCCRprofile>{{cite web| url=http://queenscountytimes.ca/radiostation/ |title=A Radio Station For Queens County |publisher=[[CJQC-FM]] |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004013534/http://queenscountytimes.ca/radiostation/ |access-date=November 28, 2023}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023}}</ref> He began the first full-time sports talk show there in 1972 with a show that ran on Sunday nights from 10:30 until midnight. As the first full-time sports director for CHNS, his first major assignment was in Edmonton, Alberta where he covered the Dartmouth Dairy Queen team, which was vying that year for the National Softball title. He also covered major sporting events, including the 1972 [[Summit Series]] where he was one of the first to talk to [[Paul Henderson]] moments after the historic "goal heard around the world".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atlantictalent.ca/sample.html |title=Some of Atlantic Talent's voice talents |publisher=Atlantic Talent Agency |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328042210/http://www.atlantictalent.ca/sample.html |access-date=November 28, 2023}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023}}</ref> Walling reported on [[Atlantic University]] football for more than twenty years.


In 1984, he was president and general manager of Western Broadcasting in [[Corner Brook, Newfoundland]] where he started CKWK 1340, an AM radio station now operating as [[CKXX-FM]]. Three years later, in 1987, he became general manager of CJGL-FM in [[Swift Current, Saskatchewan]]. While his family remained in Corner Brook, for several months he commuted {{convert|4,000| mi|km}} between the two stations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/newfoundland-labrador/ckxx-fm/ |title=CKXX-FM |work=History of Canadian Broadcasting |publisher=[[Canadian Communications Foundation]] |url-status=live |archive-date=November 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128101112/https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/newfoundland-labrador/ckxx-fm/ |access-date=November 28, 2023}}</ref>
Walling started the first full time sports talk show on CHNS early in his radio career. The show ran on Sunday nights from 10:30 till midnight or past midnight.

In 1988, he became the first sports anchor at the independent Halifax and Saint John-based [[CIHF-TV|MITV]] television station (now part of Global). That same year, he founded the Atlantic Media Institute in Halifax, which he sold in 2000.<ref name=QCCRprofile/> From 1994 to 2000, he also had a one-hour sports talk show called ''A.J., Harv & Company'' on a Halifax community station television. He left the show upon his retirement; however, the retirement was short lived. In Liverpool, he founded Queens County Community Radio, which first went on air in 2008 and received CRTC approval in 2009.<ref name="QCCRprofile"/> In 2012, he sold his interest in the community radio station.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.qccrfm.com/news/2023/11/27/qccr-founder-passes-away/ |title=QCCR founder passes away |publisher=[[CJQC-FM]] |url-status=live |archive-date=November 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128102052/https://www.qccrfm.com/news/2023/11/27/qccr-founder-passes-away/ |access-date=November 28, 2023}} </ref>

In July 2015, Walling became the host of the Cobequid Radio Society's CIOE-FM morning drive show,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1307624-demont-alex-j.-walling-on-air-for-50-years-after-weak-debut |title=Alex J. Walling on air for 50 years after weak debut |last=Demont |first=John |date=August 27, 2015 |work=[[The Chronicle Herald]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225212003/http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1307624-demont-alex-j.-walling-on-air-for-50-years-after-weak-debut |archive-date=December 25, 2015 |access-date=November 28, 2023}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023}}</ref> broadcast live from Lower Sackville each weekday.

==Personal life and death==
Walling was married to Kathleen Davis of [[Brooklyn, Queens County, Nova Scotia|Brooklyn, Nova Scotia]], who died in 2014.<ref name=QCCRprofile/>

Walling died in Halifax on November 25, 2023, at the age of 77.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/longtime-halifax-sportscaster-dies-1.6662641 |title='Alex J. Walling was a true character': Longtime Halifax sportscaster dies |date=November 27, 2023 |last1=Mott |first1=Sean |last2=Hollingsworth |first2=Paul |author-link2=Paul Hollingsworth |work=[[CTV News]] |url-status=live |archive-date=November 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128102859/https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/longtime-halifax-sportscaster-dies-1.6662641 |access-date=November 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.qctonline.com/obituary-alex-john-a-j-walling-1946-2023/|title=OBITUARY: Alex John (A.J.) WALLING (1946-2023)|website=[[Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph]]|date=December 5, 2023|access-date=December 10, 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*''[http://pulseofqueenscounty.wordpress.com/ Pulse of Queens County]''
*[http://www.collegecolours.com/columns/019.html Can Smu Make it a Clean Sweep? - By Alex J. Walling]
*[http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/alex_walling/?id=372355 MacKinnon the second coming of Sid the Kid - By Alex J. Walling]


