Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Jane Brown: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1941

Episode Date: July 30, 2026

In this 1941st episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Zoomer morning show host Jane Brown about her career in radio at Newstalk 1010, 680 News, CHFI, CISS FM, Q107, and the CKO Radio Network.A version of this podcast without programmatic ads is available to all Toronto Mike'd Patrons at patreon.com/torontomike.Toronto Mike'd, an award-winning podcast, is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball, Ridley Funeral Home, Nick Ainis, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca.If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, I'm Jane Brown, and I am the Associate News Director at Zuma Radio and Classical FM, and the co-host of the Morning Zoom with Andy and Jane on Zumer Radio. And I'm thrilled to be making my Toronto mic debut. What a professional. It's as if you're comfortable on a microphone. I am very. Welcome to episode 1,941 of Toronto Mike. An award-winning podcast, proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery. Order online at Great Lakes Beer.com for free local home delivery in the GTA.

Palma Pasta! Enjoy the taste of fresh homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Visit Palma Pasta.com for more. Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball. Catch a game at Christy Pits this summer. No ticket required. I'm there Saturday night. Fusion Corpso, Nick Aeini's.

He's the host of Building Toronto Skyline and Mike and Nick, two podcasts that you ought to listen to. Recycle MyElectronics.cate.a. Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. And Ridley Funeral Home. Pillars of the community since 1922. joining me today, making her Toronto Mike debut, it's Jane Brown. Hello, Jane.

Hello, Mike. I'm so happy to be here. Do people ever annoy you by singing the Bear Naked Ladies song, Jane? Like, Jane. Oh, there's that one, and there's Jane by Jefferson Starship. And there's Janie's Got a Gun from Heroesmith. It's funny, because Janie's Got a Gun was a, like, I would hear it on the top, Shirley McQueen doing the top 10 at 10 on Q107 around, I guess, 1990 or whatever.

That's when I worked at him. Oh, I know. It's funny. Jane Brown's coming up. I'm like, downtown Jane Brown. Like, I'm so excited. I don't know where to begin, but let's just start with the current day. And then if it's okay with you, we'll rewind.

And I do want to talk about Q and some of the other stops along the way. How does that sound? Oh, that sounds great. I'm not real good about talking about myself. I'd rather talk about other people. You're in the wrong placement. Get out of my basement. Okay.

You know what? No lasagna for you, Jane Brown. Oh, no. Okay, no, just kidding. I do have a delicious. I don't know if Andy Wilson told you. Did he give you a heads up that you get some swag for? He did.

He said, enjoy the lasagna and the beer. Okay. When I was leaving just now. Andy knows the drill. And Andy got it and you get it as well. It's in my freezer upstairs. It is a frozen lasagna from Palma pasta. Jane, it's delicious.

Oh, the baller. The box looks great. The box is for show only. Yeah. But the box looks great. And the lasagna is even better. So palma pasta.com, proud sponsors of the program, you're going to be eating well, Jane Brown. Oh, I look forward to it.

If the box looks this good, I can only imagine what it tastes like. I've eaten that box. It's not bad itself. You know, a little salt. It's not too bad. Yeah. And you're, we won't docks you, but you're in the Etobico hood, right? You live in Atobico.

I do. Andy doxed you anyways. Kipling and Burnham Thorpe area, so not far from you. And not far from Great Lakes Brewery, which is down the street from the Costco at 30 Queen Elizabeth Boulevard, not far from like Queensway in rural York. And they sent over some fresh craft beer for you. Oh, that's great. So I mentioned Andy Wilson. Let's begin by me playing like a minute and a half of Andy Wilson. And I took a note on this, Jane.

I had to up my game when you were visiting. So March 2025, Andy made his Toronto mic debut. It was episode 1645, and I wrote at the time, Mike chats with Zumer Radio Morning Show host Andy Wilson about his 20 years, 20 plus years in Toronto Radio, working with Humble and Fred, Colleen Rushholm, Mad Dog and Mora, Tucker, and now Jane Brown. So I'm going to play a little clip from that one.

