CHML (900 AM) was a commercialradio station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, owned by Corus Entertainment. The station's long-time slogan was "Hometown Radio".[1] It went off the air on August 14, 2024 at 1 p.m., shortly after Corus announced that the station would be closing.
Some of Canada's best-known broadcasters held the mic at CHML, including Tom Cherington, Paul Hanover, Roy Green, Bill Kelly and Scott Thompson.[2] It signed on the air on September28, 1927;97 years ago(1927-09-28).[3] It began broadcasting as a response to censorship of political discussions by Hamilton's first radio station, CKOC, after that station abruptly "pulled the plug" on a radio broadcast by a minister with the United Church of Canada. Rev. James Hughson was preaching a sermon on Prohibition, a controversial plan to end sales of liquor.[2]
The original owner of CHML was the Maple Leaf Radio Company, operated by George H. Lees. Lees was a former mayor of Hamilton, and one of the elders of Rev. Hughson's church.[2][4] The "HML" in the call sign stood for "Hamilton Maple Leaf". In those early years, CHML operated at 341 meters (880kHz).[5] In early December 1934, George Lees sold the station to Senator Arthur Hardy. At that time, CHML was operating with only 50 watts of power, and the new owner hoped to increase it to 100 watts.[6] In 1936, Hardy asked local broadcaster Ken Soble to become the station's manager.[7]
In 1944, Soble was able to purchase CHML, owning it for more than two decades.[8] The station aired a middle of the road (MOR) format of popular adult music, news and information. Shortly after Soble's death in 1966, his estate sold the station to Western Broadcasting, later known as Western International Communications. Corus took over Western's radio assets in late 1999; this included twelve radio stations, among which was CHML.[9] Western oversaw the station's transition from MOR music to a news-talk format. On November 27, 2017, CHML rebranded as Global News Radio 900 CHML.
Former AM 900 CHML logoFormer logo
Programming
CHML's 1927 debut broadcast was typical of its era. Hamilton's mayor gave a brief talk, and then a series of local artists performed live from the new station's studios. The evening's master of ceremonies was tenor Fred Trestrail, who had become well known as a vocalist on CFRB in Toronto.[3] Throughout CHML's early years, the station's programming was a combination of music, news, sports and stock market reports, and religious sermons from area clergy.[10] The music was provided by local performers: one frequent guest was contralto Olive Barlow, and other guest entertainers came from the Tivoli Theatre in downtown Hamilton.[11] The station was an affiliate of CBC Radio's Dominion Network from 1944 until the network dissolved in 1962.
Throughout the years, CHML became well known for local programs, such as live broadcasts of the Hamilton City Council,[12] Ken Soble's Amateur Hour,[13] and the return to radio of veteran broadcaster Jane Gray in the early 1950s.[14] Also popular was Bill Hartnoll, the "Old Garden Doctor" who broadcast advice about gardening for nearly twenty years, during the 1970s and 1980s.[15] CHML was also the voice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, broadcasting football from 1950 to 1977, and then again from 1984 to 2015.[16] One of CHML's best-known sportscasters was Norm Marshall, who began doing play-by-play on radio in the mid-1940s, and later expanded his role to cover sports on local television station CHCH-TV; he also did some work for the CBC. He was known as the voice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for 26 years.[17] In 2015, Marshall was posthumously inducted into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.[18]
While CHML had an all-talk format in its last years, it did not begin broadcasting daily talk shows until the early 1950s. The station debuted its first talk radio program, a morning call-in show known as "Open Line," in 1954.[19] One announcer who became known for hosting it was Perc Allen, who became the host of "Open Line" in 1959.[20] Allen, who also wrote and broadcast editorials about current issues, later became a news and traffic reporter, and spent several decades as a sportscaster for CHML.[21]
Over the decades, CHML had a number of well-known announcers. Paul Hanover was a popular morning show host during the late 1940s through the early 1980s. He spent a total of 37 years on air at CHML, before being reassigned to an off-air position as Director of Public Relations in 1982. His sign-on was "Hi y'all, this is Paul," and in addition to his morning show, he also broadcast some sports events.[22] He was affectionately referred to as the "Mayor of the Morning".[23] Perhaps the first black announcer at CHML was blues and folk singer Jackie Washington; born and raised in Hamilton, Washington had his own program from 1948 to 1950.[24]
