Below are some of the wonderful sounds you’ll hear during your Big Sur tour from San Francisco.

The Ocean’s Music

When you go to Big Sur, start your day at the coast, especially near Post Ranch Inn. It’s my secret spot for peace.

Get there early when it’s just you and the waves. Trust me, it’s like the world is a different place at that hour. Just, you know, keep it clean – we gotta look after these spots. I always take my old thermos, filled with hot coffee, sit on the driftwood, and listen to the waves. It’s my kind of meditation.

Birdsong at Dawn

Birdwatching at Andrew Molera State Park is the real deal. The birds start their chorus at dawn, and it’s like nature’s own orchestra. I usually grab a blanket, find a cozy spot, and just soak in the sounds. Let’s keep it down though, to hear their full melody. One morning, I swear, it was so quiet I could hear the flapping of wings. Pure magic.

Among the Redwoods – Whispers of the Giants

If you’re into something even more serene, the Redwoods near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park are perfect.

Late afternoon is the best – less crowded and the light is just unreal.

I often just find a log, sit down, and feel the stillness around me. It’s like nature’s way of saying, ‘slow down, buddy.’

Big Sur’s Musical Heritage

The Henry Miller Memorial Library is this cool little spot that sometimes hosts small concerts. It’s like stepping back into the ’60s folk era. When you go, blend in, enjoy, but let’s not disturb the vibe. One night, I caught this local folk band there. Under the starlit sky, their music just hit differently – felt like a part of Big Sur’s soul.

The River’s Song

And the Big Sur River, especially towards the Gorge, is my go-to for chilling out. Late mornings there are quiet, just the river and you.

Sometimes, I just sit by the river, no phone, no distractions, and it’s the best kind of timeout from the world.

More Spots:

Garrapata State Park

And, if you’re up for a bit of a drive, head over to Garrapata State Park. This place is a bit off the beaten path, but totally worth it. The sound of the waves here is more intense, kind of like nature’s own rock concert. Last time I was there, I just sat on the rocks, lost track of time watching the surfers.

Remember though, the currents can be strong, so it’s more about watching the sea’s power than diving in. It’s a spot where you feel the might of the ocean.

Bixby Bridge

Don’t miss the chance to drive across Bixby Bridge too. Everyone talks about the view, but the sound – that’s something else.

The wind whistles through the bridge in this eerie, almost musical way. I like to park up and just listen, it’s like the bridge is singing with the wind.

You can park at the pullout on the ocean side at the north end of the bridge, which is quite popular. There’s also parking available on Old Coast Road, on the land side of the north end of the bridge, though it’s more limited. Another option is the small pullout at the south end of the bridge.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Now, if you love starry nights as much as I do, there’s no better place than Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. After the sun sets, the sound of the ocean takes on this rhythmic, soothing quality – perfect for stargazing. Just bring a flashlight and watch your step, it’s all about being safe while enjoying the night sky.

Pfeiffer Beach

And hey, while you’re in Big Sur, try to catch a sunset at Pfeiffer Beach. The way the sun lights up the rocks and the water – it’s stunning.

The beach gets pretty quiet around this time, and the sound of the waves is like nature’s own closing ceremony for the day.

Just a heads up – the road to the beach can be a bit tricky, so take it slow.

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In 1922, two new categories of broadcasting were added to the regulation: “Private Commercial Radio Station” and “Amateur Radio Station”. The annual license fee for these stations was set on June 30, 1922 at $50 for commercial stations and $5 for amateur stations. As of March 31, 1923, there were 57 commercial and 8 amateur authorized stations.

In late April 1922, an initial group of twenty-three commercial radio broadcasting licenses were announced, which were assigned four-letter call signs beginning with “CF,” “CH,” “CJ,” or “CK,” and one additional “C” as the third or fourth letter. These stations were assigned to a band of six wavelengths in 10-meter increments from 400 to 450 meters (750-667 kHz). Commercial broadcasting stations initially operated under the restriction that “no charge shall be made for any service provided by stations of this class.” In 1924, this provision was relaxed to allow “the lease of broadcasting stations for advertising purposes” upon obtaining “the written consent of the Minister”. However, “direct advertising” was prohibited from 18:30 to 23:00 (“direct advertising” was generally defined as regular advertising messages, as opposed to “indirect advertising” which consisted of more general sponsorship announcements).

Amateur broadcasting stations were given alphanumeric call signs starting with the number “10” and were originally intended to transmit on 250 meters (1200 kHz). These stations were issued to individual amateur associations and were prohibited from advertising. Most were expected to be established in communities where there were no commercial stations. Only a small number of amateur broadcasting stations were authorized, and most of them were eventually converted to commercial operations.

Initially, the station’s audience consisted mostly of young men fiddling with crystal sets, which required the use of headphones to allow only one person to listen at a time. In 1925, Edward Rogers invented the radio tube using alternating current (AC) electricity, which immediately became the global standard for much more powerful and easier-to-use radios. He created the Rogers Majestic Company to manufacture the receivers and established several broadcasting stations, including the experimental station 9RB (later CFRB, Toronto). By the late 1920s, easy-to-use radios with loudspeakers were widely available, albeit somewhat expensive, opening up a much wider audience, attracting the middle class who could afford them as well as restaurants, clubs, and taverns that wanted to attract customers. Even remote towns and localities could listen.

