Maybe it was because there was no automation back then and someone had to be in for a station to stay on the air. Maybe it was because there were more listeners available. Or maybe it was just a different time. Or all three.
 
But it seems to me Labour Day weekend used to be a much bigger deal on local airwaves than it is now. Stations like CHUM would do countdowns of the best summer songs or a Million Dollar Weekend, playing hits from the past. It was a once-a-year start of September that required special shows. 
 
Now it’s just a lot of either automated music or rerolls on the talk stations. Almost every major radio personality is off on Monday. (680 News is one of the few that will be live, with a reduced crew on Sept. 7th.)
 
It’s pretty obvious why. They give the talent an extra day off, don’t have to pay anyone overtime, and the once captive audiences – who had only radio or TV to depend on - now have too many other choices, like streaming, video games or the Internet. So the glory days of the “last weekend of the summer” have sadly disappeared forever. 
 
But I still remember them and often wonder if any station will ever try to make Labour Day the unique on-air holiday it once was. Alas, not even Boom 97.3 appears to be doing anything this weekend, which I thought they might try and pull off. So far, no indication that’s happening. As for the rest of them, it will be business as usual. Which is to say nothing special.

Too bad. I miss those days when radio marked a milestone day off with something extra. All we can expect this weekend is extra commercials.