The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » Old CHUM Studio Demolition: The Construction Company’s View

RadioActive · November 25, 2016 11:17 am

Just when you thought there couldn’t be anything new about the old CHUM building comes this – an article from the construction industry about the company hired to pull 1331 Yonge St. to the ground. Not a lot of groundbreaking news here, but the pictures of the rubble are kind of sad, and I did like the following sections:

"We still listen to CHUM-FM here at the office," says Sean Teperman, chief executive officer at Teperman, the company that carried out the demolition.

"But with the sign removed and the radio personalities relocated, there wasn't much to be said about the building — there wasn't any heritage value to the structure itself."

"You could still see that some of the rooms were cork insulated with triple drywall for broadcast studios. The CHUM building was actually built in three stages, so one section was built of wood, another concrete and another steel frame."

It’s amazing to think people are actually calling them to ask why the place that once housed their favourite radio station is being torn down. But at least it won’t completely disappear.

"We salvaged and cleaned 500 bricks from the building on behalf of the owner," Teperman says. "These will be distributed to former employees and fans, including CHUM veteran Roger Ashby.

Radio silence: Former CHUM studios demolished

Last edited by RadioActive (November 25, 2016 11:23 am)

Dale Patterson · November 25, 2016 11:20 am

I'd love to get one of those bricks!

ig · November 25, 2016 11:26 am

Dale Patterson wrote:
I'd love to get one of those bricks!

Would have been a great 'Christmas Wish' fund-raiser that's for sure, and an unlimited supply of bricks to boot .

RadioActive · November 25, 2016 11:28 am

Dale Patterson wrote:
I'd love to get one of those bricks!

"All in all, it's just another brick in the wall."
-Pink Floyd, #1 CHUM Chart Feb. 16, 1980.

Last edited by RadioActive (November 25, 2016 11:29 am)

ig · November 25, 2016 11:30 am

I would have gone with Dazz which explains why my school years were so traumatic.

Ps. 'Let it Whip' was way better .

RadioActive wrote:
Dale Patterson wrote:
I'd love to get one of those bricks!
"All in all, it's just another brick in the wall."
-Pink Floyd, #1 CHUM Chart Feb. 16, 1980.

November 25, 2016 12:54 pm

'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?'...The 3 Little Pigs

1331 Yonge. I well remember the first time I was there...on the air...almost 49 years ago. T'was to 'guest' on 'Prez's Pop Panel' with host Brian Skinner. 2 of the "blasters" that night would go on to some degree of fame...'Brooklyn Roads'...Neil Diamond. [a failure in the States but #3 for 2 weeks on the CHUM Chart in May '68] and 'Midnight Hour' ... The Mirettes. [although I personally called that one a "disaster" because I thought it followed too closely on the coat-tails of Wilson Pickett's original #1 smash hit less than 3 years previous. But I was out-voted by fellow student Osama Matuk and musical guest Carl Gardner from the Coasters. The Mirettes only peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at # 45.]

I also recall the last time I was there inside the building but nowhere near as vividly. Oh...and I can do without the brick. [Unless they're made of gold. If that's the case I'll take 2...in case I lose the first one.]

RadioActive · November 25, 2016 3:08 pm

Old Codger wrote:
I can do without the brick. [Unless they're made of gold. If that's the case I'll take 2...in case I lose the first one.]

Are you suggesting you're a goldbricker?

RadioActive · November 25, 2016 3:15 pm

Dale Patterson wrote:
I'd love to get one of those bricks!

Sorry Dale and IG. I just called Teperman out of curiosity and they said all 500 bricks have already been given out by the owners. (I presume they meant the owners of CHUM, but I didn't press.) I'm not sure how they chose who got one, but I wish we'd known sooner - these rare souvenirs were apparently all given away for free.

Which, if nothing else, I guess proves we're just a few bricks shy of their load!

ig · November 25, 2016 3:24 pm

Now I ain't saying he a gold bricker...

RadioActive wrote:
Old Codger wrote:
I can do without the brick. [Unless they're made of gold. If that's the case I'll take 2...in case I lose the first one.]
Are you suggesting you're a goldbricker?

