CHUM-AM and FM, TORONTO, ONTARIO. At the suggestion of Tayler Parnaby who had been working as a CHUM reporter for several years, Bud approached news director Robert MacBain, a seasoned newspaper reporter. After a short audition, MacBain requested he write a newscast from a handful of items from the wire service. "I sat down at a typewriter for about 10 minutes and put the 'cast together using five or six items and submitted it. Robert took the two pages into his office. A few minutes later, I heard him laughing and I thought I was done for." A few minutes later, Bud says, the news director emerged and asked if he always wrote like that. Bud confirmed that he did. MacBain hired him immediately. At CHUM he earned a reputation as a feature writer and performer. Deprived of his own radio show, Bud began writing jokes, mostly one-liners, for morning man Jay Nelson. Bud stayed for about two years before moving on to CKFH.
"My first visit to a radio station came in 1957 when my Ryerson classmate Derek Lind invited me to his part-time workplace, CHUM, where we hung out with all-night jock John Spragge who was also a student at Ryerson. I got to meet morning man Al Boliska and newsman Peter Dickens. 20-year-old Derek was working news shifts at CHUM while studying broadcasting at Ryerson. When he left CHUM he started a long radio career in Montreal's CFCF where he established himself as the morning newscaster until 1985. He then spent the next two decades at CJAD until his retirement in 2004. Derek was also seen on the TV Weather Network presenting weather vignettes. Derek leaves CFCF Radio Click here for more on Derek Lind
CHUM-AM was the leading rock format station in Canada with a Canadian audience well over one million listeners. (CKLW in Windsor had more by virtue of the large American audience across the river in Detroit). CHUM was noted for its innovate promotional techniques that were copied by rock stations across the country.
CHUM owner
Jay Nelson (aka. Frank Coxe) started his radio life in Milwaukee at WRIT in 1955 and a year later was at WARM in Scranton, Penn. In 1957 he moved on to WHLO Akron, Ohio and three years later was at WBNY Buffalo, N.Y. His reputation as a comic and a mimic soared when he landed a job at WKBW -TV with an afternoon kids show. That is when he became Jungle Jay. That same year, 1963, CHUM in Toronto hired him as a replacement for Al Boliska who left for Montreal. Jay stayed until 1980 when he returned to television as CITY-TV's weatherman. That was followed by stints at several Toronto stations: CKFM-FM from 1982-1985 followed in succession by CHFI (1985), CKEY (1986) and CJEZ (1987-1990). Jay died on Feb. 18, 1994. More on Jay
Brian Skinner came to CHUM from rival station CKEY IN 1963 as a 'swing' announcer. In 1965, Brian took over the 7 to 10PM slot when Dave Johnson left for CFGM in Richmond Hill. He kept that slot until late 1968 or early '69 when p.d. Bob Wood moved him to over- nights, replacing Bob Laine and the new 1050 CHUM regime began. Brian became well known for his Saturday night, 9 to midnight 'Grooveyard' program, which featured oldies mixed in with all kinds of macabre production provided by CHUM producer Doug Thompson: ghouls, creaking doors, bats flying out the window, Dracula and Frankenstein movie clip drop-ins etc.. He also recorded a single for Arc Records called "Do The Frankie", which was written by Garry Ferrier. In the late 1960's, Brian wrote and produced a series of albums for Arc's Occultia label. These included an LP on the meaning of dreams and a series of 12 Astrology albums, one for each sign of the zodiak. Brian was into UFO's as well, even to the point that he got a half hour weekly show on CHUM called "UFO Info" with Gene Duplantier. Skinner's on-air handle was "The Prez". His off-air serious manner was at odds with his on-air warm, friendly demeanor.
