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December 31, 2021 3:54 pm  #1


The Year In SOWNY 2021

From a bloodbath at Bell to a revolt at Rogers to constant COVID coverage, 2021 could be called a lot of things, but dull wasn’t one of them. Here’s a look back at some of the stories that drew your attention on the SOWNY Board for the year just ended. To review any of the threads, click on the date and the headline. Happy New Year, thanks for keeping the board alive and well with all your great posts and here’s to a much better 2022! (How much worse could it be?)
 
January
 
Jan. 6 - Running Riot
 
It’s not often a SOWNY year-end review starts with a story from the U.S., but what happened in Washington on Jan. 6th is still reverberating and will for some time. A mob of pro Donald Trump protestors break into the Capitol in Washington, trying to find and take their rage out on American politicians. Every news channel and every network interrupted regular programming for a story that still hasn’t ended.
 
Jan. 21 - The Day “BT” Stood For “Bye Tim”
 
After hosting The Fan 590’s afternoon drive show for ten years, Sid Seixeiro announces that he’s leaving his long time on-air partner Tim Michallef for City TV’s Breakfast Television. His final show and sign-off was on Feb. 26th, with a tearful farewell. His first day at his new gig was March 10th.
  
Jan. 23 - The King Of Talk Dies
 
Love him or hate him, he made radio history with his syndicated overnight show and his subsequent interview hour on CNN. Larry King had survived a lot of close calls, including a major heart attack, but he couldn’t get by his final health hurdles, which included acute hypoxic respiratory failure and end stage renal disease, when sepsis finally took his life. He was 87.
 
Jan. 29 - “The Trickster” Hadn’t Considered This Trick
 
Even though it had just begun to air on the CW in the U.S., the CBC suddenly cancels one of its most successful shows, “The Trickster,” after questions arise over whether its co-creator was Indigenous as she claimed. 
           
Jan. 31 - Dynamo Of The Danforth Dies

Saul Korman, a famous voice on radio for years, advertising his clothing store on the Danforth, passes away. He was 86.
 
February
 
Feb. 2 - For Whom The Bell Tolls
 
It started with a report out of Montreal, but it didn’t take long for one of the major stories of the year in local radio to emerge - in one fell swoop, Bell gutted the newsrooms of both CFRB & CJAD. Among those let go from the Toronto station - News Director Kym Geddes, reporter Lucas Meyer, anchors Hayley Cooper and Claude Feig (the latter would resurface doing weekends on GNR640), long time morning anchor Russ Courtney and afternoon veteran David McKee - just to name a few.
 
But it didn’t end there. Also out - veteran nighttime host Barb DiGiulio, as well as Jon Pole, a CJAD talk show host who frequently filled in when DiGiulio was away.
 
CFTO wasn’t spared either. Among the high profile dismissals there - veteran weathermen Anwar Knight and Tom Brown, leaving the station chronically short of weather presenters during its noon, 6 and 11:30 PM shows some nights.
 
The cuts also hit Bell stations across the country, as well as TSN and BNN Bloomberg.
 
While CFRB maintains the “Newstalk 1010” branding, it will soon start using CTV News in its on-air casts, featuring anchors from CFTO reading the stories. 
 
It was one of the biggest house cleanings in recent Toronto media history and my nomination for the local broadcast story of 2021. It was so big, outraged former newscaster Dave Agar asked that his name be removed from the now empty RB newsroom. He had been honoured by the station after his retirement. The irony - he likely would not have survived the cuts, either.
 
Feb. 9 - They Mean Business!

In a major change to its programming, CKOC Hamilton switches suddenly from all sports to all business, mostly simulcasting Bell’s BNN Bloomberg cable channel for its content. The station had been all-sports for six years before the format alteration. It was one of three Bell Media all sports outlets that changed that day. Stations in Winnipeg and Vancouver both abandoned the format. In the case of the latter, it was particularly ruthless. The B.C. hosts found out they were fired during a commercial break on their morning show. 
 
Feb. 11 - A New Home Base

Mike Wilner, who was summarily dismissed from the Jays’ broadcasts without much notice, lands a new gig - as a baseball columnist for the Toronto Star.
 
Feb. 16 - Come Back, Shane!

