That is truly in interesting fact.  RadioActive, your attention to detail is exemplary.

Nice tribute to what was the gold standard of radio news stations. Too bad CHML - another classy station with nearly a century of history - didn't get similar treatment at the end. Goodbye to 57 years of great news radio at WCBS-AM.

RadioActive wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

Nice tribute to what was the gold standard of radio news stations. Too bad CHML - another classy station with nearly a century of history - didn't get similar treatment at the end. Goodbye to 57 years of great news radio at WCBS-AM.

100% agree. They may be a lousy radio company, but full credit to Audacy for giving this iconic station the chance to say goodbye. That was a class act and the on-air types did themselves proud, without rancor or blame. You don't see that very often any more. Blows Corus' response right out of the water.

Yeah, considering that Corus' decision to pull the plug on CHML was likely a long time coming, they definitely could've come up with a better send off than that (if you can even call what they did a "send off"). You have to wonder what was the straw that broke the camel's back that made Corus execs say, "Okay, it's time to pull the plug now" so abruptly at 10:00 am that fateful morning? Why not at least let the station play out until the end of the day?

It's not like the guys in their ivory towers woke up that morning and came to the startling realization of, "Oh, shit, we're losing money, aren't we? Better put a stop to that!" 

At least I presume that's not how that played out. 



PJ
 

We are overlooking one big difference however.  CHML closed down completely.  880 WCBS was rebranded as another station, WHSQ-AM ESPN radio, and the frequency is still in use.  900 CHML is not.

The WCBS situation was closer to when CHUM moved from Top 40 to all sports.  CHUM had a month long goodbye when they finally got out of playing music.  When a station closes down and goes off the air and not replaced by anything is not the same thing. 

That is not to say that the CHML closing was handled well.  It wasn't, and out of respect for the audience, staff and the station itself, there should have been a more proper send off, even for a few hours after the announcement.  Even with a taped message or good bye that could have run more than once. 

It has been surprising the amount of press on this story.  The Hamilton Spectator has done a good job reflecting on CHML and it's history in Hamilton and area.  Hometown radio is no more in that city. 

 

 

With all the craziness surrounding the end of WCBS and the beginning of 880 as all sports, I wondered what would become of 1050 ESPN, where the sports network originally resided, as well as on FM. According to Barrett Sports Media, the New York feed will continue on that AM outlet, as well. 

Meanwhile, the 98.7 frequency will end the simulcast broadcasts on Friday. That means that for this week, at least, three separate stations in the biggest market on the planet are all playing the exact same thing.  

What a waste. 

What happens to the valuable FM real estate remains to be seen. 

RadioActive wrote:

Well, partially. What in the world does "TJ" stand for? 

"The TJ Show" is a syndicated morning show that will air on the station.

RadioActive wrote:

The mystery of what will wind up on 98.7 FM in New York with the change to sports on 880 seems to have been solved, at least for now.

‘TJ’ Begins Stunting on Emmis’ 98.7 NYC FM Following ESPN Exit

"How long it will last, no one knows… but we’re having fun. It reminded me that this is what radio can be like when you remove all the distractions and focus on Entertainment & Fun while Selling Services and Products for advertisers."

How We Launched A Radio Station in New York City in Nine Days