The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » 40th Birthday for CHAY-FM

PaulR · May 17, 2017 4:17 pm

Forty years ago, visitors to Central Ontario on the long weekend were treated to the launch of CHAY FM, the vision of Elmvale newspaper publisher Andy Markle and Toronto radio executive Vin Dittmer. At the time, AM radio still ruled the airwaves. With 100,000 watts and a massive coverage area, CHAY-FM became the first “stand alone” FM radio station in Canada, meaning, it didn’t have an AM sister station to pay the bills. Many so called “experts” predicted the station would fail on its own. Quite the opposite happened.
Those were the good old days!!
http://www.prmediamix.com/chay-fm-turns-40/

splunge · May 17, 2017 5:18 pm

gee, and just look at it now....

Dale Patterson · May 17, 2017 7:19 pm

Q-107 (CILQ) is also celebrating its 40th birthday, on Monday (May 22). Does anyone know if the station is doing anything to mark the anniversary?

The original Q-107 lineup was John Rode in morning drive, followed by Murray Smith in late mornings and program director Dave Charles in early afternoons. Then it was John Donabie in afternoon drive, Mary-Anne Carpentier in evenings and Scott Marwood on the all-night show.

Canada's Aircheck Archive will be featuring the first hour of Q-107 next week, while also continuing its celebration of CHUM's 60th anniversary as a hit music station.

http://rockradioscrapbook.ca

RadioActive · May 17, 2017 8:38 pm

Dale Patterson wrote:
Q-107 (CILQ) is also celebrating its 40th birthday, on Monday (May 22). Does anyone know if the station is doing anything to mark the anniversary?

Looks like they've turned it into a station promotion/contest.

Q 107's 40th Birthday Bash

Also FYImusicnews notes there's a Q107 reunion party set for Thursday, May 18 at the Manulife Centre.

Dale Patterson · May 17, 2017 8:45 pm

I wonder if they'll bring back any of the personalities from the past. Probably not.

mace · May 17, 2017 9:36 pm

Wasn't CHFI the first stand alone FM station in 1957? I believe CHFI AM arrived at 1540 in 1962.

PaulR · May 18, 2017 8:22 am

splunge wrote:
gee, and just look at it now....

... not sure what they are now. No regional focus, no newsroom, lots of people and format changes over the past decade.

May 18, 2017 8:50 pm

Is that that boring old muzak station that used to put drivers to sleep on the 400? They were dangerous. [a waste of electricity.]

splunge · May 18, 2017 10:12 pm

Old Codger wrote:
Is that that boring old muzak station that used to put drivers to sleep on the 400? They were dangerous. [a waste of electricity.]

perhaps, but they had a 20 share in every market between hwy 88 and Huntsville....

Radiowiz · May 18, 2017 10:48 pm

splunge wrote:
Old Codger wrote:
Is that that boring old muzak station that used to put drivers to sleep on the 400? They were dangerous. [a waste of electricity.]
perhaps, but they had a 20 share in every market between hwy 88 and Huntsville....

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!
I actually miss the easy favourites station...but then again, if it puts me to sleep and the main sponsor comes on only after I fell asleep...what's the point right? lol

Fitz · May 22, 2017 8:58 pm

Dale Patterson wrote:
Q-107 (CILQ) is also celebrating its 40th birthday, on Monday (May 22). Does anyone know if the station is doing anything to mark the anniversary?

The original Q-107 lineup was John Rode in morning drive, followed by Murray Smith in late mornings and program director Dave Charles in early afternoons. Then it was John Donabie in afternoon drive, Mary-Anne Carpentier in evenings and Scott Marwood on the all-night show.

Canada's Aircheck Archive will be featuring the first hour of Q-107 next week, while also continuing its celebration of CHUM's 60th anniversary as a hit music station.

http://rockradioscrapbook.ca

Thanks for the upload just listening now.

Fitz · May 22, 2017 9:52 pm

Just heard the clip and it's a historical artifact for sure but the playlist was very mainstream and that was Q's initial mission.Would love to hear the very best show heard on the early Q and that was Bob Mackwycz's Sunday afternoon show.

Radiowiz · May 23, 2017 10:33 pm

Isn't the 60th for AM 640 coming up?
There's something to talk about...

Radiowiz · May 24, 2017 12:29 pm

Dale Patterson wrote:
Q-107 (CILQ) is also celebrating its 40th birthday...

Here's Q 107's original 1977 launch: https://formatchange.com/q107-toronto-debuts/

Fitz · May 24, 2017 3:44 pm

Radiowiz wrote:
Dale Patterson wrote:
Q-107 (CILQ) is also celebrating its 40th birthday...
Here's Q 107's original 1977 launch: https://formatchange.com/q107-toronto-debuts/

Yes that one does have the initial three minutes. The one at Rock Radio Scrapbook takes over from there and has about 60 mins. They also have a clip in celebration of CHUM's 60th from J Michael Wilson from 1970 that is quite enjoyable.Rightly or wrongly I enjoyed the mainstream more from 1966 - 70 as I felt the hits were more creative and better produced.Not all of them of course. The 1975-77 period was especially bleak for mainstream rock and that was all the more reason to seek out the alternatives. John Rode who was the first jock on Q had a stellar history at CKFH, CHUM and other top 40 stations and even during the oldies revival era. That initial Q playlist was unexceptional at least to my ears.

Radiowiz · May 25, 2017 2:20 am

Fitz wrote:
The 1975-77 period was especially bleak for mainstream rock and that was all the more reason to seek out the alternatives.

Disco was the in thing at that point, but there's still some pretty good rock music from that time.

dwelsman · May 25, 2017 3:58 pm

CHAY (Huron word for "Welcome") died the day Corus dumped the format, replacing it with Energy. I was on staff when this happened and I remember the execs showing us a research graph pointing to the need for an urban CHR format in the Simcoe/Muskoka/York Region marketplace. What a bunch of BS that was. The station has never recovered and I doubt it ever will. It's a shame because there are some great people working very hard up there.