Chuck McCoy (aka Vidler) started his radio career at the top in western Canada terms, joining the staff of CKY-FM in Winnipeg where he says he learned a lot about radio from fellow announcer J. Robert Wood. From there he went to CJME, Regina, Sask., and then to CJRN Niagara Falls where he joined Bud Riley on the air. His next stop was at St. Thomas, ON., where he again met up with Wood. After a short stop at CKFH in Toronto, he moved up Yonge Street and again joined Riley and Robert Wood, who by this time, was the CHUM programme director. It also meant that he and Bud Riley were working together. The move fulfilled Chuck's a long-time ambition to be at the premier rock format station in Canada. Now he raised his sights and longed to be a programmer. That was realized when CHUM sent him to Vancouver as the P.D. of newly-purchased CFUN. Since then he has managed his own broadcast consultancy business and is rose in the executive ranks to become vice president of the media giant, Rogers Broadcasting in Toronto. After several decades at Rogers he retired 2012. Chuck was inducted into the Country Music Week Hall of Fame in march, 2009, ,for his work in promoting the Canadian music industry.
Kim Calloway was a major voice in the CHUM newsroom under Mac Lipson and later Robert MacBain as the City Hall and Legislature reporter. In 1968, after a conflict with MacBain, Kim switched over to the FM side of CHUM to host his own 6-9 p.m. show, Calloway's Collage", where he proved to be an excellent interviewer. He scored a coup with an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono at their Toronto "bed-in" at the King Edward Hotel. In 1970 and 1971 he was at the CBC as a researcher/fill-in host for Peter Gzowski's Radio Free Friday. Kim moved into the talk show format when he left Toronto in 1972 for CKWX Vancouver. In the 1980s he took his talk show to CKOV Kelowna, B.C. In 2004 he received the Jack Webster Award for best reporting of that year. Kim died in B.C. in 2013
Jackson Armstrong (born John Larsh) had a profound influence on a great many young announcers in the US and Canada. The great motor-mouth was the most rapid fire rock jock of any during the heyday of the genre. Here's a rapid fire look at his career, city by city: Charlotte, N.C., Cleveland, Boston, Toronto (CHUM, of course), Hartford, Buffalo (WKBW), Pittsburg, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and back to WKBW. While in Canada, he was known for his wild voice-over on a chicken soup TV commercial. Jack claimed he could speak 690 words a minute**.
He once complained to Bud Riley that CHUM was paying him so much money, he couldn't move out of Toronto-- no other station in Canada or the US could afford him. Of course, he did get out. Jack died in hospital March 22, 2008, after a fall down the very steep stairs at his home in North Carolina. He was 63. Just weeks before his death, Doug Thompson complained to friends in Toronto that the steep stairs at Jackson's place are scary.
(Obit by his daughter Devon Larsh Fischer.
Click here for more on Jackson Armstrong Click here for even more on Jackson
** At the time, the Guinness world record was held by hockey broadcaster Danny Gallivan. One evening, Jackson asked newsman Bud Riley to record his effort to break the record on his next on-air stint. He claimed he did it but to several people in the newsroom, little of Jackson's between records chatter was comprehensible.The current Guinness world record is held be Canadian Sean Shannon set in 1995 at 290 words in 23 second.
