The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » top 50, top 40 radio in Cda

February 8, 2016 7:30 am

1050 CHUM went all-top 50 in May '57. 1410 CFUN went all-top 40 in March '60. Was CHUM the first and if it was, did any other major cities go that route in the intervening years?

Jody Thornton · February 8, 2016 11:19 am

CKOC was 1962 wasn't it? I don't think CFTR went that way until 1971, but someone in the know should chime in there. Ted Yates would know if CHSC went "pop" around that time (that comes across like an age crack but I didn't mean it like that ...lol)

At one point I was wondering about 570 CHYM. I remember listening to them in the 80s and early 90s. I was wondering at the time if anyone had airchecks from that era. There was CKKW (AM 109), but I think they adopted CHR in the 80s.

Damian · February 8, 2016 12:50 pm

Didn't CKGM Montreal sign on in 1959 as Top 40?

February 8, 2016 1:06 pm

CKCR had some great pop/rock programs (Jack Schoone & later Grant Hoffman) in late 50s & early 60s but programming was all over the map. Commercials for artificial insemination service provided by the North Waterloo stockyards were priceless

Dale Patterson · February 8, 2016 6:00 pm

geo wrote:
1050 CHUM went all-top 50 in May '57. 1410 CFUN went all-top 40 in March '60. Was CHUM the first and if it was, did any other major cities go that route in the intervening years?

CHUM was the first in Canada. KOWH Omaha was the first in the U.S. in 1951, followed by WTIX New Orleans in 1953 and WHB Kansas City in 1954.

CKEY Toronto was Top 40 in 1958.

CKOC went Top 40 in October 1960.

Last edited by Dale Patterson (February 8, 2016 6:03 pm)

February 8, 2016 6:51 pm

timeline (subject to verification):

1957 - 1050 CHUM
1958 - 590 CKEY
1959 - CKWX Vancouver
1960 - CFUN Vancouver
1960 - CKOC Hamilton
1964 - 730 CKLG Vancouver

Dale Patterson · February 8, 2016 8:03 pm

geo wrote:
timeline (subject to verification):

1957 - 1050 CHUM
1958 - 590 CKEY
1959 - CKWX Vancouver
1960 - CFUN Vancouver
1960 - CKOC Hamilton
1964 - 730 CKLG Vancouver

CKWX was Top 40 before 1959:

http://www.vancouvertop40radio.com/Station%20Selection/CKWX/ckwx_year.htm

February 8, 2016 8:10 pm

ONE STEP @ A TIME then:

57 - 1050 CHUM
58 - CKWX Vancouver
58 - 590 CKEY
59 - ? ? ?
60 - CFUN Vancouver
60 - CKOC Hamilton
64 - 730 CKLG Vancouver

Dale Patterson · February 9, 2016 10:05 am

CKGM began Top 40 in December 1959.

Last edited by Dale Patterson (February 9, 2016 10:05 am)

Storm · February 9, 2016 11:37 pm

CKEY was also 1957 but after CHUM and at the time CKEY was still at 580. Their published chart was Top 30 but they played the Top 60 (The Sensational 60) plus a mix of album (adult album) cuts, million disc hits and Hot Prospects. At some point the published chart listed the entire Top 60 until the spring of 1959 when the "Sensational 60" became the "Fabulous 40", album cuts were gone and it was a true Top 40

February 10, 2016 8:32 am

Storm wrote:
CKEY was also 1957 but after CHUM and at the time CKEY was still at 580

I agree that CKEY was then @ 580 on the AM dial but am unconvinced that it had gone all pop/rock 'n roll (whatever it should be called) by Dec 31/57. My recollection is that the decision to go after CHUM was made during 1957 but the programming change didn't happen until the following year.

Over to you, Dale

geo

Jody Thornton · February 10, 2016 9:41 am

grilled.cheese wrote:
Not many people know this, but I own the first radio in Springfield. Not much on the air then, just Edison reciting the alphabet over and over. A he'd say; then B. C would usually follow...

Haaaaaaaaaaaa! Sounds like something Abe would say.

February 10, 2016 10:01 am

It was inevitable a 1050 CHUM post would eventually flush out Grilled Cheese; but if it hadn't worked, Sam the Record Man sign is still in the arsenal

February 10, 2016 10:03 am

All I remember was collecting CHUM Charts...and the old CKEY Silver Dollar Surveys...which got whittled down to a small single little sheet for the last year or so before they ceased to play the hits and went all-snooze/all the time. I recall the shift from 580 to 590.

CHUM might have beaten 'EY to top 40...but 'EY beat CHUM to the oldies. [and did it better...for awhile]

RadioActive · February 10, 2016 11:51 am

geo wrote:
It was inevitable a 1050 CHUM post would eventually flush out Grilled Cheese; but if it hadn't worked, Sam the Record Man sign is still in the arsenal

Well, since you asked...

From Tuesday's Toronto Star:

Ryerson makes moves to restore Sam the Record Man sign to public view

Dale Patterson · February 11, 2016 10:21 am

geo wrote:
Storm wrote:
CKEY was also 1957 but after CHUM and at the time CKEY was still at 580
I agree that CKEY was then @ 580 on the AM dial but am unconvinced that it had gone all pop/rock 'n roll (whatever it should be called) by Dec 31/57. My recollection is that the decision to go after CHUM was made during 1957 but the programming change didn't happen until the following year.

Over to you, Dale

geo

Don't know about 1957 re:CKEY but here are some old charts:

http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa/stations_item.php?&lttl=2&srt1=tsc_prs%20DESC&vqry=ckey&lidx=1&rsid=573