You ready? Zumer, do we have a definition of what is a zoomer? that range moving? I'm just curious how you qualify as a zoomer when I think I've got a good, maybe a decade on you? How old are you? I'm 50. You're a zoomer. If you're 45 and up, you're a zoomer. So I'm not technically a zoomer. I'm a little bit below. Does Moses know you're not a zoomer? Do I need to call Moses? I hope he does. Otherwise, I'm not going to do this podcast ever again. But I kind of feel like I'm, I kind of live the zoomer lifestyle because, you know, I've kind of, it's weird Mike I've always kind of

surrounded myself with sound weird but older people right like people that are a little bit more senior than me certainly in radio right I started as a kid and I worked with you know Humble and Fred who were 20 years my senior and you know I play baseball and golf with a bunch of guys that are

10 years or 15 years older than me but are you at home listening to Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra? I don't know if I'd go that far but I'm definitely listening to you know Led Zeppelin and Queen and and Aeros Smith and a lot of, you know, bands that started really breaking out in, in the 70s, late 60s, 70s, 80s, that's, you know, I think Zoomers is perfect for, for my, you know, choice of music.

So Gen X is now Zumer. Yeah. Yes, absolutely. Jane Brown would be, she would call herself a Gen Xer. She would say, she's right on that line between a Gen Xer and whatever the boomer. The boomer. Yeah, she's right on that line too. She's, what, 15, 15-ish 17 years older than me.

She's right there, too. Okay. Would Jane Brown appear on Toronto Mike? Would she become a FOTM like yourself? You know what? She lives in a Tobacco. She doesn't live that far. I think she would absolutely.

I'm going to get Jane Brown on Toronto Mike. That's a goal for mine. And here you are. And here I am. It only took me, it took me about a year and a few months, but we finally made this happen. This is great.

And it's nice to hear Andy. I hear them all morning. I look at him and hear them all morning. So what's it like co-hosting a show with Andy Wilson on Zoomer? AM 740, you're 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. It's called the morning Zoom. What's it like working with Andy? Oh, Andy is great. And Andy, yeah, he's like a kid brother in a lot of ways. And I also sort of see this as his time to shine, right? Well, he's approaching his mid-40s and he's been on the radio for 25, 26 years, whatever. This is his time. And I told him that when they offered him the

promotion and again another promotion to be program director. I said, I just want to be here to watch you during the height of your career because for me, just turned 61, I just feel grateful that I get to keep doing what I've been doing for 40 years. But I wouldn't say that, you know, this is my time, right? My time has come and gone. And I'm just enjoying being in the wake. Well, I would argue there's a good years ahead of you, Jane, okay? Let's not call Ridley Funeral Home quite yet. I knew you were going to say that. I have to shout out, it's in my contract.

Shout out Ridley Funeral Home three times an episode. Nice. So that's one right there. So, okay, so let me just, so, Andy, you wear more hats than that. Like, you mentioned it in your cold open. So in addition to your role on the morning Zoom, you mentioned news. You're doing something with other Mozes and Zoomer stations. Like, what is the other hat that you wear?

I think I have four job titles in my signature. Let me hear it. So, first and foremost, the co-host of the morning Zoom with Andy and Jane. Right. I'm also the morning news anchor on Zoom or radio. And I write the news for classical FM on classical mornings because we do the same newscast. That's just a product of the times, right? I host the best of Fight Back on the weekends, Saturdays and Sundays,

which is just kind of a recap of Libby's Fight Back during the week. Sure. And Associate News Director of both Classical and Zumer. Okay, you wear a lot of hats. And that is the way of the world now, right? Like you no longer can't do one thing, you need to do multiple things in 2026. Well, it's good to be in demand, right? And, you know, my feeling has always been if somebody asks you to do something at your work,

you always say yes. You know, it will always pay off if you are a team player and always do more than what you originally signed up for. What's your relationship like with Moses? Moses and I'm a legend. He is. I don't see him that often,

but it is a very warm, respectful relationship as it has been for 17 years. August 4th will be 17 years. Wow. Yeah, I'm a huge fan. I try not to bother him because he's a busy guy with a, he's, you know, he's a visionary. He's doing a lot of thinking and planning and whatnot. Right.