On July 1, 1968, CHUM-FM abandoned its classics format for progressive rock and adopted a somewhat free-form radio. In the hands of Gary Ferrier, Hugh Curry, Dave Pritchard and Peter Griffin, it seemed always new and refreshing. Dave Pritchard, for example, would open his show by saying his name backwards and forwards, sometimes as Dave and other times as David and sometimes drawing it out at great length, because, as he told Bud Riley, "I'm pushing the envelope." London-born (England), Dave was creative in other ways, producing his own, very large oil paintings and was an accomplished musician, the first Canadian signed to a contract by Island Records. He was also producer of several critically aclaimed rock music documentaries. He left CHUM in 1975 for Q-107, and then became programme director at CFNY-FM in Brampton. David Pritchard/Pritchard Dave, died on Feb. 27, 2005, in Toronto. Click here for more on Dave Pritchard
Doug Thompson, began his career as a board operator at CJCA-FM and AM at Edmonton in 1964 before moving to CHUM Toronto in 1965 as an operator but soon became production manager. In 1972, after nine years, he created his own company That Commercial Place to produce radio and TV features and other commercial ventures. Clients include Pepsi, KFC, Sears, Paramount Pictures, VW and McCain Foods. For two years he was actor John Candy's creative director at Frostbacks Productions producing "Radio Kandy" which was aired on 350 stations in the US. Ringo Starr invited Doug to London to work on the former Beatle's special projects. His work has garnered him 151 broadcasting awards including a great many CLIO awards for national commercials production. He has seen his work featured on CBC, GLOBAL, NBC, ABC, and Rolling Stone Magazine Productions. From 1991 to 1995, he was executive producer for Telemedia Network Radio Toronto. Doug's media column appears regularly in Canada's Broadcast Dialogue Magazine. Today, he is curator and manager of the CHUM archives and a hands-on board member of the Canadian Broadcast Museum and Archives. See Doug Thompson on YouTube
Garry Ferrier was a CHUM copywriter and a weekend jock in the early 60s. He had been at CHWO in Oakville and CKFH in the late 1950s. He and Larry Solway wrote and performed many comedy features and commercials for CHUM. Garry and Larry also created comedy bits for ABC Radio's 'Flair' in the US. Garry was one fourth of the CHUMingbirds and wrote their hit, "The Brotherhood of Man". He also wrote and recorded a CHUM chart song that parodied Bob Dylan's hit "Like A Rolling Stone". It was called "Like A Dribbling Fram". Garry wrote and recorded several other songs, including one for Christmas, "Ringo Deer". In 1968, Garry became program director for the new CHUM-FM when it switched from classical to progressive rock. He left CHUM in 1970, relocating in Nashville to write for the Johnny Cash CBS-TV Show. He and his writing partner, Aubrey Tadman, moved to LA a few years later and wrote for several comedy and variety shows, including the "Donny & Marie Show", "Dennis The Menace", "Three's Company", "9 to 5", "Private Benjamin", "Rhoda" and "Welcome Back Kotter." He and Tadman (among others) were nominated for an Emmy for "(Dick) Van Dyke and Company" (1977). Now retired in Toronto, Garry still finds time to take on interesting writing projects. His latest (2015) is a stage play.
Click here for more on Garry Ferrier
John Spragge began his professional career while a broadcasting student at Ryerson in 1957, doing weekend and overnight shifts at CHUM. He handled the afternoon show when he came on full-time and stayed until 1968. Shortly after former school mate Bud Riley arrived to do news, John left to manage the Radio Sales Bureau. Shortly after that he joined Standard Broadcast Sales (CFRB) in Toronto. He took over programming the station in 1972. After that he had management positions in Kitchener with CFCA, CKKW, and CKCO-TV. John died on Dec. 16, 2008.
Marshall Armstrong (aka David Collison), a self-taught, extremely well-read high school dropout, had a compulsion to analyse anything and everything and the language skill to propound it. He and Bud Riley hit it off immediately. Marshall had come to CHUM from the Big Eight, the power house rock station in Windsor that, despite the size of its Ontario home market, dominated the Detroit radio market. He left CHUM to become news director at CFGM in Richmond Hill and a year later he was at CKFH. His career wound up in Winnipeg where he earned acclaim as an investigative reporter responsible for the adoption of Winnipeg's smoke alarm law and full paramedic ambulance service. Retired from broadcasting, his final years were busy running a resume writing service called Resume Advantage. He died in early 2009. (See another entry at CKFH) Click here for Marshall's obituary
Larry Solway was vice president of programming at CHUM and the premier talk show host in Toronto during the 60s, noted for his no-nonsense approach to controversial issues. His "Speak Your Mind" however came to an end in late November 1970 when he dared to quote from Dr. David Rubin's book, "All You Wanted To Know About Sex." His graphic description of an orgasm practically closed down some telephone exchanges in Toronto with a flood of angry callers. CHUM owner Allen Waters fired Larry within hours. That event caused him to turn again to acting and the stage. He appeared in several films including a short role in the Canadian-made cult classic, "Meatballs." He co-hosted, "Juliet and Friends" and was a panelist on "This is the Law". Between 1976 and 1997 he hosted other phone-in shows, "Talkback" on CHIC, CFGM in Richmond Hill, CFRB Toronto 1991-1992 and Talk-640 1995-1997. He also had time to write an autobiography, "The Day I Invented Sex", the title being a reference to his last hours on CHUM. In his last years he wrote a blog, "Looking Ahead" and traveled extensively. Larry died of cancer at 83 in Toronto on Jan. 9, 2012.
