paterson1 wrote:

I listened to 1220 a few weeks ago, and the station has improved a lot.  Don't always get a clear signal where I live but I noticed that CFAJ was now worth listening to.  I'll will listen to Dope FM's show Amplitude on line.  With all the weekend special programming Classic 1220 is sounding a bit like Zoomer, which is not a bad thing. 

Thanks for listening!

We have solid management and a clear vision.

Amplitude will debut a new season this coming holiday long weekend.

RadioActive wrote:

What's your story?

Caught 50 watt CHRY 105.5 FM (with their awesome early hip-hop shows at my childhood home of Markham) back in the 90s (along with weekends on CKLN 88.1 FM).

I started volunteering with CHRY in 1993, and have been djing ever since.

Landed at CHSR FM in Fredericton from '97-'01 (won show of the year in 2000)

Joined CFMU 93.3 in 2004 and still programming weekends here

I've also joined forces with CFAJ 1220 Niagara last year and continue a weekend specialty program there.

Im currently seeking out classic AM790 charts circa late 70's into the early 80's. Does anyone have access to these?

Im so pleased you posted this feature.

My daddy was heavy into music and was a serious radio listener.

I loved radio since I was gifted a portable AM receiver (around 5/6 years old)

By 10, I had a few records and a portable  AM/FM receiver


By 12, I became a volunteer of community radio (via CHRY FM)


Never stopped rocking along the dial since 1990


I could never imagine not sharing music.

Thanks RadioActive! Salute 👉

RadioActive wrote:

Jon Pole from My Broadcasting is the guest on Broadcast Dialogue's podcast this week, explaining his radio philosophy and how he comes by it honestly - his father owned a radio station, inspiring his interest in the medium and often enlisting his young son to help him. (For the record, it was CKOB in Renfrew, Ontario back in the early 80s.) 

It might surprise you to know he hated every minute of it!  So how did he get where he is now? The answer is worth a listen if you have 52 minutes.

Jon Pole Podcast

Evuguy wrote:

I imagine CKOC's audio processor from the 60's and 70's is probably long gone. What's there now might have been optimized for voice, since they were a talk station under Bell's ownership.

This optimization of operation for talk radio could be true.

I listened in the car this afternoon and it wasn't very fulsome sounding by many means.

Muffaraw Joe wrote:

I am wondering if CHRY will ask for a name change from Y-media.

https://www.yorku.ca/chry/operations.htm

Wow, I can't believe you pulled that page up/exists... took me back in time...

CHRY has long ago branded to Vibe 105 and gone completely urban with professional approach - https://www.vibe105to.com/

(I really do miss the good old days when they had a full schedule and truly engaging programming back in the 90's to 10's, Twas a volunteer in mid 90's with news at noon and 5pm, I can't believe 35 years ago I was there)

As for the subject thread for 105.9, I wonder if the brokered deal changed to allow Y Radio in the day parts perhaps? (It seems there are a lot of ethnic stations as it stands now, I guess competition could be good, or is it overwhelming, I wonder this?)

Why??????????

https://ibb.co/dwZFCCmC

They need a website.

Strange for the web transition to have been so slow. Really should've been done prior to airtime.

My weekend program on Classic 1220 has 3 blocks of commercials and currently equals 6 minutes 30 seconds.

I like the shorter, spread out breaks.

I also host a college radio program on CFMU, and I'm thankful, only a few commercials in a year (but because it's community based radio, no pay either. But all the creative freedom.

Radiowiz wrote:

DOPEfm wrote:

The scam (or at least, that's my take...) is that you need to have the same companies internet. (Can't have rogers internet + telus tv, for example). In a truly competitive market, this wouldn't be allowed.

Think back, if you had a bell phone, you didn't have to have their internet to have that service. Then, you had better leverage of choice (at least for internet).

Cable TVs always been a service area, so that's never changed.

I agree 100%, but I also love the idea of just ONE bill. It's very nice not having to worry about each service's bill cycle and have to worry about whether or not each bill has been paid on time. (easy to forget a bill)

HOWEVER I also very much agree with the freedom of true choice, and the freedom to not be forced to have one company for two or more services. 

Thing is, if you have Rogers for internet, and Telus for TV,  it's too easy to have something go very wrong and they (Telus) will just say it's a Rogers problem, while Rogers will try to say it's a Telus problem...

My take is on networks, they all share on each other at some juncture or another.

With separate service choice, the bills drop to stay competitive. This 'bundling' is another so said scam.

These broadcast/cable/etc companies make huge profits off of these tactics such as uncompetitive services. Then blow it on naming things and spending in the most egregious and irresponsible ways. You and I should have our names on something by now as we funded it. Wasteful for the wealthy.