But a couple times a year he and I will sit down and have a lengthier chat about what it is that Zumer is doing as a media company and what I'm doing within the company. And I feel like our relationship is solid. Good to hear. So is he stepping back a little? Like the man's in his mid-80s now. Like, is he maybe he's less hands-on? I just read a book by Christopher Ward called Is This Live. And it's like an oral history of much music. And it's kind of fascinating as you run through the years of much music. And people who were there telling the story of its birth and how Moses was pretty hands-off until he wasn't. Like this is the vibe where it's like, he'd kind of let you do your thing until there was something he cared about. And then he was like micromanaging. Yes, I would say he gets on to something, his pet project of the moment, and there is a lot of discussion around that until it gets to the place that he's happy. Where he can trust you to sort of carry that thing. Okay, so what time does your alarm go off so that you can host the morning soon? It now goes off at about 345.

Well, not about, it is 345. Let me check your phone. Jane, I need to confirm that. Okay, 3, 4, 5. So what time do you have to go to sleep to be refreshed for 3.45? Well, because I have a non-negotiable two-hour nap in the afternoon. Okay. For decades, I would go to bed between 9 and 9.30 because I have done this day part in radio for 40 years.

Now I go upstairs a little earlier because I figure the extra rest can't hurt me, right? you want to be as alert as possible. So I kind of go upstairs between 8 and 830, and I would say lights out by 9. Okay, so you don't get to, I don't know, if the Blue Jays are in the World Series, as they were, they won't be this year, don't worry. But when the Blue Jays are in a World Series,

as they were in 2025, do you care? Are you able to consume that product or no? That's something you read about the next day. No, I do consume events that go beyond my bedtime on occasion. Like, for instance, a Mervish production. Next week, I'll be at Mamma Mia on Wednesday night. But I don't go to all of them because, you know, getting into bed at 11 o'clock, you do suffer the next morning. I can plow through it the next morning, but it's not something I want to do even on a weekly basis.

But maybe like once or twice a month, I'll stay out late. Okay. So may I hear, this will be the most controversial it's going to get, but I am curious. So there was a much hyped two-woman morning show at Zoomer. It was, you know, you was you and Sam Houston, right? Yes. So the big change is Sam Houston was removed, and that's when Andy became your co-host.

Do you have, is there anything you can say about the decision to change from the two-woman morning show, which I believe was billed as the first one in Toronto's history? And it went for like six and a half years, I think, to the current, iteration? I guess what I can tell you is that Legacy Radio is always looking for efficiencies. Right. Now, these days, right?

I mean, I believe, and we could talk about this ad nauseum about how people will always communicate, they will always broadcast, but maybe not in the legacy radio format. So Andy would fill in for Sam when she was off, and he was very good. He was the producer, right? He was the producer of the show, and he still is the

producer of the show. He has a lot of hats, too. Well, he's the program director, and he's the program director, yes. So I think that got noticed how good he was in her absence. And I think it did not come down at all to anything to do with Sam, because, as we all know in this business, Sam Houston is extremely talented, and she was a great on-air partner, and I really enjoyed my time with her. But I think it just came down to efficiencies. Well, six and a half years. I hope it was, I hope you enjoyed her. Oh yeah, we had a lot of fun. We had a lot of laughs, a lot of fun. She's a great person and very talented. So I guess now that you can be honest about everything, I know it was billed as like Toronto's first ever two-woman morning show. Is that true? Like, to your knowledge,

and you've been around for a long time, there's been no other morning show in Toronto where the duo were both women. Although there is one right now at Chumma. Yes. Yes. And I was really happy to see that. Moses told us at the time that we were the first ones in the country. In the country. Doesn't that blow your mind? Yes, because it feels like before 2020 or 21 or whenever it was that we officially became a duo, that that would have happened before then. But, you know, the format for Legacy Morning Radio has always been a man and a woman, or two men in a woman, or one man and two. women. Well, I'm going to play a clip of two men and a woman in a moment that features you as the woman.