Click here for Larry's obituary
Click here for Larry's last Blog
Peter Dickens was the first newsman Bud met at CHUM. But was only visiting the station with a Ryerson classmate, Derek Lind, who worked part-time at the station in 1957. The pair hung out with overnight jock John Spragge, another classmate from Ryerson. Just before six am Dickens and Al Boliska arrived to start the morning shift. Peter, a tall, good looking announcer with an authoritative voice, was tailor-made for a TV anchor spot but spent his entire career on radio. Peter was a graduate of the famed Lorne Green Academy of Radio Arts. He began his on air career at CHLO at St. Thomas, Ontario, in 1948. Ten years later he signed on CHUM as their morning newscaster He left CHUM for Richmond Hill's CFGM in 1972. From there he went to CFRB were he was a morning newscaster until retirement in 1994.
Peter Dickens died of health issues complicated by Covic.
Larry Wilson came to CHUM from Kingston's CKWS. He was a creative force in the CHUM newsroom setting a bold and entertaining style. He switched to sports in 1970 and two years later he joined the FM staff down the hall at the back of the CHUM building. A few years later, Larry was so disheartened by the changes in radio, he gave it up and retired to the Dominican Republic where he opened a bicycle shop and a small construction company installing in-ground swimming pools. When that no longer satisfied, he returned to Toronto and took work as a movie projectionist. He died at the age of 55 in January 4, 1997.
Tayler Parnaby was named acting news director when CHUM's famed news director Bill Drylie died in the mid 60s. He stepped aside when Mac Lipson was hired as news director and later newspaper veteran Robert MacBain was named as Drylie's permanent replacement. Tayler was the busiest body in the newsroom performing as MacBain's right hand man. He took the responsibility to show the ropes to newcomers like Bud Riley. After CHUM, he was president of CKO, the Toronto station which was part of the all-news radio network until a year before it folded in the 1989. From there he became the senior newscaster at CFRB where he stayed for two decades until his retirement in 2010.
Art Lewis was the chief parliamentary reporter for the Contemporary News network. In the mid-70s, he left to go to CBC-TV (CBOT) and was there until the early 2000s.
