His first shift as a co-host on the TEAM1040 airwaves came as a fill-in on The Rookies, a show that featured some of the bright, young lights on the Vancouver radio scene. With his focus primarily on the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club and its duties - Rob's voice was connected more on the play-by-play side but also handled a weekly baseball talk show 'Game Day.'
During his decade-plus as host of the weekly show, Rob would connect with some of the greats to ever suit up on the diamond including Nolan Ryan, Ferguson Jenkins, Roger Clemens and more while keeping fans abreast on what was going on with Vancouver's Minor League Baseball Club and its parent club's be they in Oakland or eventually in Toronto.
"Yeah, the first few years of that show I always look back on fondly. We would do the shows live from a local establishment called Booster Juice and they would set me up like feet away from the blenders so that while I was doing the show, you could hear the whirl of the blenders pumping out the smoothies (laughing). That said, it was my way onto the TEAM1040 airwaves and eventually the TSN1040 and Sportsnet650 frequencies as well which in this market wasn't easy to do with all the talent already on the station."
Rob's ability to interview served him well as the Canadians continually brought big names out to the ballpark when Rob wasn't working to connect with players and coaches on the phone for candid conversations.
Some of the best conversations I have ever had on-air had nothing to do with baseball or sports for that matter. Bret 'The Hit Man' Hart was at the ballpark in I believe 2008, and we went back and forth for a while talking wrestling and a bunch of other things - he was tremendous. Former attorney general Wally Oppal used to hang around and sit right beside me and chat during breaks, which was a little surreal, yet very humanizing for me. I can't even begin to think back to all of the amazing conversations I've had on air and the friendships that have come from them. I was truly blessed to host that show even on the days when those blenders wouldn't let up."
Rob eventually got the cal he had wanted for years as TSN1040 was looking for a late-night host and Fai answered the bell hosting the 10:00pm-to-midnight timeslot called Rob Fai Nation Radio.
It came and went over the first year with Rob having to relinquish the timeslot every season due to baseball but eventually, it caught on as his coverage of Canucks Front Office turmoil eventually struck a chord with the Vancouver fanbase and his numbers began to rise.
"That was a really fun time because the daytime shows would just set you up for success with great coverage and a growing listenership. I actually felt like I had the perfect timeslot because the game essentially gave you all the firepower you would need and when the Canucks are on the ropes, sports radio becomes the ring for some pretty good battles."
TSN1040 would meet its unceremonious demise in the Spring of 2021 leaving the entire station's roster on the outside as Bell Media opted to flip the format of the station. Rob was among those suddenly looking for a new opportunity.
Within days Rob was online hosting The Nation, a post-game Vancouver Canucks show that featured some of the departed personalities from the 1040 purge. After the season, Rob opted to venture into the world of podcasting with SportsBar Radio before furthering his business chops with the creation of Nation Extreme Wrestling and signing on with the Fraser Valley Bandits of the CEBL.
Recently, Rob was brought on with CKNW 980 and 640 Toronto to host when needed bringing him full circle to when he first began in news radio with NEWS1130.
"I loved sports radio, but I still have a lot to say about my community beyond the walls of sport. I was really happy when the opportunity came, and I am cool even if it's just once in a while to help them with scheduling. I'd like to think I'm a pretty good arm out of the bullpen whenever its needed if at all."
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