So we're going to play that in a moment here. It's interesting that, yeah, so after Marilyn Dennis steps down, Chum FM does now have Josie Dye, who I know, she's been over. I've known her for a long time. I like her very much. And can you remember the name of the other woman? This is terrible. Like, she came from, I'm going to have to Google it. She came from Vancouver. And I'm not familiar with her. I need to get to know her. But it's a two-woman morning show on Chum now. And I'm sorry, I can't recall I'm going to Google it. That's terrible. But she's new. She is new, but obviously she's very talented if they put her on the morning show at Shum FM.

One more question here before we go on the time machine, Jane. Who picks the music at Zoomer? I was checking out the playlist. There's some bangers that I'm into, like, oh, there's a Kim Mitchell Jam. Oh, there's stray cats. Like, I'm digging these tunes. Who picks the music? Kelly Robotham is the music director.

She probably has a lot of guidance from above, but she is able to work creatively within that guidance. And we have changed our playlist. We've sort of, you know, they're fooling around with different ideas. And I think what the mix that we've got right now is not unlike the era that you might hear on Boom, but what I think that we're doing better than Boom is that we are playing. playing more songs that you haven't heard in such a long time, right? Like those like split ends or, you know, some of the deeper album cuts where the hits were all over 80s radio.

All right. Well, kudos to whoever's picking the music at 740 for the Zumer Morning Show here. And good that Andy doesn't influence it or it would be all kid rock. He doesn't influence. He plays what he's supposed to play. I mean, we can work around it a little bit, like if somebody's, texts or calls it. I'm trying to think of what, maybe the picture one with Cheryl Crow and the all summer long, because I feel like Andy, I don't think it would work for Zoom or radio to wake up to

ba'baw by Kid Rock. So I'm glad Andy is showing some restraint. Yeah, the picture song with Cheryl Crow. That would be about it, I guess. Oh yeah. And that all summer long, which was like werewolves of London merged with, um, uh, sweet home Alabama. Yeah. Basically. That one might work too. So I found the name of the woman. Our apologies, my humblest apologies to Nat Hunter. Nat Hunter, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Who I think Bob Willett was telling me did work in Toronto before she went out west for a couple of decades or whatever.

But Nat and Josie are now the second. I guess that's the second All Woman Morning Show in Toronto Radio History after you and Sam. Okay. And now that it's been done, it's nothing new, right? Right. Well, you know one cares who's number two, right? Who cares who comes in second? All right, Jane, we're going on the time machine now.

I'm excited you're here. I'm going to play like 30 seconds from the early 90s. Are you ready? Okay. Q107 Toronto's Best Rock. I'm Brother Jake Edwards, downtown Jane Brown, and the Spike Atollah of Love going to the telephone. First of all, what is our five and five prize? We have a parachute jump from the excellent people at the Parachute School of Toronto.

Also, a pair of tickets to see Blue Rodeo on Thursday night. And a chance for a trip for two to Montreal with John Derringer to see Blue Rodeo at the Fet Malli. on August 8th. And the home version of the boil buster kit. Let's go to the phone. Hi. How are you? Are we going to your house a little later on to land some boils?

Jake, is that what you're saying? I love those guys. Okay. Can we talk so? I love those guys. Brother Jake's been on the show. You know, I still drop the champ. Like, I'll do the champ for people still, you know.

I said pardon. You know? Yeah. I do it all the time. What a great guy. And brother, brother, so brother Jake. and worked in Halifax with John Gallagher. Right.

Spike Gallagher. And I produced a show, this is where it all gets really cozy here, I produced a show for John Gallagher and Peter Gross called Gallagher and Gross Save the World. Oh, yes. That was recorded in this very basic. Right here, okay.