Click here for more on CHUM Contemporary News
David Haydu (aka Geets Romo and Phil Inn) was the most popular CHUM employee because of his cheeky humour and genuine personality. He came to CHUM from CKFH where he was an operator. At 'FH he was known to get into trouble by mislaying his key to the front door forcing him to open up the station on those mornings by smashing a large glass door panel to gain entry. Barry Nesbitt tried to fire him more than once only to have the less-than contrite Haydu send him into side-splitting laughter. At CHUM he found J. Robert Wood quite capable of canning him. When that happened in 1969, George Jones hired him for the engineering department to do maintenance on the equipment. That freed him up to fill-in occasionally as a jock on the more loosely structured CHUM-FM. That was when he dubbed himself "Phil Inn". Eventually he teamed up on a regular basis with Peter Griffin and together they became "Pete 'n Geets". It was a team that stuck together even when they left CHUM to work at other radio stations in the Toronto area. Today David builds new radio stations, taking total charge of the engineering, construction and installation (Pete Griffin died at 81, May 25, 2011)
Reiner Schwarz was a new voice on CHUM-FM in the late 60s and was noted for his innovative approach to radio. He was at CKFM in the 1980s and at CFNY as PD from1989 to 1991. From 1993 to 1997 he was a talk show host at AM-740 and from 2005 to 2007 he hosted a late night show on JAZZ-91 (91.1 FM). For a short time he hosted "Across The Universe" on CIUT. Reiner's experience includes ventures into media writing, production and some fifty appearances as an actor in television dramas and feature films. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0777405/ In recent years he has renewed his interest in art and music. In 2005 he has taken up playing drums and guitar. As a youth, he had a strong interest in painting and he has taken it up again starting in March 2009. His output of canvases is prolific producing 80 canvases in 18 months.Rolling Stone Magazine called him a "working class hero". TV Guide described him as "A man for all media'’. The Toronto Star praised his now legendary mid-seventies "Nightmusic" television series as, "...a visual oasis--what rock once was to the rest of music." Reiner Schwarz died on Sunday, August 30, 2014. Reiner Schwarz Obituary
When Ron Knight was first at CHUM he was forced to use the name "Steve Hunter" because his own name was being used by Art Curthburt, another CHUM newsman. In 1969, when Ron joined CHUM for the second time, he was able to use his own name. Ron was elected to the Ontario Legislature and made history as the first M.P. P. to make a speech at Queen's Park in a native Canadian language. In 1977, Ron was the talk show host at CFGM in Richmond Hill.
Bob Carr, who had created his "Newsroom-2" freelance service out of Queen's Park, worked on special assignments for CHUM news director Robert MacBain.
Ted Randal was CHUM's programme consultant who brought the Drake style programming system to Toronto. He was the founder of Randal Enterprises of Hollywood which produced live concerts and was consulted by many Canadian and American stations. He had a long career in radio as an announcer beginning with KASH in Eugene Oregon. Ted moved on quickly, gaining valuable experience at such stations as KOBY (1956), KPIX (1958), KEWB in Oakland, Cal. (1959) and KFWB (1962). Allen Waters noticed the Randal consulting successes and brought him to Toronto in the mid-60s. In 1976 he left CHUM for CKAM in Hamilton as programme director. The following year he signed on to CHFI-FM Toronto as P.D. He retired in Victoria, B.C. and spent his retirement years painting in oils and egg-tempera technique. See more on this on Ted's personal web page. Ted died in hospital from a heart attack and stroke on February 6, 2021.
Hal Weaver is considered by many to have been one of the best Canadian-born rock jocks. He had a dynamic personality and voice to match. Listeners loved the "smile" carried in that big voice. His start in Radio came at CKRD in Red Deer, Alberta, but soon moved on to Edmonton in 1964. The following year he relocated to St. Thomas, Ontario, and after two years he moved to CKOC Hamilton. In 1968, J. Robert Wood pulled him over to CHUM where he stayed for two years before moving Vancouver's CKVN in 1970. Hal died of throat cancer at the age of 28 in December, 1971, at Surrey, B.C.