Anyways, back to TV, make the system truly competitive. Android boxes and other work arounds are costing them and again, you and I pay more for that customer loss.

Perhaps Telus TV quality and line-up may be better, but god forbid, I'll never know, I'm in a Rogers serviced area. Blows my mind man.

Thank you and goodnight y'all.
👏🎶🎧🎶👏
We'll speak again (Sat/Sun eves on AM + Sat overnights on FM)

Till then friends....

67GreenRambler wrote:

I unfortunately picked up MET Radio one afternoon a few months back here in Burlington. None other than Desmond Cole elucidating his deep thoughts on Jewish people.

I regularly get CJTM here in central Hamilton on the mountain. Considering its 99 watt signal, it does beam well across the lake. The signal is only ok stationary.

To speak of it, I also receive CHRY (Vibe105) in my area also. They transmit from York University at 158 watts.

I program from CFMU at 166 watts (of boomin' hip-hop power, at least for my own show...) and can very barely receive us there.

To stay on topic, getting WHLD 1270 is another barely DX'd signal for me.

JON POLE wrote:

You guys never miss a beat.

Nope! They sure don't.

...and the beat goes on...

I have a few all vinyl mix programs over the past year from my disco & funk themed show on AM.

I also occasionally still drop all vinyl on my FM overnight hip-hop show (usually more 80's, 90's, some 2000's along with currents that I've bought and received as promos for airplay).

Guess I should announce the next shows of all vinyl ahead here as they come up.

We're deep over here along the Niagara Escarpment, both in elevation and underground sounds)

Keep vinyl alive!

I started my radio days at 13 years old, at CHRY 105.5 FM, originally located in Vanier Hall (now Vibe in a very well way utilizes a space in the Student Centre)

At 16, I was commissioned to do some  noon and 5:00 news casts in spring 1994 under direction of a nice gentleman named Pedro Sanchez (I also remember hearing this guy's presence at CKLN prior, very professional and all around cool guy). I stuck around til 1997 (20 years old at the time) and did a short lived open format Tuesday overnight in summer of '96.

So, we wrote our own news and casted it. I was a little nervous the first week, stumbled some but was very fluent going forward for almost a year intermittently to earn co-op credits.

So, now I'm 35 years into radio (almost 50 years old), currently producing under the on-air name Daddy J through both CFMU 93.3 (Hamilton - DOPEfm - Hip-Hop since April 2004) & CFAJ Classic 1220 (Niagara - Amplitude - Disco, Funk, Pop, etc weekends since March 2024)

DOPEfm:
https://cfmu.ca/show/dopefm/
https://podomatic.com/dopefm/

Amplitude:
https://https://www.classic1220.ca/on-air/amplitude/

I have other projects in the works through DOPEfm Media in 2025. Stay tuned!

dmcjeff wrote:

I've spent months in five different U.S. Cities this year ranging from NYC/NJ Trenton to DC, Philly, Las Vegas and I have noticed that there is a resurgence of old school hip hop stations being programmed, likely catering to older audiences.  Jammin 105.7 Las Vegas, 97.5 Kveg, 94.7 the Block NJ Trenton and even WBLS, WBLK are finding success playing a Lot of Gold.  You're right, Today's youth don't even know what the current radio stations are in the area typically.

This is also why Boom 97.3 is top of the pack in Toronto as it caters to old folks like us

 

How true about an old school resurgence.

I was also recently in New York City and noticed what you're saying.

I've also started programming at Classic 1220 in St Catherines doing a disco & funk mixshow. So far, the audience reception has been generally good.

But to stay on topic. I'm so pleased Vibe105 is doing things relevant to urban culture. This 50 year celebration special should be great.

Thanks RadioActive for the mention of this.

RadioActive wrote:

I agree with you - it is very odd that, despite numerous attempts at bringing a true Hip Hop/R&B station to Toronto, with a huge Black population, this type of radio has always been sort of out of the mainstream. You'd think it would be doing a lot better and be a lot more available on a better signal.

Kind of like the country curse, I guess. No matter how many times it's been tried (with perhaps the exception of CFGM, which was C&W for 26 years) It just never seems to work in this city. It's really inexplicable. 

When picking up my son in central Hamilton mountain, I regularly catch 105.5 over the air in the car with very little static (the schools along a north/south hydro corridor)

I remember them as the 50 watt station I was a volunteer at and i'd catch in Markham in the 90s with my dope ass clock radio, still have the darn thing in a box.

You know, CHRY had this annoying buzz on the hour, every hour with no way to turn it off.

I remember the hip-hop shows would DJ through that noise.

Now CHRY is Vibe at 150 watts.

I appreciate what they do today, but miss that community radio format that allowed others in the community to participate with little to no barriers.

Ah, 105 and a 1/2 love!