Yeah, John and I talked about that at the time. Sure. And I have worked with John far more over the years than with brother Jake. I worked with Brother Jake from 89 till the end of 92 when I went to Kiss FM to help Cliff Dumas launch Kiss FM with a C. With Sharon Taylor. Sharon Taylor. Who's back, by the way, working with Jazz FM?

I mean, I see everybody on Facebook or Instagram, right? A small world, okay. And I see Jake looks great. His wife, Lori, there's such a nice couple. They had a place up in Collingwood when we worked together at Q107. And we would go up there and party and just to have the best times. And, yeah, I can't say enough good about Jake who just promoted me like crazy. I mean, he gave me the downtown Jane Brown moniker.

And he just involved me in the show, like way beyond what I was hired to do, which was traffic reports. Yeah, you became like a third voice. Yes. Yeah. And I like that moniker. I've been promoting this episode with Downtown Jane Brown. When did you lose the downtown? I guess, well, when I left you 107?

Yeah. So I'm going to be just calling you downtown Jane Brown. You realize that. That's fine. That's what my husband always says, too. When he says, oh, you may remember Jane when she was downtown Jane Brown. Yeah, well, that's certain vintage like me. That's how we remember you.

So I have so many questions. So how do you end up at Q107? Do you want the story from the beginning? Yeah, let's do it. Okay. So in high... You're here now, Jane. We might as well get deep here.

And I'll try to keep it tight. I don't care if it's tight. This isn't Zoom or radio. So when I'm going to say grade 10, it was grade 10, growing up in Cambridge, attending Galt Collegiate Institute, I did the announcements. Oh, like the PA announcement. The PA announcements. That's how you start. They called it the voice of SCAB, student communication and broadcasting.

Yeah. You were SCAB in there. Yeah, so I did that. And at the same time, I was volunteering at the local radio station, which at the time was CFTJ 960. And I would file a weekly report on everything that was going on at GCI. So I was already in the early years of high school thinking about a career in broadcasting. I also played the lead in all of the school musicals and that kind of stuff, right? So I was a performer.

And it was my mom's idea going to Ryerson for radio and television. So at Ryerson, I worked at KLN, 88.1, in the basement of Ryerson. back in the day, and then did an internship with the CKO Radio Network. This is where Aaron Davis worked. Yes. Aaron and I knew each other very well when we were in our early mid-20s. Okay. Yeah, and Eva Dee was there.

Simon Dingley? Simon Dingley was there? Yeah, a lot of interesting people. Parnaby, this is the Taylor Parnaby, John Anderson, and a lot of these people I ended up working with again. And I mean, that was a talented newsroom. But I, you know, was there from, I'm going to say, the beginning of 86 until the end of 88.

And I think CCO went under in the early parts of 89. And remind people who don't remember, and I remember because Erin Davis explained it in great detail when she visited. but what exactly was CKO Radio Network and maybe a little insight into why it didn't work? It was what they were trying to do initially, those who came up with the idea, was a private radio equivalent to CBC radio.

And so they set up bureaus across the country in the major cities. I think in the end it was technology that was part of the problem and also just the cost to keep something like that afloat in all of these major markets, right? So we would do a local Toronto morning show. And I worked with Aaron. She was co-host of the show and I did the traffic reports.

So they would break away from the network for local programming. And then for the rest of the day parts, other than maybe news breaks. So they were trying to do all this back in the day, right? You'd have a local Toronto news. break at 3.30 in the afternoon, and you'd have to time out exactly to sync back up with the network. Right. So it was probably just challenges around resources, because all of those people cost a lot of money, and the station never really broke through to where the network never really broke through

to where it was a major player in the major markets. Okay, so if I wanted to tune in to this CCO radio in Toronto, like, what was the frequency? 991. Oh, yeah, where CBC is today. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I heard so much about this network, and I've had a number of people on who worked at CCO. Yeah. But it didn't work out.

