June 6, 1986, was the day the music died for many radio listeners…
On this date, 1050 CHUM, switched from its once popular and widely admired Top 40 pop, rock and oldies format to middle-of-the-road adult contemporary, an unpalatable menu of elevator soft rock and oldies-but-seldom-goodies. Thankfully, the Waters family–owned company didn’t do what’s normally done when a radio station dumps formats: blindside its employees by sneakily changing the workplace locks after hours and taping a mass termination notice to one of the outside doors. Most, if not all of CHUM’s employees remained with the respected broadcaster.
Perhaps the biggest casualty of the station’s switch to the “favourites of yesterday and today” adult contemporary format was the sad end of the influential CHUM Chart and its history-making role as North America’s longest-running radio station hit singles survey. The first CHUM Chart was published on May 27, 1957, and its No. 1 hit was “All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley. Incidentally, the chart’s final No. 1 was “Live to Tell” by Madonna.
As depressing as this day was for fans of classic old time rock ’n’ roll and pop, the final song before the official 3:00 p.m. signoff must have felt like a kick in the face… or lower. Instead of going down swinging with a killer anthem from the Rolling Stones or The Kinks, CHUM bid adieu to their 29-year rock legacy with the near-universally loathed Starship hit “We Built This City.” But as malodorous as this tune was and is – both Rolling Stone and Blender magazines rightly named it the worst song of the 1980s – you gotta admit its title is 100 per cent accurate and appropriate.
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