All the streams are down. I listened to the first segment of Valaitis' show over the air, co-anchored with morning host Steph Vivier. Gone is the crazy morning persona many here recall, replaced by a very sedate, common sense type of personality, which you'd expect from a talk station. 

He outlined some of his background, without mentioning any call letters, and promised his show would be live and local, about the St. Catharines-Niagara area. "You'll never hear me say 'I read in the Toronto Star this morning,'" he vowed. 

His intro mentioned all the cities he's worked in after getting the "radio bug" as a kid, and mentioned he'd been living in Burlington. He reviewed the history of a certain media conglomerate, without mentioning any names, and condemned them as "knowing the value of everything, but appreciating nothing." Ouch! And he recalled their decision to sell many of their stations, explaining why there are new owners not owned by a giant telecommunications company that cares only about cable. 

He decried the former show in his timeslot being out of Toronto and vowed everything would be local-oriented. It was certainly an auspicious beginning. 

On a personal note, I went to Ryerson RTA with Gene, who was then known as Eugene. I guess he decided to drop the "Eu" for radio. I wish him luck. 

They may eventually post it as a podcast once they're back up and running, so you may still get a chance to hear it after all. 

His first guest was the Mayor of St. Catharines, which is where he lost me. But since I don't live there, there probably isn't a lot he could say that I would care about.