One of the best-known announcers in recent years was Bob Bratina. He had formerly worked in radio in Toronto, and subsequently spent a total of 20 years at CHML, doing a popular morning show called the "Brat Pack". His career at CHML began in the late 1980s. In addition to hosting the morning show, he also became the play-by-play announcer for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[25] He left CHML in 1996 and worked at other stations for several years, before returning to CHML in 1999.[26] He remained the morning show host until 2004, when he briefly left to run for political office. Although he won and became a city councilor, he continued with his morning show on CHML.[27] He ultimately gave up his morning show to run for mayor of Hamilton in 2010.[28]
Among other popular announcers on CHML was Tom Cherington, who was an evening talk show host in the 1960s and 1970s. He hosted a program called Action Line.[29] He was also praised by radio critics for his skill as a news-reader.[30] Also popular was John Hardy, a veteran talk show host who spent 22 years at CHML; when Bob Bratina was not working for the station, Hardy did the morning show; prior to that, he was on the air in the afternoon drive shift.[31] When Bratina was re-hired in 1999, Hardy was unexpectedly fired, and Bratina took over the morning show again.[26]
For many years, the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and McMaster MaraudersCanadian football games were heard on CHML, as were the hockey games of the Hamilton Bulldogs. The relationship between CHML and the Tiger-Cats was particularly long, as CHML had been the flagship station for the team from the year of merger of the Tigers and Wildcats in 1950 until 2014. By 2016, CHML had lost all of its sports rights to CKOC. CHML continued to air its long-running Tiger-Cats postgame show, The 5th Quarter, as an unofficial production; it also joined the Buffalo Bills Radio Network in 2016. CHML regained the rights to the Tiger-Cats in 2021 after CKOC ended its sports programming.
CHML aired old-time radio programs from the 1940s and 1950s nightly, as well as weekends. These shows featured classic NBC and CBS Radio programs. National news was provided by the Canadian Press radio service.
Closure
On August 14, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., Corus abruptly laid off the entire station staff, leaving the station on automation for the next two hours. News breaks were left unaired as music beds played without any announcements.[32] At noon, an unidentified male Corus executive interrupted the automated feed to issue a 25-second statement announcing the station's shutdown and thanking its advertisers and listeners. At that point, the station ceased programming and went to dead air for the next hour before the transmitter was shut down.[32] Corus cited "years of financial loss" and "the shift of advertising revenues to unregulated foreign platforms" as primary reasons for closing CHML, which came as part of a broader cost-cutting effort at the company.[2][33]
The Global Television Network is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after CTV, and has fifteen owned-and-operated stations throughout the country. Global is owned by Corus Entertainment — the media holdings of JR Shaw and other members of his family.
CHCH-DT is an independent television station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Channel Zero, the station maintains studios on Innovation Drive in the west end of Hamilton; prior to 2021, it was located near the corner of Jackson and Caroline streets in downtown Hamilton for nearly 65 years. The station has additional offices at the Marriott on the Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Its old transmitter was located on First Road West in the former city of Stoney Creek; it was demolished in March 2024 and replaced with a new transmitter located on Highway 5 near Millgrove Side Road in Dundas, Ontario, which started transmitting in November 2023.
Corus Entertainment, Inc. is a Canadian mass media and television production company. The company was founded in 1987 as Shaw Radio, Ltd. as a subsidiary of Shaw Communications and was spun-off from Shaw in 1999. It has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. Corus is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Ontario.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Field.
CFIQ is a commercial radio station licensed to Richmond Hill, Ontario, and serving Greater Toronto, Southern Ontario and Western New York with a talk format known as "640 Toronto". Owned by Corus Entertainment, CFIQ's studios are located at the Corus Quay Building in Toronto; despite the station's city of licence being a suburban community north of the city, the transmitter is located in the Niagara Region town of Lincoln, 60 kilometres southwest of Toronto.