So what happens to you post CCO? Is that when you end up on Q107? Well, I got a call from Gene Vallitis. Oh, Gene Vallitis. He's on the air in St. Catherine's now, 610. And he was the news director for Q107. and, you know, back when all the radio stations had full newsrooms, right? And also 640, which at the time was a country station,

and it was physically located in Richmond Hill. So he was looking for a morning co-host slash traffic reporter slash newscaster, current affairs interviewer, and reached out to me when I was at CCO. So, of course, I jumped on that. and ended up commuting to Richmond Hill for about a year and a half before they brought me down to Young and Bloor to work in the Hudson's Bay Tower at Q-107.

Okay, so when you do finally get to Q&O7, who is the morning show host at that time? Is that Brother Jake? Yes. Okay. Because the three guys that keep swirling around there, so there's, I remember hearing Scruff Conners, the late-grade Scruff Conners,

Of course, Brother Jake, who I listen to all the time, and I did love the champ. Okay, maybe I'll do a champ for you later. I said, pardon? But then at some point, you mentioned Gene Valitis, but at some point you get Jesse and Gene in the mix. So are you only there for the brother Jake run? I'm only there for the brother Jake run. Gene Valitis and Jesse Dylan went to CFTR. Right.

Right. And so... After trashing AM radio. at every opportunity when I would listen to Jesse and Gene on Q107. So it was funny to me. I remember when they moved over to CFTR because all they did was crap on AM radio. And then they embraced it. They had to embrace it.

And then when CFTR went all news, they just ran over to 640. Like it was like, okay, we'll do 640 instead. But okay, I have to say, I enjoyed my conversation with Jesse and Gene, but Jesse recorded, it sounded like he was recording in a bathroom. And it was just the worst acoustics, but Jesse's been, sorry, Gene's been over. and he's been to some TMLX events. Remind me after we run through this, I have to tell you about a Toronto mic listener experience

that's coming up in September. So that's a teaser. But tell me a little more, I'm dying to know a little more about like John Gallagher, for example. I'm dying to know because I know I'm so damn well, and he's going through a tough spell right now. What can you tell us about working with Spike Gallagher? Well, back then, when we first started working together,

I think he felt a little bit of, oh, like his nose was a little bit out of joint because they brought me in to kind of be a co-host. Right. And the show evolved to where we were, the three of us were co-hosts. Well, Jake was the host and we were the sidekicks, John and I. But I think, and he would probably tell you that this is true, he liked me, right? Like he, we got along. He liked. You're attractive, so of course he likes you.

Well, okay, we're talking about. John Gallagher. I know, I know, but I think he thought I was sort of amusing. Like, we, we had a really good chemistry. Like, just on and off the air, we found the same things funny. We're kind of like brother and sister. We'd finish each other's sentences. And so what might have started to be sort of like a bitterness around why is, why does she need to be here? Kind of just evolved to where we had a real friendship. And, um, and then we worked together. at Zuma many,

many years later. Of course. The breakfast club or something? The gang? Happy gang. The happy gang. Thank you.

Oh, we were all so happy. And then, was Jane Hodden a part of that? No. No, I worked with Jane to. CBC. Okay. Yeah.

You got to drop more names, Jane. Okay. We need more names here. Okay. So any more Q107 memories that percolate? One thing I need to ask you about is did John Derringer treat you

nicely? He did. And I knew you would ask me about that. And it'd stare you in the eyes. Because it's been, it's topical, right? Because you're a woman. And because I'm a woman and was working with him back in the early 90s. John and I got along great. I did witness some of the behavior that has become prominent in discussions around radio. So for instance, I'm in the room and I'm writing a traffic report and one of my female colleagues may pop her head in or whatever, and he would say things to her that were sexually aggressive or, yeah, just complete, like inappropriate. And as a girl in the room at that time,

