1050 CHUM: A Final Appreciation
Written Mar. 27, 2009 by Sean Ross in Terrestrial Radio
Source Link and Full Article: http://www.infinitedial.com/2009/03/1050_chum_a_final_appreciation.php
Article Clip
We did warn you a few weeks back that with Oldies having gotten easier to program on Canadian FM that your time to enjoy the eclectic Oldies format on 1050 CHUM-AM Toronto was probably limited. CHUM was on its second low-rated incarnation as an Oldies station. Canadian Oldies AMs have been phasing themselves out at a relatively regular clip in recent years. But its switch to all-news this week was still a shock to the system of many Canadian radio people. "What a disaster for radio! What an insult to our industry, to this city!" wrote one Canadian radio friend.
For the record, I'm really sorry to lose CHUM's Oldies format, too. In its second Oldies run under PD Brad Jones it had great depth and breadth. It was also one of the few Oldies AMs in Canada that gave you a sense of how many British hits had repeated their success in Canada without ever getting traction here. It was also one of the few stations that truly served as an example of "better living through voice-tracking" -- CKWW Detroit PD Charlie O'Brien pulled double-duty on CHUM and if you didn't know that, you wouldn't have figured it out from the on-air product.