FAREWELL TO 1050 CHUM

The long farewell: Brad Jones waves CHUM goodbye fyimusic.ca

The long farewell: Brad Jones waves CHUM goodbye

Friday May 1 2009 - 7:03AM

One might be tempted to call it the final curtain when, after his shift today, 30-plus year veteran CHUM Radio employee Brad Jones walks out of the Toronto station for the last time. Hired as an operator by Warren Cosford, serving various masters over the years, including J. Robert Wood, Jones has made numerous friends in the industry over the years, and enjoyed many a game of gold within industry alumni and associates. The following is a press release issued yesterday announcing the departure of the last man serving an old and trusted music radio station friend.The format change of 1050CHUM to CP24 Radio 1050 on March 26th affected a number of individuals and positions, including Brad Jones, Program Director 1050CHUM. I asked Brad to stay and help us through the transition; he agreed and did an amazing job with the format restructuring. Brad has played a major role in the success of 1050CHUM over many years and is a truly talented, professional “CHUM Radio” guy. Brad’s last day with us will by Friday May 1st. Please join me in thanking him for all he has done and wishing him the very best with his future endeavors.

Bill

Bill Bodnarchuk VP General Manager 104.5 CHUM FM, CP24 Radio 1050
The long farewell: Brad Jones waves CHUM goodbye fyimusic.ca

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The Canada Post -- Maple Life - 1050 CHUM switched to OFF
For the first time in 50 years there's been a strange silence in Toronto's air. For half a century, Elvis, Motown, Buddy Holly, the Beach Boys, Aretha Franklin, Roy Orbison, The Righteous Brothers, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Stones were all just a dial punch away, cloistered in the golden play lists of Toronto's once unstoppable rock 'n roll-era oldies AM radio station, 1050 CHUM. 1050 CHUM disappeared without ceremony March 26, the victim of changing media times, an all-time low ratings performance and the decreasing demographic clout of the boomer generation who drove the hit-after-hit powerhouse in Canadian broadcasting, and an iconic model of Top 40 radio, from the late 1950s on. Now, Ontario's main force in the daily lives of post-World War II teenagers and a defining element in Canada's cultural life, is no more. Sadly, 1050 CHUM died quietly after a long and steady decline. Even its home at 1331 Yonge St, a local landmark for decades, has been sold to condo developers. Replacing 1050 CHUM is CP24 Radio 1050, an audio stream from the CP24 local live TV news channel that's part of the Citytv property also taken over by CTV. Who might pick up the golden oldies slack in the Toronto listening area? Who knows? The 55-plus demographic might be substantial ­ 27 percent of the population ­ but it's less than 1 percent of advertising dollars target that age group. Which means end of story. End of an era.

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