Shane (aka Max Gibson) dies of a heart attack at age 78. He was a Buffalo radio legend but attracted a ton of GTA listeners with his unusual style and show on WGR-AM, back in its music days.
 
Feb. 17 - Leaving In A Rush

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying Rush Limbaugh helped change the face of talk radio in the U.S., assembling one of the biggest audiences in modern times. The veteran conservative broadcaster finally succumbed to the cancer he was fighting, leaving some to mourn and others to be happy he was finally off air. Such was his influence, that his syndication company kept reruns of him on the air for months. Dan Bongino eventually replaced him in some markets, among other challengers. But not all former affiliates (including Buffalo’s WBEN-AM) chose to take the new show and the newcomer failed to achieve the same ratings as his late predecessor. 
 
Feb. 23 - Conspiring For A New Show

Richard Syrett, late of AM740 and occasional fill-in host on Coast to Coast AM, lands a new home and time slot - afternoon drive on CKNT, aka Sauga 960. No one thinks it’s a conspiracy by other stations.
 
Feb. 24 - Overnight Sensation?

Despite appearing to be a casualty of the Bell cuts earlier in the month, Jim Richards resurfaces, this time hosting an all night show that will air on Bell talk stations across the country.
 
Feb. 27 - Game Over?
 
Was it COVID or cash related? Many suspect the latter, after Rogers suddenly cancels all live radio broadcasts of the Blue Jays games, citing concerns over health and safety. (This despite the fact the broadcasters were doing all of them from a studio in Toronto.) They will simulcast the audio from SportsNet TV broadcasts instead. Fans are outraged and even the retired Jerry Howarth decries the decisionFans are equally upset, especially when Buck Martinez continuously fails to take the radio audience into account when calling the action, repeatedly saying “watch this replay,” and other comments that don’t work well on radio.

​March
 
March 1 - Ladies No Longer In Waiting
 
AM740 introduces a new morning crew - a female duo consisting of vets Jane Brown and Samantha Houston. They replace Neil Hedley, who was let go by the station, and the new team becomes the first all female morning show in the city.
 
March 4 - Bob’s Back
 
After his much-hyped retirement from Sportsnet 590, Bob McCown makes the announcement he’ll be returning to radio at possibly the most unlikely spot on the dial - Sauga 960 AM. His return doesn’t last long and he goes back to podcasting.
 
March 6: The Way Things Looked To A Radio Legend
 
The passing of news legend Dick Smyth comes in a Huntsville hospice, after he’d been ill for some time. Smyth was a fixture in Toronto, after coming here from CKLW to work at both CHUM and CFTR, with some editorial appearances on City TV. He was 85.
 
March 15 - Rogers, Over & In?
 
In what could wind up being the one of the biggest radio-related business stories of 2022, Rogers makes a bid to buy Shaw out west. It sparks a large number of hearings in Ottawa as the CRTC, the Competition Bureau, the competition itself and the general public all express their opinions about the move, with many worried it will leave Rogers too powerful an entity in Canada. At year’s end, all the hearings had yet to be held and the decision awaits in the new year.
                                                          
March 24 - A Rout Of Racial Remarks

WGRF-FM’s popular morning show goes off the rails and the hosts are fired after making some questionable racial remarks on air about toast and skin colour. One of them, Rob Lederman, had been with 97 Rock for 24 years.
 
March 26 - A Change In The Weather
 
Long time meteorologist Adam Stiles leaves City TV after many years to work for Sportsnet and to concentrate fulltime on his winery business. 

March 27 - Tapped Out

It’s the end of an era at CBC Radio 1, as the Corp. cancels Randy Bachman’s long running “Vinyl Tap” music show. The show started in 2005 and was popular with many. The final program aired on July 1 - Canada Day.
 
But while the show ends, it’s not gone. Bell’s Orbyt Media announces plans to bring the show back on a syndicated basis sometime in February.
 
April
 
April 18 - There Goes The Naburs Hood
 
Yet another veteran Bell staffer is gone, with word that Mike Naburs has been dismissed from Funny 820 and Bell Hamilton. He not only did their interstitials and commercials, he also hosted his own show on the all-comedy outlet, and was frequently heard on other spots on other stations, as well. The news comes soon after Humble & Fred announce on 820 that they’re done with terrestrial radio. They pull their morning show off CHAM and from now on, will be heard via their podcast online only.
 
