CHML will be missed.

Ida Spencer wrote:

At 875 Main St West (formerly named Radio Centre), a 'For Lease' sign is up - and so is the CHML lettering. Bright lights were seen from some of the upper floors; presumably spaces being emptied and repainted for future use. Amazingly, there's also a 900 CHML vehicle in the parking lot. It seems Corus is so tight they can't pay to get the vehicle reskinned, or the CHML lettering off the building.

The least Corus could do would be to give the vehicle to Dave Whatmough.

mace wrote:

If I am not mistaken. 875 Main St. W. is the former site of the Westdale Hotel. Home of Paddy Green's Tavern complete with the "Gentlemens" and "Ladies & Escorts" separate entrances, directly across the street from Westdale High School.

That's right! I remember Paddy Green's from when I took summer school at Westdale in 1980. CHML at the time was at 848 Main East, with the iconic 'Dial 900 CHML' neon sign. That building still stands and contains medical offices.

Last edited by Ida Spencer (January 27, 2025 12:26 am)

I would visit a friend up Kitchener way, using highway 8 as part of the trip.  Those tower warning lamps were a landmark as I would wend my way home.

Last edited by Easily Amused (January 28, 2025 1:11 pm)

Dale Patterson wrote:

CHML used to have a wonderful Hall of Fame display in their lobby, with pictures of all of those enshrined. I wonder what will become of that?

 

Not to mention the audio archive!

Glen Warren wrote:

Ida Spencer wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

It's been off the air for months, but now the paperwork is official, and 97-year-old CHML is no longer in existence. 

CHML Licence Revocation 

Now that the death certificate's been issued, (nearly 3 months after Corus requested it; 5 months after it went dark)
the transmitter site at 1179 Valens Rd in Flamborough is being decommissioned. First step, topple the towers. As you can see below, that part's been done. The tuning shacks at the tower bases are still there:



At 875 Main St West (formerly named Radio Centre), a 'For Lease' sign is up - and so is the CHML lettering. Bright lights were seen from some of the upper floors; presumably spaces being emptied and repainted for future use. Amazingly, there's also a 900 CHML vehicle in the parking lot. It seems Corus is so tight they can't pay to get the vehicle reskinned, or the CHML lettering off the building.

If my memory is correct, the Valens CHML site was built in the late 70s or very early 80s...  Valens was the new site to replace the previous Vine Ridge site in Stoney Creek  or maybe Winona? 

Bob Burger was the Chief Engineer and Ted Townsend was the Ass't. Chief Engineer.  Burger later left CHML / CKDS and went into Broadcast Equipment sales.  Ted Townsend stayed with CHML / CKDS and his next principal project was the design and engineering of the new Radio Centre facility in 875 Main St. W (Westdale).

Look at Ida's first picture with the diesel fuel tank on the exterior of the building...  I don't think that tank would have been in standards compliance for the last 10 or 15 years at least.
 

Late 70s! But the Vinemount site (Green Mountain Road at 8th Road East in Stoney Creek) still had its buildings up into the 2000s. There were two of them - the original built in 40/41 when ML got to go from 100w to 1,000; the second for the 5,000w transmitter. I remember driving past it in the 90s; it still had the CHML letters on it! I wrote to Ted who told me that the original building was rented out as a house. Some urban explorers got in and posted pictures. It was torn down around '07. https://www.uer.ca/locations/viewgal.asp?locid=20374&galid=10526