Monday, January 6, 2020

When CHOM was Home - Hosting R&R News

When I first started working at CHOM in 1985, I told Neil Kushnir how much I enjoyed listening to him on the radio station’s program, “Rock and Roll News”. Every time he spoke, I would learn something new and interesting about the artists I listened to as a music fan.

I would eat that stuff up - and still do.

Neil and Benoit Dufresne used to co-host the show. I considered them cool dudes.

During my 17 years at CHOM, I spent a lot of time hanging out in Neil’s office. We actually went to the same high school at different times. Eventually, Ben left and Neil became CHOM’s Music Director.

With Benoit Dufresne

I worked as a news announcer, reporter, interviewer, editorialist, producer, writer, editor and a lot of other creative and fun jobs at both CHOM and CKGM. I worked many different shifts with so many different colleagues. I sometimes worked mornings, sometimes weekends and sometimes afternoons.

I can’t remember why, but on September 20, 1999, for one and only time, I got to host "Rock & Roll News"! I interviewed singer/songwriter Ben Harper, who was promoting his album Burn to Shine - and I also got to interview bassist John-Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin about his latest musical project.

I absolutely pinched myself!

Hosting Rock & Roll News was just one of the many tremendously fun things I got to do – when CHOM was home.