'Twas the week before Christmas
And all through the stations
Seems no one was working
In much of the nation.
 
With apologies to Clement Moore for the above poem, listening to all the goodbyes on Friday, you’d think Christmas was tomorrow. It’s going to be a crazy week, at least on the T.O. talk stations.
 
Not sure about John Moore, but on CFRB, Jerry Agar will have former Global anchor-turned CFRA radio host Leslie Roberts doing his show starting Monday. Evan Solomon said his farewells on Thursday, and I’m not entirely sure who will sit in his chair. Jamil Jivani has been off for over a week, with Mark Towhey taking his shift. Oh, and it’s Dave Trafford’s last go-round as fulltime weekend morning host at the station, with the new guy or gal replacing him likely to be introduced very soon.
 
Meanwhile, over on GNR640, Alan Carter was subbing for Greg Brady on the morning show, Jeff McArthur sat in an extra hour for Carter at noon, Arlene Bynon took John Oakley’s place and if I heard it correctly, Alex Pierson will be doing afternoon drive all next week, as Oakley’s absence continues. Will Bynon be back doing the 6:30 PM show in her stead? (I’m sure by now they’re regretting not having access to Peter Shurman.)
 
And it’s only Dec. 17th!
 
By this time next week, Christmas Eve, I expect ‘RB to be either airing best ofs or worse, Xmas music and 640 to cycle into their annual old radio reruns for a lost weekend with the worst radio of the year. (I've said it before, but thank God for Funny 820 as an alternate if you want something to listen to that's not All-Christmas all the time. And I'll be curious to hear how they fill the hours on all-business CKOC at a time when businesses and the stock market are closed.) 
 
I don’t resent these guys getting a holiday break. But it’s seven days early. Next week could be a crazy patchwork of musical air chairs, and you may not be able to tell the program host without, well, a program. I don’t ever recall so many on-air types leaving so early for the holidays, unless it’s because Christmas is on a weekend this year. If all this holds true, it should be a very strange seven days of radio next week.