Bob Laine became an overnight habit for radio listeners in Southern Ontario.He began his career at CHNS in Simcoe, Ontario but in May of 1958 he joined CHUM to host the overnight shift. His only stint away from CHUM was a three month morning shift during 1962 at CFGM in Richmond Hill. Laine moved into management in the 1970s. In October of 2003, after almost 45 continuous years with CHUM stations as an announcer and executive, he retired. For several years Bob turned to teaching broadcasting at Seneca College in Toronto and was co-curator with Doug Thompson of the CHUM Archives. After a long fight against cancer, Bob died at 72 on August 31, 2011. click here for Testimonial for Bob
Bob McAdorey started his radio career in 1953 at his hometown station, CHVC in Niagara Falls. Bob came to CHUM from CJOY in Guelph in 1961. He was not only a jock but he was the station's librarian. Bud Riley had been at CHUM for only three weeks when Bob went on vacation. Days later Bob called the newsroom to get a piece of information and Bud asked him when he was coming back. "I'm not!" was the reply. That was the first the staff heard that this major on-air voice was moving on. "Mac" appeared next at the country station CFGM in Richmond Hill and later he was heard on the other rock station CFTR Toronto. In the mid-70s, he joined Global Television and specialized in entertainment news. Click here for more on McAdorey
Jim Bezak came to CHUM from Brampton and became part of the newsroom contingent in the late 60s along with Fred Whiting.
Video and Audio clips from www.rockradioscrapbook.com and private collections of Doug Thompson, CHUM Archives, Charlie Ritenberg, Bud Riley, Dave Ross, Westlyn Mather, Don Shuttleworth and others.
The CHUM studios considered for decades as a major Yonge St. landmark. It was demolished beginning on Sept. 29, 2016.
Iain Brownlee CHUM's traffic reporter, started his career in his home town of Midland but soon moved into Barrie TV (CKVR). From there he moved to CHUM and a split shift doing traffic reports from the CHUM helicopter. Iain relied on his pilot to get him up and down the highways and streets of Metro Toronto. He was stationed mostly at the Island Airport and rarely appeared at the newsroom. Then came the chopper accident. For weeks, Ian and his pilot engaged in a bit of high-jinks, using the chopper skids to pick up picnic tables on Toronto Island and arranging them like furniture in new locations. Parks Commissioner Tommy Thompson ordered the tables to be anchored to the ground to thwart what he thought were vandals. The next time the traffic chopper tried to lift a table, it flipped itself right over. Both men suffered injuries and embarrassment. Tayler Parnaby recalls reporting that it was ice that froze the tables to the ground, not anchors. For three years in the 70s he taught broadcasting at Niagara College. Because he had come from CHUM, his students called him "Chumlee." Brownlee moved onto CKEY, CKO and CFRB through the 70s and 80s. He was the narrator/host of Wild Animals of The World, a TV show during the 1970s. Iain owned a power boat which he operated for a short time conducting tours on Lake Simcoe. Iain died of cancer on Saturday, March 23, 2013 just three days short of his 70th birthday. See Brownlee obituary.
Hugh Curry appreciated Bud Riley's newscasts and often drafted him to insert especially tailored newscasts into his CHUM-FM show. He engineered a major coup on a trip to London, England, when he obtained an exclusive interview with Paul McCartney and George Harrison. In December 1968, Hugh left CHUM to open his own media company, Dream Machine. He also took acting roles in films, notably his critically acclaimed performance as a Nashville record executive in the Canadian film, "The Hard Part Begins", Donnelly Rhodes vehicle in 1973. After CHUM, Hugh was contracted by the CBC to go to London to do interviews for a show called "Through the Eyes of Tomorrow." He conducted interviews with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Charlie Watts, Steve Winwood, Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, the Deep Purple, Gary Wright and Spooky Tooth, Bee Gees, Mary Hopkin, John Lennon,Yoko Ono, and John Mayall.(see 1969 video interview with Hendrix) He hung out with Hendrix and Noel Redding (Jimi's bass player) in Majorca and recording sessions at Olympic recording studios in Barnes. Returning to Toronto he got involved in the concert promotion with business partner John Brower. After a successful Toronto Pop Festival and Toronto Rock 'N' Roll Revival, John and Yoko showed up at Varsity Stadium with Eric Clapton and Klaus Voorman as part of the first Plastic Ono Band, the first time Lennon played publicly without the Beatles. Since 1989, Hugh and his wife Kathleen have been world travelers but spend most of their time on their fruit and avocado/orange/pear plantation in Grenada (see photos) but touch down part of their time at the family farm in Orangeville. ( In his own words, more on Hugh's career)
Jeanne Johnston (now Sheridan) was the first person visitors to CHUM would meet after entering the front door. Jeanne was the young telephone operator/receptionist from 1969 to 1972.She worked part time at CHUM through 1973 before taking a full-time job at a well know Toronto health institute.