April 28 - Beyond Beliefs

The CRTC approves another new FM station in the GTA, this time in Scarborough. CKSC will be an all-religious outlet somehow squeezed in to 105.3. It has to be on air by April 2023 and even then you might not be able to hear it - in addition to the already crowded dial, it won’t exactly be the Power of Christ that commands you, coming in at only 150 watts.
 
April 29 - Ted Woloshyn Has COVID
 
Broadcaster Ted Woloshyn is the latest well-known name to wind up in hospital after coming down with COVID-19. The senior broadcaster remains in isolation and recovers, eventually returning to the airwaves with an advertorial gig on AM740 on Sunday mornings.
 
Woloshyn isn’t the only veteran voice within the GTA-Western New York area to suffer from the pandemic peril. Tedd Shredd, the veteran morning voice at WEDG in Buffalo, recuperates from a brush with COVID-19 on his own. He also recovers.
 
And CHCH sportscaster Bubba O’Neill is another on-air personality who winds up with the easily-caught disease. After being off the air for a bit, he, too, returns.

April 30 - And That’s The News

Veteran broadcaster and CFTR news director Scott Metcalfe calls it quits, after an amazing 45 years in the radio business.
 
April 30 - The Jewel No Longer Sparkles

Future changes echo in Ottawa, as Evanov’s Jewel 98.5 becomes Lite98.5. It’s a preview of rebranding to come, with both Brantford and then Newmarket eventually turning on the Lites in this area.

May
 
May 27 - End Of An Era

Pioneering broadcaster Tommy Shannon, a one-time jock at Buffalo’s WKBW and later a legend at CKLW, dies at 82. He’s one of the few DJs who would turn his theme song into a bona fide hit. His “Wild Weekend” ended up being a huge smash for The Rockin’ Rebels in 1963.  
 
June
 
June 4 - Strike Up The Brand

In an almost inevitable moment of consolidation, 680 News announces it will change its branding to CityNews 680, beginning in the fall. Other Rogers all news stations that already weren’t using the phrasing will follow suit and all officially become CityNews on Oct. 18th. It means a stronger association with its TV newscasts, which had been calling themselves “CityNews” for decades.
 
June 10 - Turning Off The Mike
 
Mike Stafford, who had just celebrated his 20th anniversary at Corus, is suddenly fired, after making racist comments on a closed-circuit meeting with other staff members. The company didn’t wait long, after complaints about the statements came in. Greg Brady subbed for him for months in the meantime, before finally being given the time slot officially with a new show called “Toronto Today.” 
 
June 21 - Bottom Of The Burrill
 
Long time City TV and Sportsnet sportscaster Hugh Burrill leaves broadcasting to become Communications Manager for Sporting Life Canada.
 
June 30 - Over & Out In Buffalo
 
After half a century in broadcasting, including a stint at CKLW, veteran newscaster Keith Radford does his final newscast for WKBW-TV. He’d been at Channel 7 for an amazing 34 years.
 
July
 
July 9 - Layoffs Go Global

Global lays off 45 people out west and transfers many of the positions to Toronto. It’s part of a continuing cost cutting effort by the network, which also produces a Montreal newscast from its H.Q. here.
 
August
 
August 1 - Game On

After an agonizing experience for listeners, Rogers finally restores radio-only Jays broadcasts across the country. After firing Mike Wilner the previous season, it’s revealed that play-by-play man Ben Wagner will return - and do all the games by himself.
 
Aug. 5 - The General Leaves The Radio Wars
 
After 34 years off and on the air at CHFI, Ian McArthur, known affectionally as The General, leaves the station.
 
Aug. 10 - Sudden Sign Offs
 
When Pooja Handa suddenly announced it would be her last day at CP24, many wondered where she was going. Then, 17 days later, former co-anchor Gurdeep Ahluwalia also signed off. What happened to them? It took a few months, but the truth was finally revealed - they both left Bell for Rogers and will host the morning show at CHFI in the New Year.
 
The change meant the end for Maureen Holloway, who signed off for the final time October 1st. 

