The Relationship Radio Show was originally called The Changing Family and it originated on the Fraser Valley Radio Network in December of 1986 from Chilliwack, BC Canada. The originating station was CHWK 1270. Thanks go to then program director Brian Laver for having the foresight to take a chance on the show. John Barson was the creator, producer and host of the show. He was interested in the concept because he was a single father and there was little or no support for single dads at the time. He understood that the dynamics of relationships change and it is in those moments that we have to make choices. His goal was to help people make healthy choices and find ways to become better parents and partners.
The show was originally called Single Parenting. It was only to run for 6 weeks with 3 shows for single mothers and 3 for single dads starting with the first show a week before Christmas on Custody and the Holidays. An advisory board was formed to develop the content and theme of the show. Two very important people on that board were Dr. Rob Lees and Carol Matusicky. Dr. Lees was the President of BC Council for the Family and Carol was the executive director. There were other key people including Mary Trokenburg, a social worker with Family Services of Greater Vancouver and Donna Williams, a trauma counselor with the Chilliwack school district.
The response to the show was tremendous. It was quickly evident that there was a need for an impartial show dedicated to helping people deal with the changes in life. The show evolved into the Changing Family as the scope of the show broadened. The new goal of the show was to explore the major events in the life cycle of family such as parenting, teen issues, dating, marriage, birth, divorce, step parenting, aging parents, hospice, death and much more.
The show followed a workshop format with the goal of each show to leave the listeners with tools and ideas to apply to their situations. The show worked with many workshop groups and organizations. John, not having formal education in psychology, attended the Justice Institute of BC on an ongoing basis taking courses in conflict resolution, anger management, mediation and negotiation. The show popularity grew and eventually moved to AM1040 in Vancouver, BC. The show went off the air in the early '90s, six years after it was originally intended to finish its run.
One of the highlights of the show was the collaboration between Dr. Rob Lees and John Barson on the book Prepared Companions: The Communication Manual for Loving Relationships in the early '90s. Dr. Lees has updated the book and it is now available in bookstores and online. It is called Prepared Companions, A Guide to Loving Relationships. The Publisher is Idyll Arbor and the ISBN-10: 1882883527. It is available on Amazon.com. You can also order it direct from the Publisher
After the show went off the air John got married, divorced and has constantly worked on improving his relationships. Not being satisfied with the results of his work he decided it was time to bring the show back and discuss relationships and relationship issues with others.
This time around John didn't want to go it alone. He wanted to find a woman co-host. A woman, like John, that had her share of relationships, had done a lot work on herself but...for some reason, there seemed to be something missing. So, with keyboard in hand John put his profile on an Internet dating site looking for a co-host. It didn't take long. Sheree Morgan had recently put her profile on the same site after encouragement from a friend, not sure about whether she wanted to explore this world she kept her profile hidden, it wasn't even active at that point. She logged on one day to reply to an e-mail, with the thought in her mind of deleting it entirely; at that moment John popped up on the page. Out of curiosity she looked at his profile and saw the information on the show and the request for a co-host. She instantly knew this is what she would love to do. Explore relationships, talk with the experts and empower others. Sheree messaged John and...three days later the hosting team was formed.
Sheree can you tell us a little about yourself?
I married the first two men I ever dated. Yeah, I know, not the smartest thing to do. Hey, I was young, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Raised 2 sons by myself. Definitely the best 2 relationships I have ever had. They are both grown and doing amazingly well all on their own, both in successful relationships by the way. Spent 20 years in film and television, as a struggling actor, aren’t they all? I then ventured off into the business world in Publishing, advertising and sales; all the while building relationships of all sorts. I have mastered building and maintaining relationships with my wonderful children, my dear friends and my valued clients. Now if I could just figure out the partner thing. Well nobody’s perfect but I’m working on it, and isn’t that where it all starts. I look forward to the journey.
Join Sheree and John as they explore the relationship universe. The toll-free lines will be open.
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