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January 18, 2019 6:53 pm  #1


Morning Radio in Toronto

Toronto radio has two new morning shows. I have listened to Ruby & Alex on 102.1 The Edge and I can't say they blew me away. They are ok-pleasant to listen to, at least during the times I was listening. We'll see. Due to atmospheric conditions I have not been able to try out Adam Wylde & TJ on 99.9 Virgin Radio, other than a couple of brief segments. Mostly it is static. There is also a Sarnia station on 99.9 which sometimes interferes and which may be the cause of the noise. I am much closer to Toronto than Sarnia, which, to me, means I should be getting a better signal from Toronto - not the case for the past two or three weeks. Anyway, for me the best Toronto morning show is still on Chum 104.5, even without Roger. I think Jamar has been a good fit with Marilyn and Caitlin, and I like his voice and personality. 

 

January 18, 2019 7:45 pm  #2


Re: Morning Radio in Toronto

Over the last year or two Corus has done an awful lot of shuffling of personalities on both Q and the Edge. Has the effort been worth it? For Q's afternoon show Fearless Fred has brought a certain energy and personality. Apart from that the rest of the schedule seems rather bland. The weekend people are about as generic-sounding as it gets but at least the addition of some tunes from this century to the playlist has added some freshness to the sound.
Over at the Edge, I'd have to agree that Ruby and Alex have yet to "find their way". Sure they've known each other all their lives but co-hosting a radio program introduces a new dimension that may take a bit of adjusting. Some of the bits seem intended to emphasize their millennial status which is probably what the brass are hoping will bring back the listeners.
As for Virgin, generic-sounding personalities all. Does the new morning team really bring something vastly different to the table? As for CHUM, the current team serves to illustrate how truly overdue Roger's retirement was. Will it be enough to build on the listenership? Time will tell although I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a significant format tweak before the year is out.

 

January 18, 2019 8:15 pm  #3


Re: Morning Radio in Toronto

Remember when CFNY was on top of things? Must've been 30 years ago. Maybe more.

 

January 19, 2019 12:02 am  #4


Re: Morning Radio in Toronto

Chrisphen wrote:

Remember when CFNY was on top of things? Must've been 30 years ago. Maybe more.

In terms of share, cume and such it was never a top 5 station in the market. The difference is it had a legendarily loyal following. If you were a CFNY listener you likely din't listen to any other station much. They provided a true alternative. Nowadays of course anyone wanting to hear music that's off the beaten path has countless options beyond radio so we'll never again see the likes of powerhouses like CFNY, CHUM-AM,FM, CKOC, etc.
One thing that seems to be lacking is a disconnect between the announcers and the music. They may announce the names but on an increasing number of stations there's no knowledge or passion displayed.
However, those who live in an area where a community station exists can still hear some eclectic programming on the conventional dial presented by hosts who actually give a shyte about the music and they're usually broadcasting from that locale too. 
Like many who've spent years at it, I've had to accept that, like everything else, radio is not what it used to be and no amount of whining and pining for a bygone era is going to change that. Nonetheless, there should always be a place for passion and personality if radio is to have any sort of future relevance.

 

January 19, 2019 9:31 am  #5


Re: Morning Radio in Toronto

=12pxKevjo - "As for Virgin, generic-sounding personalities all."  I have t agree with that. I still can't comprehend why "Tucker In The Morning" was axed. I actually thought that Scott Tucker would be the one to replace Roger Ashby when the day came, since both 99.9 and 104.5 are Bell Media stations and Tucker's morning show was a winner (not to the extent of Chum or Chfi - but still doing well). 

The other major CHR station Kiss 92.5 has much better on air personalities and "Roz & Mocha" is my second favourite Toronto morning show. Both Kiss and Virgin are too recurrent oriented and keep songs in regular rotation way too long. But, of the two, Kiss is the better overall CHR station. Unfortunately it is plagued with an extremely poor signal 

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