Radio signals in the AM band travel long distances at night, and Canada soon found that it had few open frequencies due to the existence of its much larger American neighbor. In a major reallocation of U.S. stations on November 11, 1928, six frequencies were unofficially allocated exclusively for Canadian use, but the country complained that this was not enough. In 1941, the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement gave Canada some additional exclusive assignments, and the development of the FM band eventually eased the restrictions on the number of available broadcast slots.

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In 1932, the Canadian Radio-television and Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) was established as a public broadcasting body. During its creation, Bennett spoke about the need for public control over radio:

“This country must be assured of complete Canadian control of broadcasting from Canadian sources. Without such control, broadcasting will never become the agency through which national consciousness can be developed and maintained and national unity further strengthened.”

Journalists and contributing editors writing in the offices of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, photographed by Conrad Poirier (Montreal, 1944).
However, the commission had serious internal political problems, and in 1936 it was replaced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The CBC was controlled by the national government and financed mainly by taxes (license fees) collected from radio owners. The CBC took over the regulatory role of the radio department and focused more on providing programs for the national network. However, private stations continued to exist and were allowed to rebroadcast CBC programs.

French-language services

In 1945, The Canadian Press (CP) established a French-language radio news service through its subsidiary Broadcast News, the first such telegraphic service for French broadcasters in North America.

The CBC established a French-language network in Quebec and surrounding French-speaking areas. Although the French-language service had competition from American stations, it proved to be quite conservative in technology and programming. It was closely tied to influential newspaper and church interests and was seen as a propaganda forum for Quebec’s traditional elites. It did not promote separatism or a sense of Quebec nationalism.

In 1969, the province of Quebec created its own radio and television system, breaking the monopoly of the federal CBC. Radio-Quebec became a tool of the provincial government and often presented separatist views.

The development of radio broadcasting in Canada, as in the United States, was delayed by a sharp conflict between the interests of newspapers and radio. When Charles Edwards became manager of Press News in 1944, radio stations in Canada and newspapers in Canada distrusted each other in competition for advertising money, and he was often the peacemaker, persuading them to cooperate in their best interests. On January 1, 1954, CP replaced Press News with a new subsidiary, Broadcast News (BN). The company worked in cooperation with private broadcasters and supplied news to private radio and television stations in Canada. Edwards traveled across Canada to improve television journalism and established annual regional meetings to raise standards for television news directors. He was the driving force behind the creation of the Radio and Television News Directors Association of Canada (RTNDA) in 1962, to seek equal access to all types of news sources at a time when government agencies were banning broadcast reporters from press conferences. By the time he retired in 1971, Edwards felt that he had brought peace between print news and television news, and that they had realized that one complimented the other in reporting breaking news.

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The Radiotelegraph Act of June 6, 1913, established Canada’s general policy on radio communications, which was then commonly known as “wireless telegraphy.” Similar to the law in force in Britain, the act required that the operation of “any radiotelegraphic apparatus” required a license issued by the Minister of the Navy. This included members of the general public who only had a radio receiver and did not transmit, who had to hold an “Amateur Experimental Station” license and also pass an exam required to obtain an “Amateur Experimental Certificate of Proficiency,” which required the ability to send and receive Morse code at five words per minute. (This policy differed from the United States, which only required a license to operate transmitters and had no restrictions or taxes on individuals using only receivers.)

After entering the First World War in August 1914, Canada banned the use of radio receivers and transmitters for civilian purposes altogether. This restriction remained in force until May 1, 1919. Radio regulation remained under the supervision of the Department of Naval Service until July 1, 1922, when it was transferred to the civilian control of the Department of Marine and Fisheries.

During World War I, advances in vacuum tube technology made audio transmission practical. Until April 1922, there was no formal category of radio stations that provided entertainment broadcasts to the general public, so the earliest Canadian stations that broadcast operated under experimental, amateur, and government permits.

Information about the earliest experimental broadcasts is limited. One of the pioneers was William Walter Westover Grant, who served with the British Royal Air Force in France during World War I, where he gained extensive experience installing and maintaining radio equipment. After the war, he returned to Canada, where in May 1919 he reportedly “built a small station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, through which voice and music were broadcast in what were probably the first scheduled programs in Canada.” In 1920, Grant began working for the Canadian Air Board’s Forest Patrol, developing air-to-ground communications for observer planes that were used to report forest fires, initially using radio telegraphs. The initial base was located in Morley, Alberta, where Grant built the CYAA station. In January 1921, operations moved to High River Station in southern Alberta, where Grant installed a VAW station that was capable of transmitting audio. In addition to his forestry work, Grant began making a series of experimental entertainment broadcasts, believed to be the first in western Canada. Grant left the forestry project and founded WW Grant Radio, Ltd. in Calgary, which was granted the city’s third commercial broadcasting station license on May 18, 1922, with the arbitrarily assigned call letters CFCN (now CKMX).

A better-known example was Montreal station, which was first licensed sometime between April 1, 1914 and March 31, 1915 as an experimental XWA station by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of Canada, Ltd. (“Canadian Marconi”) and was one of the few civilian stations allowed to continue operating during World War I, when it was used for military research. Initially, it transmitted only Morse code, but in the spring of 1919, employee Arthur Runciman began a series of voice tests, although the equipment was initially advertised as useful for point-to-point communications rather than broadcasting. In early 1919, parent company British Marconi sent a surplus 500-watt transmitter to Montreal for evaluation. As was common at many early stations, the engineers soon grew tired of having to speak repeatedly for test broadcasts and began playing phonograph records, which attracted the attention of local radio amateurs.

In addition to the development of experimental broadcasts taking place in Canada, some American stations, especially at night, can be easily received in densely populated parts of Canada.

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