1 of 1- Johnny B
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I've lost my MOJO
20 years ago today - MOJO Radio AM640 Toronto went on the air (Apr 23, 2001 at 6:40am ET) -
- paterson1
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Re: I've lost my MOJO
I have enjoyed AM 640 over the years and most of it's incarnations. Oakley's morning show years ago was excellent, very entertaining and great humour, but nobody was listening. Same with TSN 1050 over the years, moments of brilliance and fun radio to a small audience.
Don't really know if MOJO was ahead of it's time or was the guy's radio format already dated and doomed from the start. Always thought that they went in with the right attitude with lots of humour and fun, and you could argue that this was an early form of hot talk. But the audience either wasn't there or wouldn't listen to AM radio.
Notice the news coverage, back in the day when TV news would actually cover when a radio station changed format. I remember in June 1986 when CHUM announced that they were dropping the top 40 format. It was a news report on both CBC The National and CTV National News. Even one or two of the Buffalo TV stations had a report on CHUM's format change. CHUM pre dated WKBW by over one year in playing rock and roll with the top 50 format in May 1957.
- MJ Vancouver
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Re: I've lost my MOJO
paterson1 wrote:
I have enjoyed AM 640 over the years and most of it's incarnations. Oakley's morning show years ago was excellent, very entertaining and great humour, but nobody was listening. Same with TSN 1050 over the years, moments of brilliance and fun radio to a small audience.
Don't really know if MOJO was ahead of it's time or was the guy's radio format already dated and doomed from the start. Always thought that they went in with the right attitude with lots of humour and fun, and you could argue that this was an early form of hot talk. But the audience either wasn't there or wouldn't listen to AM radio.
Notice the news coverage, back in the day when TV news would actually cover when a radio station changed format. I remember in June 1986 when CHUM announced that they were dropping the top 40 format. It was a news report on both CBC The National and CTV National News. Even one or two of the Buffalo TV stations had a report on CHUM's format change. CHUM pre dated WKBW by over one year in playing rock and roll with the top 50 format in May 1957.
I remember a lot of news coverage around the switch from 1050 CHUM to THE TEAM - just a couple weeks after the launch of Mojo in Toronto actually.
I don't ever remember radio getting much of any coverage in London's media in my lifetime, except for stories involving stations co-owned with the TV station - for example when 102.3 launched in 2000 (both were owned by CHUM back then), or when CKSL went off the air in 2016. The one example I do remember was when CJBK fired talk host Jim Chapman, that got a lot of coverage in the Free Press as a lot of listeners were upset.
Last edited by MJ Vancouver (April 23, 2021 11:52 am)
- Live in Lakefield
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Re: I've lost my MOJO
20 years ago today - MOJO Radio AM640 Toronto went on the air (Apr 23, 2001 at 6:40am ET) -
Was MOJO before it''s time> Anyhow, we met twice Johnny - once at a remote at a Ford dealership (i happened to be in the area) and I actually won a prize from your fabulous car show.
- Chrisphen
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Was MOJO before it''s time>
MOJO "We're Maxim, not Hustler" Radio? No, it wasn't too soon. And it's clear why it failed.
- Radiowiz
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I think this American version of the station is still around?
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- Mav
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A couple of things....
They held the live announcement at Peel Pub downtown but kept everyone waiting for almost an hour. Half the media left, including City and CFTO. We had to beg the Sun's Stan Behal to stick around a little longer (knowing they'd find room in the paper for girls in tiny shorts).
A few days before the launch, the Talk 640 News vehicle was taken off the road. It had been festooned with typically boring, newsy-looking decals and even a CNN logo...when it came back, it was completely wrapped with giant pictures of bikini girls holding power drills (not the best for pulling up to Queens Park or some horrible tragedy...or the supermarket).
The marketing team had planned to have girls in bikinis on trampolines at major downtown intersections but insurance nixed that.
Ahead of its time, and 15 years too late.
BTW...Anyone heard the one about Scruff Conners and the 'special' envelopes management handed out to all the staff?...
- Just a Radio Fan
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Re: I've lost my MOJO
Patterson 1 mentioned TV News coverage of a radio station format change.
The big one for me was when CKEY changed to the FAN 590. I was working in the sports department at CFTO at the time and we were doing a story on the flip for a sports show we did at the time called Sports Beat. Our station actually spent big bucks and sent a crew to New York to take a look at the all sports station there, the NY version of the FAN. Flights, hotels, meals, ect. for the story.
- mikew
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Re: I've lost my MOJO
BTW...Anyone heard the one about Scruff Conners and the 'special' envelopes management handed out to all the staff?...
You've got my interest, what is the story.