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CNN - Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off...
I started a new thread as the CHML one was getting a little long.
Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off as stations struggle to survive in the digital age
Last edited by andysradio (August 16, 2024 2:01 pm)
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Re: CNN - Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off...
Local TV critic Bill Brioux was a frequent guest on CHML. He's beyond saddened to see it go and has a personal message for those who worked there and those who listened.
"We began talking back before HBO came to Canada, way before the streaming era. In recent times, when my phone would light up and it was CHML, my first thought was, “Who died?” I seemed to be the go-to guy for obits whenever Bob Newhart, Shannen Doherty or Joe Flaherty would pass away. I always was grateful for the opportunity to salute top TV personalities on the radio."
Hamilton’s CHML 1927-2024
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Re: CNN - Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off...
Yes it is interesting that CHML hardly ever got much mention on SOWNY before August 14th, but now over 5,000 comments. Sort of like when Eaton's closed, everyone saying what a great store it was, an institution, how they bought their first _____ at Eaton's. Problem was nobody was shopping at Timothy's store any longer. And almost nobody, with the exception of 680 News is listening to AM anymore.
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Re: CNN - Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off...
paterson1 wrote:
Yes it is interesting that CHML hardly ever got much mention on SOWNY before August 14th, but now over 5,000 comments. Sort of like when Eaton's closed, everyone saying what a great store it was, an institution, how they bought their first _____ at Eaton's. Problem was nobody was shopping at Timothy's store any longer. And almost nobody, with the exception of 680 News is listening to AM anymore.
I don't think it's fair to say CHML rarely got mentioned here. When you search topics in the box at the top left on the home page, you get four pages of posts where the call signs are mentioned, including one of yours about CHML once being oldies.
Here are just a few:
Hear Bill Kelly Say Goodbye On CHML
CHML To Join "GNR" Branding Tuesday. But What Took So Long?
CHML's Ted Michaels retiring
Hamilton Ti-Cats Find New (Old) Home On CHML
Ex-CHML Morning Man Paul Hanover Is Unexpectedly Alive & Well At 94
When CHML in The Hammer Was Oldies
Why Is CHML’s 50,000 Watt Signal So Poor In Toronto?
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Re: CNN - Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off...
It wasn't meant to be a criticism but CHML really hasn't been a topic of discussion here that often. And I know that parts of Toronto don't have a clear signal from CHML, so it wasn't a station that some had any history with. The above posts that focus on CHML were over a four year time frame. Again I wasn't being critical but rather making the point that people often talk or miss something or someone after they are gone. But prior, weren't really paying much or any attention or giving much time while they were still here. Sadly this would include CHML's listeners and advertisers. People and life move on..
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Re: CNN - Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off...
This story has gotten a lot of attention - from non-broadcasting sources like the Hamilton Spectator and the Toronto Star to Bill Brioux, CTV, the CBC, CNN and more.
Yet the one place you never heard a single word about it is on any Corus radio station (if there are any still operating as of this posting!
)
Don't get me wrong - I didn't really expect them to comment about their troubled corporate times and I suspect management might have a hand in that silence. But if a nearly 100-year-old competitor suddenly went off the air, I suspect their hosts might have had something to say about it. Protecting the tarnished Corus brand (and their jobs) I suppose.
Both Roy Green and Alex Pierson have very strong ties to Hamilton and talk about their years there frequently. I wonder if Roy will say anything on his weekend show or if Alex will have an anecdote of two to share when she gets back on Monday. I'd honestly love to hear their memories of what CHML meant to their careers, but I expect the wall of silence to continue unabated.
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Re: CNN - Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off...
It wasn't meant to be a criticism but CHML really hasn't been a topic of discussion here that often. And I know that parts of Toronto don't have a clear signal from CHML, so it wasn't a station that some had any history with. The above posts that focus on CHML were over a four year time frame. Again I wasn't being critical but rather making the point that people often talk or miss something or someone after they are gone. But prior, weren't really paying much or any attention or giving much time while they were still here. Sadly this would include CHML's listeners and advertisers. People and life move on..
I have to agree with that. Many of the comments I've seen posted on Facebook regarding the demise of the station have been people reminiscing its glory days, like from the Paul Hanover and Tom Cherington eras, which were more than 40 years ago. They far outnumber any recollections of the station in its most recent state. When a decades-old institution like CHML goes dark, people's memories tend to hark back to its "good old days" as opposed to its current state.
I think Jody Thornton said it best in a previous thread, where he was referring to the demise of music on CKOC in 2015. He mentioned fond memories of the station during its "Ontario's Music Leader" days of the late '70s/early '80s, as opposed to its more recent incarnations. I also remember Jody making a comment around that time, saying that CKOC was like an old amusement park that people used to frequent a lot, but hadn't done so in recent years, and when it finally closes up there's a certain unexpected sadness that comes along with it.
And although this board is about goings-on in the Southern Ontario/Western New York area, a good majority of the postings are Toronto-centric. That's not meant to be a criticism, but rather, an observation of what seems to interest many participants here. Explaining the demise of CHML to Toronto radio listeners would probably be similar to trying to explain the significance of a station like CKTB going dark to Hamilton radio listeners. It doesn't really resonate near as much if you're not living in that station's community.
PJ
Last edited by Paul Jeffries (August 16, 2024 9:42 pm)
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Re: CNN - Once a mainstay of the radio dial, local news is signing off...
This story has gotten a lot of attention - from non-broadcasting sources like the Hamilton Spectator and the Toronto Star to Bill Brioux, CTV, the CBC, CNN and more.
Yet the one place you never heard a single word about it is on any Corus radio station (if there are any still operating as of this posting!
Don't get me wrong - I didn't really expect them to comment about their troubled corporate times and I suspect management might have a hand in that silence. But if a nearly 100-year-old competitor suddenly went off the air, I suspect their hosts might have had something to say about it. Protecting the tarnished Corus brand (and their jobs) I suppose.
Both Roy Green and Alex Pierson have very strong ties to Hamilton and talk about their years there frequently. I wonder if Roy will say anything on his weekend show or if Alex will have an anecdote of two to share when she gets back on Monday. I'd honestly love to hear their memories of what CHML meant to their careers, but I expect the wall of silence to continue unabated.
I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. Roy Green’s first comments on his Saturday show were about his old stomping ground and how much CHML meant to him and his career. As far as I know, he’s the only Corus personality to even mention the station and its fate.
He later did a long commentary about the place, and followed it with an interview featuring the President of the Canadian Assn. of Broadcasters about the state of the industry and the challenges it faces.You can hear that segment here. (Starts at the 1:55 mark.)
He also mentioned that up until this weekend, he had been doing his show out of the ML studios and promised that many of those who were let go were going to get together for a dinner and a few drinks to talk about their time at AM900.
Alex Pierson, a born and raised Hamilton kid, returns on Monday. We’ll see if she has anything to say about what happened on her first show back.