I just kept quiet because it wasn't the era where you said, you can't talk to her like that. Like, I just didn't go there. I sort of felt like, I guess, and you know, it's era specific, right? So I wouldn't act the same way now. But in that, that era, I thought, if she doesn't like it, she can say something. It's not for me to defend her. And let's face it, in that era particularly, I'm not even, I can't even speak to whether this is any different today, because I've never worked in radio. But I know that in that era that sometimes when you did speak up, you found yourself

relocated. Like, that was a way to, like, I'm thinking of stories I've heard from like, well, Jackie Delaney left radio completely because of her experience. I worked with Jackie. Yeah, 1010, yeah. And Colleen, Rush home, you know, suddenly you're reassigned or moved to. Hamilton or whatever, it sounds like you're moving to Siberia or whatever. But like, you know, typically if you spoke up, it worked against you career-wise.

And I never spoke up, but John was always good to me. I was at his home. I was invited to his 30th birthday party, got along with his girlfriend of that time. I was married the first time then. Like, I had no issues with John. And I admired his talent and his knowledge. and all of that. He was going through his stuff at the time too, right?

Which I don't know if he has talked about that era publicly. But Humble Howard Glass, I produced The Humble and Fred show. I know Andy went, no, Andy actually never produced the Humble and Fred show. Bob Willett produced the Humble and Fred show. And then Andy produced Humble and Colleen, which was a different show. There was no Fred, actually. I think Andy was an intern with Humble and Fred when Bob Willett was the producer. That's a lot of inside baseball.

Yeah, that sounds about right. has talked quite a bit about, you know, his sobriety, John coming clean, he had some substance abuse problems. Right, right. So he came clean, and there was a lot of support for John through that. And from the company as well, as I recall. Right, right, right, right, right. So I'm glad John wasn't bullying Jane Brown.

No. Thank you to just to hear that. Okay. So why do you end up leaving? I guess it was Westcom, right? It was Westcom, yeah. I left there because I got a call from Sharon Taylor with Rolco Communications. They were launching an FM station in Toronto called Kiss FM.

Of course, we didn't know it was going to be called Kiss FM until I had been there already for three or four months. We practiced. We called it Sky FM. Oh, interesting. And we practiced until we got it right. we were broadcasting into the homes of, you know, the program director and the general manager and the consultant. So we were given this lead time where we could get everything right. And then the station was launched with great fanfare and Anne Murray and mugs and kisses.

And the station just, I mean, it just soared, right? In the first ratings, I think we were in the top three in the first ratings, which does not happen. No, but New Country, I mean, Garth Brooks and was having a moment. Like, my mom was all in on these mugs and kisses. That was a big moment for New Country. It really was. Yeah, Michelle Wright, Trisha Yearwood. Was Reba McIntyre in that game?

Reba McIntyre, she was in the game. Brooks and Dunn. Randy Travis, right? He was so big, Randy Travis. I remember. Yeah, you mentioned Garth Brooks. Well, Garth was the king, right? He was the king.

And then there were, like, Roseanne Cash was kind of in the mix. Blue Rodeo was in the mix. So it was a real, it was the perfect time. I mean, I think that the decision makers at Kiss FM coined the phrase New Country, to be honest with you. Wow. Yeah, from what I remember, yeah, the guys who were making the decisions, the Rollins and brothers, their consultant, whose name escapes me now. I'm so sorry, but he started calling it new country.

And it's kind of like it was the music of the 70s, like folk music combined with some of that early rock and country. So it wasn't like country and Western anymore. In fact, we were banned from saying country and Western. Oh, I'll bet, because that's like, that's old school stuff. You're not doing a tear in my beer. There's a tear in my beer. Yeah, that's a perfect example.

Hello, darling. Although I like that stuff, but okay. So Kiss, big success. And it's funny, there's a, we've just revisited the 1993 World Series win by the Toronto Blue Jays. And Joe Carter got a statue. And when you see the footage of him,

you'll see there's a Mike Flask for Kiss FM. Like, it's the only Mike, they call Mike Flask. What are they called? What are these called? Mike Flash. Flash. Okay, I'm calling him Flask.

