CFNY radio legend recognized by Parliament

by Mark Teo

As Canadian alternative music goes, few figures loom as large as David “Mars Bar” Marsden. Largely credited with the ascendence of Toronto’s CFNY in the 1980s—the station that’d become Edge 102 and launch the careers of, among others, Alan Cross, Skot Turner, Martin Streek and later, George Stroumboulopoulos—Marsden took over as the station’s program director in 1978, and transformed it into an alternative-music force, putting the spotlight on countless Canadian acts.

The approach Marsden took with the station (which Wikipedia describes, quite accurately, as “professional-sounding version of a college radio station) would be come CFNY, and later the Edge’s trademark. That aesthetic would eventually shape the programs associated with the station’s golden era, which was commemorated by Rush with their song, “Spirit of Radio.”

Marsden’s since moved onto different projects—like The Marsden Theatre—but his legacy still remains. And he’s finally been recognized in Parliament by Durhman MP Erin O’Toole. Here’s what she said.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House of Commons today to mark the end of an era in radio broadcasting in the Durham region and, indeed, across Canada. This weekend will feature the final episodes of The Marsden Theatre, hosted by legendary broadcaster, David Marsden, the “Mars Bar.”

He has been a pioneer in radio broadcasting in Canada, starting in the 1970s and 1980s with the spirit of radio at CFNY in Toronto. He was an early champion for Canadian music in Canada, including helping to create the CASBY Awards, or Canadian Artists Selected By You. For the last decade, at 94.9 The Rock, in Oshawa, he has hosted one of the final live-to-air radio programs in North America.

I want to thank David Marsden for being a decades-long champion of Canadian music. I want to thank him for his eclectic mix of music and his cheeky humour. I hope he stays curious and that he knows that all of us will be listening this weekend.

“As for The Spirit of Radio – it was written about CFNY and all that we stood for – I was told that by the band and management before the album was released,” Marsden said, of Rush’s song. “At that time Rush and their manager discussed with me that there would be no reference officially to CFNY as it could stop other radio stations from playing the track. As a fan and supporter of Rush I agreed that would be the best plan. If you still have a vinyl disc you will find that in the centre grooves you will find the album master number is 1021.”

Meanwhile, as his former coworker Alan Cross notes, Marsden is being featured in a documentary about rock-radio DJs called I Am What I Play. Check the trailer below.