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April 29, 2021 7:25 am  #1


Erin Davis On Her Radio Roots, Don Daynard, & Why CanCon Killed CKLW

In an extensive interview with Bill King on FYIMusicNews.ca, the former CHFI morning show host looks back on what was sometimes a crazy career in radio, recalling her roots at CKLW, her time at the now defunct CKO, her choice to work with Don Daynard and not Wally Crouter and a life after radio filled with both sadness and satisfaction. (The interview also delves extensively into her personal life and the radio part of it starts about halfway through.) 

At one point, she both praises and laments the CanCon rules she believes sunk the Big 8:

"I could see it was coming. Once the Canadian-content regulations came in, they shackled CKLW severely. Of course, it has been a gift to musicians, to performers and has given the world artists like the Weeknd and Drake and countless others, besides the Anne Murrays and Gordon Lightfoots, that we were all forced to play, came to resent, although they were extraordinary artists. When you have that that shoved down your throat, you go. Oh no, we wanted to play Kool & the Gang or whatever. It was the end."

A Conversation With ... Erin Davis

 

April 29, 2021 2:31 pm  #2


Re: Erin Davis On Her Radio Roots, Don Daynard, & Why CanCon Killed CKLW

Good interview with Erin Davis.  But cancon certainly was not the death of CKLW which remained the number one music station in Detroit until the summer of 1977.  Cancon became law January 1971 so if Canadian music killed LW it certainly took a long time.  In fact in the spring of 1972 and into 1973, CKLW had some of their best ratings with a 20% increase in audience.

As we now know, CKLW started to lose audience in the late 70's early 80's to FM music stations.  Their ratings were shrinking at the same time as other AM top 40 giants like KHJ, KCBQ, WKBW, WABC, WLS, WFIL and many others. These stations dropped top 40 or changed format prior to or around the same time as CKLW. All of them were being dominated by FM music stations, and AM could no longer compete. And naturally none these former AM number one music stations were "forced" to play any Canadian music.

Also worth repeating and noting that the readers of the US based Radio INK website voted CKLW as the greatest top 40 radio station of all time in August 2017. The poll voting was on line over a three week period. 

 

April 29, 2021 4:52 pm  #3


Re: Erin Davis On Her Radio Roots, Don Daynard, & Why CanCon Killed CKLW

paterson1 wrote:

Good interview with Erin Davis.  But cancon certainly was not the death of CKLW which remained the number one music station in Detroit until the summer of 1977.  Cancon became law January 1971 so if Canadian music killed LW it certainly took a long time.  In fact in the spring of 1972 and into 1973, CKLW had some of their best ratings with a 20% increase in audience.

As we now know, CKLW started to lose audience in the late 70's early 80's to FM music stations.  Their ratings were shrinking at the same time as other AM top 40 giants like KHJ, KCBQ, WKBW, WABC, WLS, WFIL and many others. These stations dropped top 40 or changed format prior to or around the same time as CKLW. All of them were being dominated by FM music stations, and AM could no longer compete. And naturally none these former AM number one music stations were "forced" to play any Canadian music.

Also worth repeating and noting that the readers of the US based Radio INK website voted CKLW as the greatest top 40 radio station of all time in August 2017. The poll voting was on line over a three week period. 

I remember watching the Big 8 documentary over a decade ago. As I recall CKLW had attempted to move its format to its co-owned FM station in the early 80s, but in those days FM regulations in Canada were very strict and the format change for CKLW-FM was denied by the CRTC. As I understood it, back then FM stations in Canada were required to provide a certain level of "foreground programming" and had formats that were tightly controlled by the CRTC - regulations that didn't exist for FM in the US. Those FM regulations still lingered in Canada until the early 90s, and that's why Top 40 lingered on AM for so much longer in Canada than in the US - CKSL in London still being a top 40 station as late as 1992, while AM in the US had already moved onto oldies, news/talk, sports, and so forth.

Another thing that happened in the 70s with CKLW was the sale of its TV station to the CBC in 1975. Not sure how much of an impact that would have had on the radio side, but it would've reduced cross-promotional opportunities at the very least.

Last edited by MJ Vancouver (April 29, 2021 4:56 pm)

 

April 29, 2021 5:51 pm  #4


Re: Erin Davis On Her Radio Roots, Don Daynard, & Why CanCon Killed CKLW

I wonder if CKLW FM had been allowed to move the top 40 format from AM if it would have been successful.  I sort of think they wouldn't have copied the AM format.   By the late 70's the CKLW AM sound was becoming a bit dated and needed a freshen up.  I think if CKLW FM had gone contemporary in the early 80's it would have been heavier sounding with many more rock oriented cuts than what the AM station had become.  Jingles and all of that likely would have been nothing similar to the Big 8 and if they had news, I am not sure they would have had the high energy 20/20 format.  By this time in the early 80's there was a lot of competition for CKLW AM on the FM dial and top 40 wasn't always the most popular with album rock usually taking the ratings crown. Advertisers also liked that the FM album rock listener tended to listen longer than top 40.

Last edited by paterson1 (April 29, 2021 5:52 pm)

 

April 29, 2021 6:23 pm  #5


Re: Erin Davis On Her Radio Roots, Don Daynard, & Why CanCon Killed CKLW

paterson1 wrote:

I wonder if CKLW FM had been allowed to move the top 40 format from AM if it would have been successful.  I sort of think they wouldn't have copied the AM format.   By the late 70's the CKLW AM sound was becoming a bit dated and needed a freshen up.  I think if CKLW FM had gone contemporary in the early 80's it would have been heavier sounding with many more rock oriented cuts than what the AM station had become.  Jingles and all of that likely would have been nothing similar to the Big 8 and if they had news, I am not sure they would have had the high energy 20/20 format.  By this time in the early 80's there was a lot of competition for CKLW AM on the FM dial and top 40 wasn't always the most popular with album rock usually taking the ratings crown. Advertisers also liked that the FM album rock listener tended to listen longer than top 40.

There was certainly a lot more variety in music by that point, and more choices than ever. Sony Walkmans had become a thing by then as well.