Paul Akehurst was the coolest reporter in the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa. He started as a boy-interviewer with a regular 15 minute weekly national radio program hosted by Doug Maxwell (from CJBC Toronto) on the old CBC Dominion Radio Network in 1954 at the age of 12 which he continued until 1957 with a pay of $40 a week, a fortune at that time for a kid! In late 1959, he moved on to CJOY in Guelph where he was the all-night jock, followed by a stint at CFOS Owen Sound. Broadcast News in Toronto was next in 1960. Paul quickly moved on to CKOY in Ottawa in 1961 where he was one of the first hotline radio hosts. (Paul took over CHUM's talk show when Solway was fired in 1970 and did the show from Ottawa for a year.) In 1963, Paul became CHUM's Bureau Chief and in 1968 created and managed Canadian Contemporary News, a national radio news network. This news system not only covered the Parliament and Legislative beats but was designed for member stations to contribute news of local and national significance. He won a Radio and TV News Directors Association of Canada (RTNDA) award for breaking and reporting on a series of national news stories. (More on the awards) 1974, he was named president of Intertask Conferences, a CHUM-backed venture to plan international conferences and special events. In 1976, Paul bought controlling interest in the company and sold it in 2010. Paul's son now runs the company. Today, semi retired, Paul
is Chairman of the Rideau Canal Advisory Committee to Parks Canada's Superintendent of National Canals.
Radio & TV student, John Spragge in rehearsal with Sheldon Glass for a Ryerson play March 1, 1957
CFOR Orillia 1957-1958 CKAR Huntsville 1959 C-HOW Welland 1959-1967
CKPR Thunder Bay 1963-1964 CJRN Niagara Falls 1967-69 CHUM 1968-1969
CKFH Toronto 1969-1974 CJRT - FM Toronto 1974-1985 Freelance 1985-2000
NEXT: go to CKFH Toronto
CHUM RADIO TORONTO
Photos of the busy CHUM newsroom
Paul with Prime Minister Mike Pearson
Bruce Northum arrived from Calgary to CHUM and for a short time in Toronto combined his work on radio with acting. He eventually made his way to Regina, Sask. and reported news for CJME.
Gord James was a long-time morning man at CHUM-AM
Robert MacBain, became CHUM's news director after Mac Lipson, the short term successor to Bill Drylie. Robert had been a senior reporter at the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and the Telegram. He had also been a reporter at the Barrie Examiner, St. Catharines Standard, Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald. Unlike most former print journalists working in radio, MacBain did not try and put out an electronic newspaper. Instead, he found innovative ways to maximize the impact of radio news – such as encouraging Larry Wilson to use sound effects to spice up the evening newscasts. Taken to task by CHUM’s broadcasting consultant for the fact that he heard Bud Riley laughing during a 3:00 a.m. broadcast, MacBain defended Bud saying, "He probably thought it was funny and the listeners were probably laughing along with him.” MacBain's approach to news appeared to work as CHUM's audience increased significantly during his time there. On leaving CHUM in 1969, MacBain entered public relations and gained recognition as a top practitioner specializing in crisis communication management through his company, MacBain Public Affairs Inc. At the age of 74, he completed his first novel, "Two Lives Crossing", (see more on this book published in 2013) and in April 2016, a non-fiction book on Canada and the Indians, "Their Home and Native Land." MacBain is married to former federal Liberal cabinet minister Maria Minna. More on the Honorable Maria Minna P.C.
In October, 2020, Robert announced he was back in the public affairs business of crisis communications management and already has several high profile national clients.
