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November 20, 2024 12:10 pm  #1


640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

With the exception of Dave Bradley, 640 Toronto relieved its entire newsroom of their duties.

 

November 20, 2024 12:27 pm  #2


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

I suppose that's not a surprise. So what are they going to do for newscasts now - Canadian Press? Nothing? Maybe they can get Oakley's producer to read it. What a sad state radio is in. This is terrible news - and there's no one left to report it! 

 

November 20, 2024 12:31 pm  #3


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

I'd assume Global TV anchors

 

November 20, 2024 1:06 pm  #4


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Danny Longo just did the noon news.

 

November 20, 2024 1:31 pm  #5


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Just the newsroom?

 

November 20, 2024 4:02 pm  #6


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Who will be left to cover the next three Taylor Swift concerts?

 

November 20, 2024 4:10 pm  #7


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Only a matter of time before it suffers the same fate as CHML.

 

November 20, 2024 4:50 pm  #8


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Toronto Mike's sources say Kelly Cutrara has done her last show, as has Dani Stover, whose "Let's Talk" airs after 7 PM. Unknown yet what will take its place. 

Mike says Ben Mulroney finally gets a fulltime show in Cutrara's timeslot. with Alex Pierson shifting to 12-3 PM. If that's true, there goes Toronto This Weekend, which Mulroney hosted at 7 AM on Saturday and Sundays and was one of the few good things to listen to in that timeslot.

I like Mulroney a lot and wanted him to get a regular slot. But not necessarily at the price of the others being fired. 

None of the apparent changes are reflected on the AM 640 radio Schedule Page as of yet. 

Toronto Mike: Massive Changes At AM 640 

 

November 20, 2024 6:00 pm  #9


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

CHML was down to 3 principal advertisers when they closed and 1 of those was a roofing company on the weekend afternoon only. (The other was Don Fox, whose pitches were heard twice an hour around the clock whenever I tuned in, and the 3rd I strangely can't remember right now)
AM640 has 5 maybe 6 staple sponsors. The two most recent are a penis problem company and an outfit from the poverty industry.  This change was unavoidable and somewhat late to my mind. Oh, and I would have kept Cutrara as she is the better talent. Pearson has crutches she repeats endlessly it's annoying.

 

November 20, 2024 6:03 pm  #10


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

km93 wrote:

Only a matter of time before it suffers the same fate as CHML.

No. This is Toronto. There might be a multicultural station that would love to shut down THEIR (weaker) signal and move to 640.


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

November 20, 2024 6:11 pm  #11


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Haven't listened to 640 all that much recently but I liked Kelly Cutrara, and am sorry to hear she was let go.

I'm sure more re-rolls or paid programming will replace Ben Mulroney's weekend morning show, since I'm not sure anyone besides RA was listening.

 

November 20, 2024 6:16 pm  #12


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

eladb wrote:

I'm sure more re-rolls or paid programming will replace Ben Mulroney's weekend morning show, since I'm not sure anyone besides RA was listening.

I'm expecting paid programming. 


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

November 20, 2024 6:33 pm  #13


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Cuts out west, too, with one host who had been on air there for 27 years.

Longtime Calgary radio host Rob Breakenridge cut by Corus

 

November 20, 2024 9:31 pm  #14


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

RadioActive wrote:

Cuts out west, too, with one host who had been on air there for 27 years.

Longtime Calgary radio host Rob Breakenridge cut by Corus

There’s also a longtime weatherman at Global Calgary, Paul Dunphy who is stepping down, he’s been at 2&7 since 1985. Not sure if it’s related or if he just decided to retire.

 

November 20, 2024 10:08 pm  #15


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

The on-air changes are already in place. Dani Stover's "Let's Talk" has been replaced by - what else? - a reroll of Alex Pierson's show, which aired from 9 AM - 12 PM on Wednesday. (It was actually from Tuesday by the sound of it.) I'm presuming it will be in its new time slot beginning Thursday. But they sure aren't giving listeners a chance to get used to the idea. 

Ironic that the final promo Kelly Cutrara did for the station before taking a few days off went something like this: 

"Hi. this is Kelly Cutrara. some of the subjects on my next show will be - well, wait a minute, I don't have any topics. I'm off and Ben Mulroney will be sitting in in my place."

Little did she know how right she was. 

And one last thing - I just heard Danny Longo do the 9 PM news. But I also heard him at noon and during the afternoon drive. After the newsroom blood bath, he appears to be the only one left, except for Dave Bradley. Is he really working a 9-hour shift? Or are they taping the later newscasts now? If the latter, that's a really, really dangerous thing to do if anything happens. 

 

November 20, 2024 10:30 pm  #16


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

RadioActive wrote:

Ironic that the final promo Kelly Cutrara did for the station before taking a few days off went something like this: 

"Hi. this is Kelly Cutrara. some of the subjects on my next show will be - well, wait a minute, I don't have any topics. I'm off and Ben Mulroney will be sitting in in my place."

Little did she know how right she was. 

Not nearly as ironic as CHML encouraging listeners to tune in on the iHeartRadio app right before the announcement of them shutting down.



PJ
 


ClassicHitsOnline.com...Classic hits done right!
 

November 21, 2024 7:39 am  #17


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Danny Longo survived the purge.

