Although I wasn't in Toronto or at CHUM when "Ringo Deer" was first released for the 1964 Christmas season, I'm quite confident in saying that while CKEY may have played the song (which was a cool thing by itself), they certainly wouldn't have said anything about who Garry was or where he worked.

Also, just a small thing RA, but the real CHUM promotion genius of the 1960s was actually Allen Farrell. He was the Promotion Director and came up with (and wrote) 99% of CHUM's promotions and promos (including the annual "Maple Leafs Forever" song break-ins that Allen voiced as 'Faster Foster'. Garry was the voice of Faster Foster's father).

Larry Solway & Garry Ferrier were award winning commercial writers at CHUM and created many comedy bits as Larry & Garry. In '68. Garry was named Program Director for the new, 'underground' CHUM-FM before leaving for Nashville in '69 to write for the Johnny Cash TV show.

Also, I had not heard anything about Garry's passing. I called him today and got his voicemail, so as far as I know, Garry is still with us.    

That hour show RA, was Boliska's noon to 1PM show on CHUM that he inherited when he first started in the fall of 1957 when Josh King's country hour went bye-by.  Al hated doing that noon show and begged and pleaded to not have to do it. Eventually, Allan Slaight relented, but that was part of the resentment Boliska felt about CHUM.

That Boliska CKEY testimonial appeared on at least one, but maybe more CKEY charts in late '63/early '64 if I recall and probably was a newspaper ad as well.

In the early '60's, Boliska was the host of a weekly local CBC half hour show (on then CBLT) called "On The Scene". It was one of the first Canadian shows to use video tape. Not sure if CBC has any of those shows in their massive archive.

Although totally American in content, Rolling Stone writer Ben Fong-Torres book "The Hits Just Keep On Coming: The History of Top 40 Radio" is an excellent book...especially the paperback edition as it has a CD of airchecks that the hardcover does not.

AND, it's still available to purchase.

And then there's 1979's "American Hot Wax" starring Tim McIntire as legendary DJ Alan Freed. 
It also starred Jay Leno.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Hot_Wax

Congratulations to Dale Patterson, the OG creator of SOWNY, for his passion and vision.
Congrats also to Craig Smith, Iain Grant and of course RA for continuing this site. If I missed anyone in that group, my apologies.

My memories of longtime friend Bob Segarini will be published tomorrow in FYI Music News.

Again, Mr. Barlow, that's your opinion.  NOT FACT!

My opinion is as stated above.  We shall see.

We'll see gentlemen. It is my opinion is Ryan Seacrest has reached his 'overexposure' point.

However, when I lived in LA in the 1980's, I listened to Seacrest's local afternoon show and thought he was a pretty good DJ.

Let's wait for the ratings after Seacrest takes over, shall we?

Ryan Seacrest is not this generations Dick Clark. Not by a long shot! Despite him producing "The KardashiansP TV show.

Surely in the entire business of show, there is someone else who could host 'Wheel". Are top executives at SONY Pictures so braindead that they can't see beyond "Can't think of anyone to host 'Wheel'. Let's get Ryan Seacrest."   Sajak was witty. Seacrest is not. 

 

And CHUM's Go magazine had a regular column from a Doug Thompson....
It wasn't me! 

RadioActive wrote: I think back to the Rick Sklar days when he was programming WABC-AM, at the time the most listened to station in New York if not all of the U.S. He would deliberately schedule the news at 5 to the hour, knowing most of the kids would quickly tune to Top 40 competitor WMCA to keep hearing music. But they'd all come back when MCA went to their news at the top of the hour and ABC was back rocking. It was a simple move, but it worked. 

RA - Allan Slaight had CHUM News at :55 BEFORE Rick Sklar at WABC. CHUM News was "5 minutes before the hour - First News...first" starting in 1960 (it might have even been slightly earlier).  Sklar didn't get to WABC until 1962 and didn't become Program Director until '63.

Lots of 'swing-ers' in that line-up!

Fred was an inspiration to many of us who worked at 1331 Yonge. When I came back from LA in the fall of 1970, J. Robert Wood asked me what I though my salary should be. I said $10,000. a year.  Bob took me upstairs for a final okay from Mr. Sherratt.  He stood up, shook my hand and said: "Welcome to the 5 figure bracket, Doug.". That was a long time ago.

When we doing the CHUM homecoming in 2001 before switching the oldies format to The Team, Fred often came on the weekend when we were recording those shows with all the former jocks.  One Sunday, I said to him, "I'm 55 years old now, can I start calling you Fred, instead of Mr.. Sherratt." He laughed and said "Of course you can, Mr. Thompson."  Fred was the best.

I believe a certain legendary CHUM AM/FM air personality has that sign.  I can say no more!  In the CHUM Archives, I have the sign that said "Through this doors passes the finest operators in the world."  That was posted over the door to the control room.  That came down (and was stored in the basement) when CHUM built a new AM control room and the jocks went announce-op.