Early chum history

CHUM signed on the air on October 28, 1945 as a daytime-only station operated by Jack Q'Part, a manufacturer of patent medicines. The station's first decade was marked by a weak signal from Don Mills, struggles to attract advertisers, and programming ranging from country music to horse racing. As far as consistent streams of revenue went, the station relied on ethnic programming (including large chunks of time bought by future CHIN radio operator Johnny Lombardi) and recorded sermons from Southern preachers. After a decade, Q'Part sold the station to Allan Waters, who had worked for CHUM in various capacities since its early days. While on vacation in Miami, Waters paid attention to WQAM, one of the first stations to run a rock-based Top Forty format. Waters found listening to WQAM an experience akin to "rocks smashing together. Very hard to listen to."
Though Waters may not have enjoyed what he heard in Miami, he felt the format might be the station's salvation. Staffers at CHUM were shocked by a tape Waters played of fast-talking DJs, perky jingles, and that crazy rockin' and rollin' music. After studying tapes from several American Top Forty stations that finished first in the ratings in their markets, Waters settled on six key points that made these stations successful:

1. Exciting news all day and night, with regular newscasts at five minutes to the hour;
2. Playing the top forty tunes all the time, plus some standards;
3. Concentrating on "personality" shows;
4. Using announcers with enthusiasm and zip in their voice;
5. A fast and exciting pace all the time;
6. Unlimited on-the-air promotion.

On May 26, 1957, The Telegram tipped off the public that changes were coming to CHUM:

Radio station CHUM, whose work, like man's has been ending with the dying sun is taking on a woman-sized job tomorrow night. That's right—CHUM's work will never be done. With stepped up power (from 3,000 to 3,500 watts) and with new transmitter moved from Don Mills to Algonquin Island, CHUM, "the friendly station," aims to make more friends and influence more people with clearer signal and continuous programs for Metro and immediate areas.

At all hours of the day, listeners could now enjoy "the top 50 on 1050." The station's first published chart showed Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" at number one, followed by the morals-destroying music of Pat Boone and Andy Williams.

Opening day DJs included Phil Ladd, Harvey Dobbs, Josh King