     Thread Starter
 

November 21, 2024 9:56 am  #18


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Is Tina T gone too?

 

November 21, 2024 10:26 am  #19


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

RadioActive wrote:

The on-air changes are already in place. Dani Stover's "Let's Talk" has been replaced by - what else? - a reroll of Alex Pierson's show, which aired from 9 AM - 12 PM on Wednesday. (It was actually from Tuesday by the sound of it.) I'm presuming it will be in its new time slot beginning Thursday. But they sure aren't giving listeners a chance to get used to the idea.

Looks like the new schedule isn't fully in place yet. Pierson's show is still on at 9 AM. If Toronto Mike is right, and he usually is, the changes may kick in next week. Another guest host fills in on Cutrara's show on Thursday, and her name and pic are still on the website - for now. 

 

November 21, 2024 1:53 pm  #20


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Johnny B wrote:

Is Tina T gone too?

Yes.

 

November 21, 2024 4:14 pm  #21


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Binson Echorec wrote:

Johnny B wrote:

Is Tina T gone too?

Yes.

Fack

 

November 22, 2024 8:36 am  #22


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Morning man Greg Brady told listeners on Friday to be sure to tune in on Monday for "some exciting changes" at the radio station, which he thinks "you're really going to like."

What he didn't say is those changes are a direct result of people losing their jobs.

Way to make lemonade out of lemons.  

 

November 22, 2024 9:04 am  #23


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

How did the bean counters decide that Cutrara got shivved over Pierson, coin toss?  Maybe she'll find work when 1010 inevitably has to tinker with their weak drive-time snooze-fest again.

 

November 22, 2024 9:30 am  #24


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

RadioActive wrote:

Morning man Greg Brady told listeners on Friday to be sure to tune in on Monday for "some exciting changes" at the radio station, which he thinks "you're really going to like."

What he didn't say is those changes are a direct result of people losing their jobs.

Way to make lemonade out of lemons.  

Not to pick a fight because I respect your opinion and have on this board for a long time...

What choice does he really have in terms of promoting the new lineup? Making lemons out of lemonade is part of the job - and I am sure he would like to keep his for as long as possible. Nobody likes job losses, but until the cheques stop coming in, Brady works for Corus and has an obligation to promote the brand.
 

     Thread Starter
 

November 22, 2024 10:32 am  #25


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

You make a good point, but mine was that he hinted about the changes while not revealing anything. But telling listeners they'll really like the coming changes when it involves his own colleagues losing their employment seems a bit callous. Yes, he has to present a positive image. But how about just saying, "Some big changes coming next week and we'll tell you about them on Monday."

Alex Pierson made the same oblique reference on her show in a crossover chat with Greg Brady, which is a Friday morning staple on her show. He told her, "I won't see you next Friday, but thanks for this," again hinting about her shift change. 

Unlike another poster here, I really like her show but that may be because I know her personally. So I'm a bit biased. I admit the new time isn't convenient for me, so I hope to still catch it live. But she'll be up against Vassy Kapelos on CFRB and that's going to be a tough timeslot for her. 

 

November 22, 2024 10:34 am  #26


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

RadioActive wrote:

You make a good point, but mine was that he hinted about the changes while not revealing anything. But telling listeners they'll really like the coming changes when it involves his own colleagues losing their employment seems a bit callous. Yes, he has to present a positive image. But how about just saying, "Some big changes coming next week and we'll tell you about them on Monday."

Alex Pierson made the same oblique reference on her show in a crossover chat with Greg Brady, which is a Friday morning staple on her show. He told her, "I won't see you next Friday, but thanks for this," again hinting about her shift change. 

Unlike another poster here, I really like her show but that may be because I know her personally. So I'm a bit biased. I admit the new time isn't convenient for me, so I hope to still catch it live. But she'll be up against Vassy Kapelos on CFRB and that's going to be a tough timeslot for her. 

Yes, I can't argue with anything you said. I am not friends with any on-air people so I just hope those with their jobs keep them and those who lost their jobs are able to quickly find employment. 
 

     Thread Starter
 

November 22, 2024 10:46 am  #27


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

The whole thing is sad, people are hanging in there with little sense of security. I worked for Corus years ago and they treated their staff exceptionally well at the time. Rogers poaching HGTV and Food network from them didn’t help.

 

November 22, 2024 10:50 am  #28


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Wow. Didn't expect Kelly Cutrara to be fired. I now have nothing to listen to in the afternoons. Can't stand the hosts on NT1010 and Alex Pierson has become too partisan. I hope Kelly lands on her feet elsewhere.

 

November 22, 2024 5:26 pm  #29


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

I'm surprised by how many "Toronto This Weekend With Ben Mulroney" promos they've been running on Friday, considering these may be his last Saturday and Sunday shows, as he takes Kelly Cutrara's old weekday shift. I'm assuming he won't be doing the weekends after this cancer fundraiser on Saturday and perhaps one more early Sunday shift. 

No one works 7 days a week and I have to presume he'll be taking weekends off from now on. It will be very interesting to see if anyone takes his place or if they go to endless rerolls. (I'm betting the latter, but hey, we all live to be surprised.)

 

November 22, 2024 6:12 pm  #30


Re: 640 Toronto Newsroom Purge

Or even worse... Agar rerolls.
I won't be listening.