Peter Novak is being remembered by his colleagues at CHON-FM as a great friend and co-worker.
The longtime radio host died Nov. 3 in Whitehorse. He was 62.
“He will definitely be missed,” CHON-FM’s general manger Morris Prokop said in a Nov. 4 interview.
Novak had been with CHON since at least the mid-2000s, hosting a variety of shows including Cool Country Morning and more recently Cabin Radio.
Just as Novak had a career sharing stories across the airwaves, he’s also remembered among his colleagues for the funny, more personal stories he loved to tell friends and colleagues.
Prokop recalled one such story Novak shared with him, where Novak woke up one day, realizing his alarm had not gone off. He rushed down in a panic to CHON’s studio and quickly turned on the computers and equipment, wondering why he was the only one at work only to realize when the date came up on the computer that it was Sunday and no one was meant to be in the office that day.
In a statement, his family described Novak as a “radio addict” beginning “from his early childhood while listening to far off stations at night…. then working part time at a Montreal radio station while going to college.”
It was work at CBC that brought him north where he would make Whitehorse his home.
“Radio, CHON-FM and Yukon were his first loves,” the family said. “Being able to tell stories, and inform and entertain listeners was what made Peter the happiest. He believed the better information his listeners had, the better decisions they could make… all while entertaining them with music and stories.”
Prokop also remembered the quirky facts Novak always loved to share about weather and aviation.
If you were ever wondered what causes wind, for example, Novak could easily explain it.
He loved talking weather and aviation and chatting, Prokop said, and his long radio career was a reflection of that.
In their statement, his family recalled Novak as someone who was kind, considerate and caring, living life by the philosophy of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
As the family summed up: “Peter was a great father, brother, son, friend and professional, and will always be remembered as such.”
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com