CJXY-FM is a Canadian radio station serving the Hamilton, Ontario market, licensed to the suburb of Burlington. The station broadcasts an alternative-leaning active rock format as Y108. CJXY's studios are located on Main Street West in Hamilton, while its transmitter is located atop the Niagara Escarpment near Burlington.
CING-FM is a Canadian radio station in Hamilton, Ontario. The station airs a hot adult contemporary format. CING's studios are located on Main Street West in Hamilton, while its transmitter is located near Hwy 5 and Millgrove Side Rd in Flamborough. CING is owned by Corus Entertainment.
CKLH-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.9 FM in Hamilton, Ontario. The station broadcasts an adult hits format branded as Bounce 102.9. The station is owned by Bell Media. CKLH's studios are located at 25 Main Street West in Downtown Hamilton, while its transmitter is located atop the Niagara Escarpment on King Road, near the city boundaries of Hamilton and Burlington.
CHAM is an AM radio station in Hamilton, Ontario. It is owned by Neeti Prakash Ray and is part of the CINA Media Group.
CKOC is a radio station in Hamilton, Ontario. It is owned by Neeti Prakash Ray and is part of the CINA Media Group. CKOC is a 50,000-watt, Class B station operating on a regional broadcast frequency, with transmitters located near Empire Corners in Haldimand County, about 25 kilometers south of Hamilton. A six-tower directional antenna is used at all times. The station has a classic hits format promoted as "Superhits of the 70s and 80s".
Arthur Charles Hardy, was a Canadian lawyer and politician.
The following is a list of media outlets for Hamilton, Ontario:
Mike Morreale is the Commissioner and CEO of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He is a former award-winning receiver in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Roy Green is a radio personality based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Robert Bratina is a Canadian politician and former broadcaster who was the 56th mayor of Hamilton from 2010 to 2014. Previously, he sat on the Hamilton City Council from 2004 until 2010. He went on to be the Liberal member of Parliament for the riding of Hamilton East—Stoney Creek from 2015 to 2021.
Norm Marshall was a Canadian radio and television broadcaster. He and Larry O'Brien were commentators for the first telecast of a Grey Cup football game 29 November 1952 on CBLT Toronto. CBC paid both Marshall and O'Brien CAD$250 for this inaugural broadcast. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
The Buffalo Bills Radio Network is a broadcast radio network based in Buffalo, New York. Its primary programming is broadcasts of Buffalo Bills home and away games to a network of 26 stations in upstate New York, the Northwestern and Northern Tiers of Pennsylvania, and the state of Wyoming, having previously also had affiliates in Southern Ontario.
TSN Radio is a semi-national sports radio brand and part-time network in Canada carried on AM radio stations owned by Bell Media. The TSN Radio brand, and some of the stations' content, are shared with Bell Media's television sports channel, The Sports Network. With the American sports media company ESPN being a minority shareholder in TSN, most of the stations also air some ESPN Radio programming, usually on weekends and/or overnight.
Elsie Gray (1896-1984), known professional as Jane Gray was a Canadian radio and television broadcaster, who was active between 1924 and 1979. She was one of the first women to pursue a career in radio broadcasting in Canada, and was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1988.
Kenneth David Soble was a Canadian broadcasting executive, who became the owner of radio station CHML and was one of the founders of CHCH-TV, both of which were in Hamilton, Ontario. Under his management, CHCH withdrew from the CBC Television Network in 1961 to become Canada's first independent television station. He was also the original applicant for what would eventually become Canada's Global Television Network, although the application underwent numerous changes before being transferred to a separate company, unrelated to Soble's Niagara Television, in 1970. One indication of the esteem in which he was held was that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation offered him the job of president of the network in late 1966; but he decided to turn it down.
Some of the assets listed above are majority-owned, wholly-owned, by Corus Entertainment, or are under license. Refer to full asset list for detailed information.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