{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
⚫
| NAME = Walling, Alex J.
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Canadian television sportscaster
⚫
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
⚫
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
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}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Walling, Alex J.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walling, Alex J.}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian television sportscasters]]
[[Category:Canadian television sportscasters]]
[[Category:People from Halifax, Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:People from Quebec City]]


{{Canada-tv-bio-stub}}

Latest revision as of 04:31, 11 December 2023

Alex J. Walling
Born1946 (1946)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Died (aged 77)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupation(s)Sports analyst, broadcaster

Alex John Walling (1946 – November 25, 2023), also known as A.J. Walling, was a Canadian sports analyst and broadcaster. Well known for his distinctive voice and opinionated commentary, he was the Atlantic Canadian sports reporter for TSN, a position he held for nine years. He contributed to a regular sports column for the TSN web page and was heard each weekday morning on CIOE-FM (97.5 FM).[1][2] He was also the founder and owner of CJQC-FM in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

Broadcasting career

[edit]

Walling's career began in 1965 as a newspaper reporter in Quebec City. He soon moved into radio and, in 1972, he moved to Halifax where he began working for CHNS.[3] He began the first full-time sports talk show there in 1972 with a show that ran on Sunday nights from 10:30 until midnight. As the first full-time sports director for CHNS, his first major assignment was in Edmonton, Alberta where he covered the Dartmouth Dairy Queen team, which was vying that year for the National Softball title. He also covered major sporting events, including the 1972 Summit Series where he was one of the first to talk to Paul Henderson moments after the historic "goal heard around the world".[4] Walling reported on Atlantic University football for more than twenty years.

In 1984, he was president and general manager of Western Broadcasting in Corner Brook, Newfoundland where he started CKWK 1340, an AM radio station now operating as CKXX-FM. Three years later, in 1987, he became general manager of CJGL-FM in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. While his family remained in Corner Brook, for several months he commuted 4,000 miles (6,400 km) between the two stations.[5]

In 1988, he became the first sports anchor at the independent Halifax and Saint John-based MITV television station (now part of Global). That same year, he founded the Atlantic Media Institute in Halifax, which he sold in 2000.[3] From 1994 to 2000, he also had a one-hour sports talk show called A.J., Harv & Company on a Halifax community station television. He left the show upon his retirement; however, the retirement was short lived. In Liverpool, he founded Queens County Community Radio, which first went on air in 2008 and received CRTC approval in 2009.[3] In 2012, he sold his interest in the community radio station.[6]

In July 2015, Walling became the host of the Cobequid Radio Society's CIOE-FM morning drive show,[7] broadcast live from Lower Sackville each weekday.

Personal life and death

[edit]

Walling was married to Kathleen Davis of Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, who died in 2014.[3]

Walling died in Halifax on November 25, 2023, at the age of 77.[8][9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Alex Walling". TSN. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2023.[dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Investor directory: 107.7 FM - Halifax Information Radio". Greater Halifax Partnership. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2023.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b c d "A Radio Station For Queens County". CJQC-FM. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2023.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ "Some of Atlantic Talent's voice talents". Atlantic Talent Agency. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2023.[dead link‍]
  5. ^ "CKXX-FM". History of Canadian Broadcasting. Canadian Communications Foundation. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "QCCR founder passes away". CJQC-FM. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  7. ^ Demont, John (August 27, 2015). "Alex J. Walling on air for 50 years after weak debut". The Chronicle Herald. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2023.[dead link‍]
  8. ^ Mott, Sean; Hollingsworth, Paul (November 27, 2023). "'Alex J. Walling was a true character': Longtime Halifax sportscaster dies". CTV News. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  9. ^ "OBITUARY: Alex John (A.J.) WALLING (1946-2023)". Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
[edit]
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