I was at a local grocery store (a popular chain) last week and heard Van Halen's 'Mean Streets'. A non-single deep cut track from one of Van Halen's least popular records playing in a corporate grocery store? Strange, but refreshing.

I remember when CKOC was on in every store in Hamiton malls.  Even in Oakville, Burlington, Guelph and sometimes Mississauga,  you would hear CKOC in business premises.  Weird to think that background music was left to AM radio through ceiling mounted speakers.

How was the sound RA?  When it came back on air, the processing was way overdone,  to the point where a song would take seconds to pick out.  Has it improved? 

They actually had a not great small tabletop radio playing it through a very small speaker. I could not see where the dial was at first, but I could tell by the sound of the station itself (which was not the best quality) that it was CKOC well before they I.D.'d themselves. The signal sounded distant and the quality was definitely poor AM.

That, and the song they were playing, led me to guess 1150 and I was right. 

RadioActive wrote:

They actually had a not great small tabletop radio playing it through a very small speaker. I could not see where the dial was at first, but I could tell by the sound of the station itself (which was not the best quality) that it was CKOC well before they I.D.'d themselves. The signal sounded distant and the quality was definitely poor AM.

That, and the song they were playing, led me to guess 1150 and I was right. 

Hey, free and commercial-free music!

newsguy1 wrote:

In a doctor's office if they play Roxy Music it has to be "Love Is The Drug."

 

Only if it’s a naturopath

A few years ago, maybe pre-covid I was very surprised to hear the Velvet Underground's Sunday Morning on the No Frills music feed. The group surprised me but the song not so much

.

Capricasix wrote:

A very (very) long time ago, I used to go to an orthodontist in Shelburne. He always had CHAY on, and at that time it was “easy listening”. I grew to hate that station…

And these days, dentists have televisions mounted on the ceilings in treatment rooms. Back then, my orthodontist only had cheerful things there, like little cards bearing sayings like “nothing is certain but death and taxes”. Which was certainly interesting to look at while I lay flat on my back as they tightened the torture devices in my mouth, aka braces!

At the dentist I always ask for no TV. Back in the day I loved the old CHAY. 
 

turkeytop wrote:

At the dentist I always ask for no TV. Back in the day I loved the old CHAY. 
 

Nitrous to the max if Dr. R. is doing anything like fillings... and they play Renfrew's 96.1 myFM throughout the facility, though my hygienist often plays 90s/2000s rock/alternative on YouTube Music in her room when she does my cleanings.

CHAY was especially great in the '90s during the Shaw era, when the station was playing more contemporary instrumentals, and CHAY's "Project Easy" CTD albums were masterpieces... CDs like "Blue Mountain Blue" and "Bright Lights From Huronia", with such artists as Rick & Aaron Garner, Greg Kavanagh, and Collingwood's John MacMurchy, who played the sax on at least a couple of tracks on Bright Lights From Huronia. The station was still playing cuts from those albums as late as 2000, during their late-evening "Northern Light" program.


In a couple of weeks I'll be heading to the Georgian Triangle for a few days, and might have the opportunity to meet CHAY's former program director, a fellow Collingwood native whose resume also includes experience at the town's CKCB and Barrie's CKBB.

I'm surprised the doc's office was able to receive CKOC without all the noise inherent on the AM band. CKOC must have a very strong signal in that location. 

Noise free indoor AM radio reception for all but the strongest local signals is almost impossible. It was not always like this.
 

darcyh wrote:

I'm surprised the doc's office was able to receive CKOC without all the noise inherent on the AM band. CKOC must have a very strong signal in that location. 

Noise free indoor AM radio reception for all but the strongest local signals is almost impossible. It was not always like this.
 

It sounded like exactly what it was. A semi-distant AM station without a lot of audio quality. That's how I figured out what it was before hearing the actual I.D.

Jody Thornton wrote:

Weird to think there was a time that it was "strange" to hear CKOC sound distant.  It was so clear for so much of Southern Ontario,  Downtown Toronto may have proved a challenge, with its taller buildings, but that would have been the extent of bad reception, until you got up to Meaford perhaps.

I've always hated that term GTHA, as I've always considered Hamilton its own identity.  I think this is almost part of a Burlington mindset, as they've always hated thinking of themselves as a suburb to Hamilton.  I'm at my partner's place in Burlington as I type this, and I definitely feel that I'm "away" from the GTA, and closer to Hamilton with the Skyway in view from the window.  Just my two cents.

I would agree that Burlington has closer ties to Hamilton than Toronto. Back when Bell had local and long distance calling Burloak Drive was the dividing line.For those living on the east side of the street, calling Toronto was local. Those on the west side, it was long distance. A similar situation occured for those living on the north side of Steeles. Yes you could make calls to Toronto, but Oakville, Mississauga and Brampton were all long distance.

I think CHFI is the go-to place for most offices that cater to the public. I hear it everywhere and inoffensive and bland is always the safer choice. Although the place I go for a haircut is the only one where I always hear Virgin 99.9.

My proctologist just has looped Eddie Murphy's 'Boogie in Your Butt'.  Gets tiring after the second or third time. 🤨