CHML

Some of Canada's best-known broadcasters held the mic at CHML, including Tom Cherington, Paul Hanover, Roy Green, Bill Kelly and Scott Thompson.{{cite news |title=900 CHML closes, ending nearly a century of local radio in Hamilton |url=https://www.thespec.com/business/hamilton-region/900-chml-closes-ending-nearly-a-century-of-local-radio-in-hamilton/article_1afb959e-7cb6-5be3-96fc-1b9bfa92dc68.html |access-date=August 14, 2024 |work=Hamilton Spectator |date=August 14, 2024}} It signed on the air on {{Start date and age|1927|9|28}}."Radio." Toronto Globe & Mail, September 28, 1927, p. 13. 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.

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."Hamilton L Two Ex-Mayors in Three Days." Toronto Globe & Mail, October 19, 1936, p. 13. The "HML" in the call sign stood for "Hamilton Maple Leaf". In those early years, CHML operated at 341 meters (880 kHz)."For Wednesday October 10." Toronto Globe & Mail, October 10, 1928, p. 6. 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.Senator A.C. Hardy Buys Station CHML." Toronto Star, December 5, 1934, p. 2. In 1936, Hardy asked local broadcaster Ken Soble to become the station's manager.Barney Milford. "Exhibit B in the Great TV Debate." Maclean's, October 15, 1953, p. 79.

In 1944, Soble was able to purchase CHML, owning it for more than two decades.{{cite press release| title =The Hamilton Memory Project;| publisher =The Hamilton Spectator- Souvenir Edition| date = June 10, 2006}} 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.Gillian Livingston. "CanWest, Shaw Split WIC Assets. " Toronto Star, October 16, 1999, p. E3. 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.

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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. 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.{{cite web |title=CHML-AM |url=https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/ontario/ontario-hamilton-niagara/chml-am/ |website=Broadcasting History |publisher=Canadian Communications Foundation |access-date=August 15, 2024}} 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."For Monday February 6." Toronto Globe & Mail, February 6, 1928, p. 13. 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,John X. Sanford. "The Reluctant Radio Stars". Toronto Globe & Mail, May 4, 1957, p. B4. Ken Soble's Amateur Hour,Steve York. "The Man Who Couldn't Retire Restores His Amateur Show". Toronto Globe & Mail, May 25, 1957, p. 26. and the return to radio of veteran broadcaster Jane Gray in the early 1950s.Arnold Burner. "Ken Soble-- Good Guy? Bad Guy?" Toronto Star, August 29, 1964, p. 8. Also popular was Bill Hartnoll, the "Old Garden Doctor" who broadcast advice about gardening for nearly twenty years, during the 1970s and 1980s."Bill Hartnoll 'Garden Doctor' on Radio Shows". Toronto Star, March 1, 1988, p. A10.

CHML was also the voice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, broadcasting football from 1950 to 1977, and then again from 1984 to 2015.Teri Pecoskie. "AM900 CHML Will Focus on News". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, May 30, 2015, p. A6. 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.F.F. Langan. "Norm Marshall, 89; Athlete, Writer, Singer". Toronto Globe & Mail, November 21, 2008, p. S9. In 2015, Marshall was posthumously inducted into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.[http://www.900chml.com/2015/09/18/honouring-norm-marshall/ "Honouring Norm Marshall". CHML website]

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.Renate Wilson. "Are Radio Hot Lines Getting Too Hot?" Chatelaine, September 1965, p. 39. One announcer who became known for hosting it was Perc Allen, who became the host of "Open Line" in 1959.Renate Wilson. "Are Radio Hot Lines Getting Too Hot?" Chatelaine, September 1965, p. 140. 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."They Made a Difference: Perc Allen". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, December 31, 2007, p. A12.

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.Helen Bullock. "Like an Appointment to the Senate". Toronto Star, November 28, 1982, p. D8. He was affectionately referred to as the "Mayor of the Morning".[http://hpl.ca/hanover-paul Hamilton (Ontario) Public Library. "Paul Hanover".] 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."Citizens of Distinction". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, November 11. 1995, p. 12.

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."CHML Tuned to Talk-Show Trend". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, January 29, 1996, p. C4. He left CHML in 1996 and worked at other stations for several years, before returning to CHML in 1999.Jeff Mahoney. "John Hardy Gets Axe at CHML". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, September 11, 1999, p. A1. 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.Nicole Macintyre. "Brat Happy to Work Ward 2 Into Busy Life". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, October 5, 2004, p. A6. He ultimately gave up his morning show to run for mayor of Hamilton in 2010.Andrew Dreschel. "Bratina Officially Joins Race for Mayor". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, September 3, 2010, p. A1.

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.Erik Kohanik. "CHML Building on a Tradition of Talk". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, January 26, 1995, p. D6. He was also praised by radio critics for his skill as a news-reader.Dick Beddoes. "Unity Favored? Here's Proof". Toronto Globe & Mail, October 6, 1977, p. 8. 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.Jeff Mahoney. "The Faces Behind the Voices". Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, August 22, 1998, p. W4. When Bratina was re-hired in 1999, Hardy was unexpectedly fired, and Bratina took over the morning show again.

For many years, the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and McMaster Marauders Canadian 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.

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.{{cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-J-9sRLLJug|title=CHML - 900 CHML final newscasts/sign-off (August 14, 2024)|via=YouTube}} 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. 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.{{Cite news|url=https://broadcastdialogue.com/corus-shutters-900-chml-hamilton/|work=Broadcast Dialogue|first=Connie|last=Thiessen|title=Corus shutters 900 CHML Hamilton|date=August 14, 2024|access-date=August 14, 2024}}

Corus moved the Tiger-Cats broadcasts to sister station CJXY-FM, as well as airing on affiliates CJOY in Guelph and Rogers Media-owned CKGL in Kitchener.[https://www.ticats.ca/listen/ Ticats Audio Network]. Retrieved August 16, 2024. Longtime host Rick Zamperin continued "The 5th Quarter" as a live show on YouTube with his own funding,{{Cite news |last=Radley |first=Scott |date=2024-08-29 |title=When CHML died, it looked like the Ticats’ postgame show would, too. But its longtime host is keeping it alive |url=https://www.thespec.com/sports/hamilton-region/when-chml-died-it-looked-like-the-ticats-postgame-show-would-too-but-its-longtime/article_0a3dee51-f2df-56d3-9288-2b149a8b6bbb.html |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=The Hamilton Spectator |language=en |issn=1189-9417}} and was announced in May 2025 as the new co-anchor of Morning Live on the city's CHCH-DT.Connie Thiessen, [https://broadcastdialogue.com/rick-zamperin-joins-chch-tvs-morning-live/ "Rick Zamperin joins CHCH-TV’s Morning Live"]. Broadcast Dialogue, May 2, 2025.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said of the closure, "CHML was Hamilton's DNA. It was the fabric of Hamilton."

The CRTC formally revoked the station's licence on January 17, 2025.{{cite web |title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2025-12 |url=https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2025/2025-12.htm |website=Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=January 17, 2025}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [https://broadcasting-history.ca/radio/radio-stations/ontario/ontario-hamilton-niagara/CHML-AM CHML-AM] at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the Canadian Communications Foundation
• [https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=chml&x=0&y=0&sr=Y&s=C Radio-Locator information on CHML]
• {{RecnetCanada|CHML}}

{{Hamilton Radio}}

{{Corus Entertainment}}

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Category:Radio stations established in 1927

Category:Radio stations disestablished in 2024

Category:1927 establishments in Ontario

Category:2024 disestablishments in Ontario

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