August 11 - The Host With The Least

Jeopardy! fans are surprised to hear that, after testing countless co-hosts vying to replace the late Alex Trebek on the legendary game show, producer Mike Richards gets the gig. It would prove to be a disastrous choice when old Tweets and documents show Richards has a checkered past. He does one week of already taped shows and then is dispatched to TV limbo. His seemingly permanent replacements are former all-time champ Ken Jennings and neuroscientist and actress Mayim Bialik. 
 
August 25 - Quietly Going Into That Good Night

 After decades in radio, working for CFRB, CJOB Winnipeg and others, Charles Adler quietly ends his career at CKNW in Vancouver. When he says good night on his final show across the Corus Radio Network - which includes GNR640 - he gives hardly a hint that it was his last show. The program continues with a new host, but it’s not the same.
 
September

Sept. 7 - Brady’s Bunch

After months of being on in Mike Stafford’s place, GNR640 finally and officially turns the morning show over to Greg Brady and rebrands it as Toronto Today.
 
Sept. 20 - Goodbye To A Great

He was one of the biggest and most important names in Canadian broadcasting. And yet most listeners have never heard of him. The industry both mourns and celebrates the life of Allan Slaight, whose career with CHUM, CFRB, Q107 and others, was one of the most important in Toronto radio. He was 90.
 
Sept. 22 - They Didn’t Look A Day Over 74…

CKDO Oshawa announces plans to celebrate its 75th anniversary on the air. A ton of special program begins, including interviews and airchecks from its storied history, which included greats like John Donabie, Jim Brady, Al Kingdon and Kevin Nelson, Jay Nelson’s son.
 
Sept. 23 - Putting The “Go” In Zigomanis

The final whistle blows on yet another morning show fixture, as Mike Zigomanis reveals he’s leaving the Fan 590 morning show at the end of the week. It’s an odd prelude to a major change coming to the station’s programming.
 
October
 
Oct. 7 - A Mentsch Is Mourned

Former City TV Ombudsman Peter Silverman passes away at age 90. He spent years at both Global and City TV, where he was best remembered for his “Silverman Helps” segment. His “watch it buddy!” slogan, came from a memorable encounter with a local optician.

Oct. 11 - Radio 1 Gets Several More

CBC Radio 1 gets its first HD signal, although what exactly they intend to do with it sparks a lot discussion on the board.
 
Oct. 12 - Talked Out
 
Journeyman and frequent fill-in host Peter Shurman leaves GNR640 after an incident during a phone interview. It likely would not have been an issue in less sensitive times and Peter files his own version about what happened on SOWNY.
 
Oct. 14 - Family Feud
 
In one of the great real life soap operas, a Canadian version of “Succession” plays out in the boardroom of Rogers Communications, as family members battle for the ability to fire or retain the current CEO. The drama goes on for weeks, eventually involving the courts, which rules Edward Rogers is in charge and can oust the executive and hire the employee he prefers to take his place. It all plays out in public and the newspapers.
 
Oct. 29 - A Sirius Shift
 
Those who subscribe to Sirius XM learn of a major shift for channels, with two popular oldies stations, 50s on 5 and 60s on 6, both moving to new positions. In a major overhaul of its schedule, some outlets are now streaming only, while others are replaced or relocated elsewhere.
 
November
 
Nov. 3 - Doyle Disappears
 
It started innocently enough. Ryan Doyle was off and Jim Richards, normally the all-night cross-Canada host, took his place. Initially, he was subbing for Doyle. But then as the weeks went by, Richards kept returning and Ryan’s name disappeared, eventually being wiped off their website.

It soon became clear that Doyle was done at NT1010, the only station he’d ever worked at. But why he was let go or whether he left of his own accord has never been completely explained.

There are rumours that the departure of longtime PD and Brand Director Mike Bendixen a few weeks earlier may have played a role in giving Doyle the bum’s “Rush” but the station never utters his name again and his disappearance has never been explained. 

Meanwhile, new questions are raised about whether Richards is the new permanent co-host of the afternoon drive shift or if the new P.D. has someone else in mind to debut in 2022.
 
Nov. 9 - No News Is His News

After decades at NBC, anchor Brian Williams confirms he’s leaving the network. On his final newscast, he worries about the future of a badly divided America and pleads with viewers to take heed.
 
Nov. 24 - The Day The Music Died
 
She was known as The Girl With The Golden Ear. It was former CKLW music director Rosalie Trombley’s innate ability to pick the hits that made the Big 8 one of the most legendary radio stations in North America. Many paid tribute to her after she passed away at age 82.  
 
