MARATHON—Radio stations for many small communities become their connection to the world and the people and events around them. They not only provide music and entertainment, but also give access to news stories, events and activities locally, provincially, and globally. CFNO is one such radio station.
CFNO is a radio station that broadcasts at 93.1 FM in Marathon that was started back in 1982 by Spence Bell. At the time, Hall was a retired school teacher. He took the radio station over for a period of time, and approximately 20 years later, the station was sold to Dougall Media in 2002.
That was only the beginning of a new journey for a radio station that would eventually become the voice of the residents of the city of Marathon. Eventually, it became a daily haven filled with respect, love and joy for a special individual.
Dougall Media needed someone to re-energize this radio station and bring it back into the daily lives of communities, organizations and individuals not only in Marathon but around the region. That new start for whatever it was going to become was about to happen. One day, a certain Al Cresswell found himself at the other end of a life-changing phone call. He recalled the events of that day very distinctly and shared what took place.
Cresswell shared that on that one particular day he was fishing in Wawa. He was working in Wawa as their news director, at their local radio station. He described how he was asked by Dougall Media if he would like to move to Marathon and take over the airwaves of CFNO 93.1.
He described agreeing to do this in March of 2004, seeing it as a fresh start in his life. He proudly added how he has been there ever since.
Cresswell spoke about how the radio station “went through a major metamorphosis”, and today he is the only one in the building that houses this station, in Marathon, Ont.
CFNO is “Your Hometown Sound” for the North Superior Region, and as Al pointed out, “he has had the privilege of getting to meet and know families, organizations, and people from Wawa, Nipigon, Dorion, Nakina and the entire region”.
A typical day for Al Cresswell would be exhausting for anyone. Having done this work for the past 18 years, Al starts his day at midnight. As news and sports director, he plans his show before the news and works at this for 2.5 hours. Then at 3:00 a.m., he works on his news casts, which again he said, “usually starts the previous day, then I edit these news casts the next day”.
Every day, Al puts together six to eight news stories from around the region and then prepares for the daily major interview that he hosts at 8:10 a.m. each morning. Along with that, Cresswell also makes time to cover 10 council meetings within the region.
His passion is definitely with the work that he does, with the communities within the region and with the community of Marathon. He holds a special spot in his heart for the people of Marathon and when asked to describe this job he says, “it's not just a job, I’m a lifer”.
Some of the highlights of his career include that he gets to talk to major stars and personalities, from around the world. For example, Prime Minister Trudeau called him to do an interview recently. He gets to visit with the communities in the region as host and MC for many of their community events.
When you ask his wife Sherri about what Al represents to his community, she describes Al as one “who works hard in and out of the community. He is instrumental to have the surrounding communities involved in his work, not just Marathon”.
She too talks about how for so many of the events that happen in Marathon and around the region, Al is asked to be the MC. “He is able to go to each of the communities and see what they each have to offer”, was a comment Sherri offered, with a sense of pride of the hard work and the selfless things her husband has done for so many, throughout his career.
His job has allowed him to gain a personal touch. He shared that he has a feature on his show called the “Birthday Train”, and that when people call in to ask for a birthday announcement, Al is able to call their child by name, and he has watched so many of them grow. “Young adults come back to Marathon, after graduating from college/university, and when they run into me, I tell them that I’ve known them from when they were kids, and I can’t get over the fact that they’ve grown up to be successful adults so soon," says Cresswell.
Al Cresswell, turns the young age of 59 on May 21, 2022. He says that at this point in his career, “I don’t want to do anything further, in administration or any other position with Dougall Media. I love what I do”. It is very clear that the communities in the region and in particular, the community of Marathon love him and have made him a special member of their community, and a welcome voice in their homes.
These sentiments were definitely reflected in what Marathon’s Mayor Rick Dumas said about Al. The mayor described Al as, “a huge asset to the community of Marathon and the entire region." Mayor Dumas reflected back to a time when there was talk of shutting down the radio station, and how at that time, “the entire community rallied behind Al and supported him, and he’s been here for 18 years."
Dumas also complimented Al on the fact that he has never missed a council meeting. “This just goes to show the commitment that he has for the community and the region,” stated Dumas.
The Township of Marathon, Mayor Dumas, residents throughout the entire region certainly have developed a close rapport and relationship with Al. This demonstrates the important role he has played and continues to play in their everyday lives. He no doubt holds a special spot in their heart and continues to make a difference to Marathon and the communities around the region. As Al himself says, “I’m a lifer”...so CFNO 93.1 will be around for a long-time to come.