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CHUM (AM)

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CHUM (AM)
File:1050 chum.gif
Frequency1050 kHz (AM)
Branding1050 CHUM (pronounced as the word "chum")
Programming
FormatOldies (50s, 60s, 70s)
Ownership
OwnerCTVglobemedia
History
First air date
1944
Technical information
Power50 KW
Links
Websitewww.1050chum.com

CHUM, broadcasting at 1050 kHz on the AM dial, is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, owned and operated by CTVglobemedia. The sister station on the FM dial is 104.5 CHUM-FM.

1050 CHUM was a legendary Top 40 powerhouse during the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. It was started on October 28, 1945 by Jack Q'Part, an entrepreneur in the business of patent medicines. The station was taken over in December of 1954 by Allan Waters. The CHUM building on Yonge Street north of Summerhill Avenue, with its large 1950s-era neon sign, is a Toronto landmark.

The station switched to the top 40 format on May 27, 1957, with Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" being the first song played. The station pioneered rock and roll radio in Toronto, sponsored the 1957 Elvis Presley and 1964/65/66 Beatles concerts at Maple Leaf Gardens, among others. It was also well known for its contests, like the early 1970s "I Listen to CHUM" promotion involving DJs calling phone numbers at random and awarding $1,000 to anyone who answered the phone with that phrase. The CHUM Chart was, for many years, the most influential weekly Top 40 chart in Canada and has been hailed as the longest-running continuously-published radio station record survey in North America. On June 14, 1986, the station published its final CHUM Chart. (The number one song that week was Madonna's "Live to Tell".) By that time, the station had dropped behind competitor Top 40 station CFTR in the Toronto ratings. Soon afterward, it switched to a heavily gold-based adult contemporary format, and in 1989, it became an oldies station.

In 2001, CHUM's owners launched a national sports radio network, The Team. Noted Canadian sportscaster Jim Van Horne was the network's star host. Ironically, in the 1970s, before he turned to sports broadcasting, Van Horne had been a rock jock on 1050 CHUM. Although Team 1050, as it became known, was the network's Toronto flagship, 1050 CHUM continued to air its oldies format as a webcast.

On August 27, 2002, however, the network was closed down and the station announced its return to oldies by playing Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation". Its sister station, CHUM-FM (104.5), continues the CHUM Chart tradition today with its hot adult contemporary format.

In 2007 CHUM(AM) along with the other CHUM Limited stations were sold to CTVglobemedia.

See also


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