Lorne · November 26, 2016 12:41 am

Not to be a stickler or anything, but the version of Dazz that made the CHUM Chart was a Cancon cover by John Ellison and the Soul Brothers Six.

ig wrote:
I would have gone with Dazz which explains why my school years were so traumatic.

Ps. 'Let it Whip' was way better .

RadioActive wrote:
Dale Patterson wrote:
I'd love to get one of those bricks!
"All in all, it's just another brick in the wall."
-Pink Floyd, #1 CHUM Chart Feb. 16, 1980.

Radiowiz · November 26, 2016 2:57 am

Dale Patterson wrote:
I'd love to get one of those bricks!

Hmmm...and maybe get autographs (of radio announcers who used to work there) signed all over the brick?

Dale Patterson · November 26, 2016 7:51 am

RadioActive wrote:
Dale Patterson wrote:
I'd love to get one of those bricks!
Sorry Dale and IG. I just called Teperman out of curiosity and they said all 500 bricks have already been given out by the owners. (I presume they meant the owners of CHUM, but I didn't press.) I'm not sure how they chose who got one, but I wish we'd known sooner - these rare souvenirs were apparently all given away for free.

Which, if nothing else, I guess proves we're just a few bricks shy of their load!

I just have to wait 'til 1 Grenville, which housed CKFH, is torn down and get one of those bricks! #2 radio lives!

November 26, 2016 8:15 am

This is the 2nd greatest brick...in the world. It must be. 'Cause all the other bricks are # 1. This is [a] CKFH brick. Number two-woo-woo-wooooooo.

John D · November 26, 2016 8:29 am

I've still got the jingle Old Codger.

November 26, 2016 9:51 am

Best jingle ever John. Bar none.

Dale Patterson · November 26, 2016 10:18 am

Here's CKFH's #2 radio jingle...

http://rockradioscrapbook.ca/ckfh-number2-radio.mp3

Fitz · November 26, 2016 3:42 pm

My first memory of hearing CKFH is from being home on a weekday and fiddling around the AM dial and hearing Nashviille Cats by the Spoonful. I don't remember who the DJ was but must have been soon after they converted to rock. I still have copies of the top 30 chart they put out but before that they published another list. Below is one I have from May/June 1968:

Last edited by Fitz (December 27, 2016 10:56 am)

Storm · November 26, 2016 5:57 pm

The first CKFH chart was the "Pop 35". The highest ranking song on the chart was Number 2. (there was no number 1). So the Pop 35 went from #2 to #36. It was published weekly in the newspaper-The Telegram, if I remember correctly. That was in 1967.

Fitz · November 26, 2016 7:15 pm

Storm wrote:
The first CKFH chart was the "Pop 35". The highest ranking song on the chart was Number 2. (there was no number 1). So the Pop 35 went from #2 to #36. It was published weekly in the newspaper-The Telegram, if I remember correctly. That was in 1967.

Never caught the chart in the Telegram but as Dale has acknowledged the early FH was the first experiment in something resembling free form in Toronto.

I did not load a great image of the list above but the second picture titled "discovery" shows some of the May/June releases and the list includes Farmer Brown by the Balloon Farm, Uno Mundo by Buffalo Springfield, Day Tripper by Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Knight. Tracks by the Swampseeds, The Five Shy, Love, Beacon Street Union, Genesis ( I don't think it's that Genesis) and so much more. The station may not have played all of them but they definitely went beyond what we heard on CHUM

Dale Patterson · November 26, 2016 11:51 pm

Here's an early lineup from CKFH:

CKFH (January, 1967 - after January 2 switch to rock format)
(Source: Toronto Star)

6-6:30 a.m. - RELIGION
6:30-10 a.m. - DON DAYNARD
10-11 a.m. - AROUND METRO
11 a.m.-3 p.m. - DON CAMERON
3-7 p.m. - TOM FULTON
7-10 p.m. - ECHOES OF ITALY
10-11 p.m. - RELIGION
11 p.m.-1 a.m. - THE WHOLE BAG with BIG G. WALTERS

Last edited by Dale Patterson (November 26, 2016 11:51 pm)