.See Pete & Geets on a TV interview and other video and audio clips
Bill Pring started his career at CFPL in London, Ontario, in 1955. He was at CHUM through the mid-sixties and was news director at CHNO in Sudbury in 1975.
George Ferguson left CFOX in Montreal were he was posted to an overnight shift. He came to CHUM in 1969 but shortly was posted to the CHUM Contemporary News Parliament Hill Bureau in Ottawa and stayed untl 1974. Moving to St. John, New Brunswick where he became general manager at CHSJ and CHWV. He retired from there in 2001.
e-mail budrileyradio: bgoreilly@rogers.com
CHUM ad Oct. 30, 1971, final issue Toronto Telegram.
Murray “the K” Kaufman, was recruited to help launch CHUM's new FM format in the late 60s. Murray was one of the most influential on-air and behind-the-scenes impresario during the early evolution of rock music – from doo wop and rockabilly to rock’s emergence as what he called “the soundtrack of our lives" from the 1950s through to the 70s. During the early days of Beatlemania, he frequently referred to himself as the fifth Beatle. Murray The K Kaufman died in Los Angeles in Feb. 21, 1982.
Danny Lewicki, former NHL hockey player, joined the CHUM sales staff when he retired in 1963. Lewicki's hockey career with Chicago, New York and Toronto was punctuated by controversies including changes to the contract signings, and an unwarranted demotion from the Maple Leaf organization because he got married during the hockey season without Conn Smyth's knowledge or permission. In his 9-year career, he was one of the few players to win a Memorial Cup, Allan Cup and the Stanley Cup. He stayed with CHUM for 13 years before going into the auto parts business.
Danny died at 87 on Sept. 25, 2018.
See Robert MacBain discuss his latest book
project: Their Home and Native Land
Derek Lind CHUM 1960
CLICK HERE FOR THE
Fred Sherratt was a CHUM executive who helped shape the station to become the leading media company in Canada. Fred held many posts including chief operating officer, executive vice president and vice chairman. He was inducted into the Canadian Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1995.
Peter Griffin started his radio career in his home town of Orillia, Ontario at CFOR. (seen here in photo). In 1963 he was playing classical music on CHUM FM. When the station changed format to rock in 1968, David Haydu joined him as his operator for the morning show. They clicked as a comedy duo "Pete 'n Geets". In 1980, Peter left to do mornings on CFNY where he was eventually reunited with David two years later. Griffin died at 81 in May 2011.
Fred Whiting started his news career in Winnipeg in 1958 at CKY. A year later he signed on at CJOB Edmonton. In 1968, he joined the CHUM news staff
This is a 1957 45 rpm recording on Verve Records "What is a disc Jockey"
MacBain interviewed on Seniors Calling by Lynne Brown
Comments and suggestions:
Mike Rutledge was Jay Nelson's operator for several years during the early and mid sixties.
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Audio of Kim Calloway interview with John Lennon
Read more about Dave and hear a sample of his work
.J. Robert Wood, had an extensive announcing career before joining CHUM as programme director. His start in radio was at CKY in Winnipeg. Bob was a mentor to many young, talented jocks including Chuck McCoy whom he first met at CKY. J. Robert Wood as the 2016 inductee to the Canadian Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame. An innovator and veteran of the industry for more than five decades, Wood will be honored for his achievements and longstanding career in broadcasting with the Allan Waters Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award. The induction ceremony took place during the Canadian Radio Music Awards.
George Jones was CHUM's chief engineer from 1957 to 1978 when he was elevated to Supervisor of Engineering CHUM Group. Jones was replaced as chief engineer CHUM AM and FM by Burrell Hadden. George Jones died in early April, 2020.
Sample of Ted's paintings below.
Larry Wilson remembered by his son Kevin.
Larry and Bud Riley worked together in the CHUM newsroom in 1968 and 69. Here is how Bud Remembers that time..