December
 
Dec. 12 - Dave’s Not Here!
 
After four years of getting up “at the crack of stupid” as he used to say, CFRB’s weekend morning man Dave Trafford leaves the position. His last show is Dec. 19th, although he vows to still make occasional appearances on the station. His replacement will be revealed in the New Year.

 

January 1, 2022 3:24 pm  #2


Re: The Year In SOWNY 2021

WOW!  A very comprehensive look back at SOWNY 2021.

Well done RA...well done.

 

January 1, 2022 3:54 pm  #3


Re: The Year In SOWNY 2021

Great summary! Only one small correction - Limbaugh's syndicator, Premiere, offered up Clay Travis and Buck Sexton as its replacement. Bongino comes from the competition, Westwood One. 

Happy New Year - and check out my Year in Review pieces, too, which start here and go for five installments...

https://www.fybush.com/nerw-yir2021-1/

Last edited by fybush (January 1, 2022 3:54 pm)

 

January 1, 2022 5:13 pm  #4


Re: The Year In SOWNY 2021

Neatly pun RadioActive, thanks for this.

 

January 1, 2022 10:04 pm  #5


Re: The Year In SOWNY 2021

fybush wrote:

Great summary! Only one small correction - Limbaugh's syndicator, Premiere, offered up Clay Travis and Buck Sexton as its replacement. Bongino comes from the competition, Westwood One. 

Happy New Year - and check out my Year in Review pieces, too, which start here and go for five installments...

https://www.fybush.com/nerw-yir2021-1/

Thanks for the correction, as always Mr. Fybush. I think I just didn't express it well. What I meant to infer was that Bongino won most of the freed-up timeslots on the stations that previously aired Limbaugh. It just didn't quite come out that way!

Either way, thanks to all of you for your kind comments. The list takes about two or three weeks to compile every year, as I painstakingly go over each and every thread that boasted a 2021 date on it. Then it takes another few days to write, proofread and a further few days to check all the links. It's hard to leave stuff out, but I don't want it to go too long. I appreciate you guys being willing to spend so much time on such a long list and am happy someone looked at it after all that trouble!

I wonder what the top story of 2022 will be - and if we'll ever find out what really happened to Ryan Doyle!

     Thread Starter
 

January 2, 2022 12:39 am  #6


Re: The Year In SOWNY 2021

Very well done.  Especially the headings!!!

 

January 2, 2022 12:48 am  #7


Re: The Year In SOWNY 2021

Great work RA, as always.


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

January 2, 2022 8:33 pm  #8


Re: The Year In SOWNY 2021

RadioActive wrote:

Thanks for the correction, as always Mr. Fybush. I think I just didn't express it well. What I meant to infer was that Bongino won most of the freed-up timeslots on the stations that previously aired Limbaugh. It just didn't quite come out that way!

Either way, thanks to all of you for your kind comments. The list takes about two or three weeks to compile every year, as I painstakingly go over each and every thread that boasted a 2021 date on it. Then it takes another few days to write, proofread and a further few days to check all the links. It's hard to leave stuff out, but I don't want it to go too long. I appreciate you guys being willing to spend so much time on such a long list and am happy someone looked at it after all that trouble!

I wonder what the top story of 2022 will be - and if we'll ever find out what really happened to Ryan Doyle!

Some of those questions never do seem to get answered, do they?

As for Bongino, it's probably not even correct to say that he ended up with "most" of the former Limbaugh stations. It ended up dividing among ownership lines - stations owned by Cumulus had a corporate mandate to take Bongino, who's syndicated by Cumulus-owned Westwood One. Stations owned by iHeart all took Travis and Sexton, from iHeart-owned Premiere. (That included WHAM here.) 

Audacy's stations (including WBEN) mostly went to local hosts in that slot, and smaller players were all over the map... and that's really the story, at least as I wrote it: Limbaugh, for better or worse, was the last host who had truly national reach - if you were a major talk station, it was pretty much expected that you'd have him on your lineup unless you were in a competitive market where the other major station got him first. Now it's a bunch of voices all fighting to be heard in that slot, and none of them have anywhere near the reach that Limbaugh did, even at the end when his reach wasn't as big as it used to be.