I think that's what I've been drinking. in my Great Lakes out of all morning with Jane Brown over here. Okay. But you can see in the footage of, they put Joe Carter on their shoulder. They're holding up Joe. He just hit a walk off Homer to win the World Series. And you can see the Kiss 92.5 Mike Flash. Right.

Yeah, I know what you're talking about. That to me, that's huge. Like, it's the only one you see. You don't see CHFI and you don't see CHM. You see Kiss 92.5. We were taking on. We were trying to take on CHFI. Of course.

Now, I have a, I work, I produce a show for Larry Fedorick. Was he at Kiss 92.5 at this time? After me. After you. Okay, so who else was there? You mentioned Cliff Dumas. Who was there? Cliff Dumas.

A lot of people who were brought in from country stations around the country. So, and I can't even, oh, oh, KJ, Chris James was there. I'm trying to think who was the, who were the other big names? KJ, by the way, what are your thoughts on this? So I was a big listener of CFTR when it was top 40. Okay, this was like a. station I listened to particularly in the mid to late 80s. Larry Fedorick was there, actually. So Larry Fedorick was there, I mean, Tom Rivers, Mike Cooper. This is what I was listening to.

And I would listen to Chris James. He would be on the air. And then I didn't know for the longest time. I didn't know KJ was Chris James. Like what's up with the rebrand? It's like if you suddenly went on air as you were just going to be known as J.B. What was the point of us all getting to know this legendary Toronto radio figure Jane Brown? Yeah, that's a good point. I think it was Sharon Taylor because she was friends with Chris James from their days at 680. Yeah, 680. Well, CFTR. And I think he just started using it for himself. In fact, I remember calling him Cage, like rolling together the K and the J. Right. Cage, how you doing or whatever, right? And he's still on the radio to this day. And I think he and I, we're kind of of of the same

era. We're sort of like journey people in radio, KJ and myself. Who is the person on Toronto Radio today who can go the furthest back and say I was on Toronto Radio in the 80s or whatever? Because now that Maryland has, Maryland started, I think, in 86 or something. Yes, I was just finishing up at Ryerson when she made her debut. Right. Oh, gosh. Well, I guess what if it's you? I'm in that group.

It might be you. I'm in that group. You are KJ. Oh, May Potts goes back quite a bit. She does. She does. Because she was at Chick FM. Not Chick FM.

In Brampton. Whatever the CF and Y's sister station was. That's right. It was chick. Chick, yeah. Yeah. So she goes pretty, she's going to go back to mid-80s. We're probably similar age.

Well, that's amazing. She might be a bit younger, but yeah, yeah. Okay, Jane Brown, you might be the queen right now. Yeah, I guess like I've been able to stick around for a long time. I got to run through the, run through the, all the hosts on all the Toronto. And there's fewer and fewer hosts, you know, than there used to be. because they use, I see the old, I'll see something on Facebook is like,

oh, this was the lineup for 10.50 chum back in the day. And everyone's got three hour shift, like three hours of this person. And now if you've noticed, like, oh yeah, so we have a morning show and then we have like a midday and then we have a drive show. Like it's like, that's it. Three, three slots for the whole day.

And then evenings and overnight are generally recorded. Right. Yeah. Like re-rolls or whatever. It's hard to find like live voices on Toronto Radio in the, in the nighttime. I guess it's just 680 because I listen to those youngsters as I drive in and I think good for you guys. Right.

That's last, yeah, right. It's 680. I think that's last, Danny here. Oh, and CBC Radio would have live newscasts overnight. Yeah, definitely newscasts. Absolutely. The rest of it would be recorded.

Right. So you mentioned mugs and kisses. And I have a memory of having, it's funny because we think about longevity of morning show hosts in this market. And now you talk about people. showed up in the 2000s. Like you'll talk about John Moore on 1010 and you'll talk about Roz and Moka on what is now KS 92.5,

but the C became K. Okay. But I have a memory of Moka telling me about how he was working at Kiss FM, the C, Kiss FM, the country music, Kiss FM, on the Mugs and Kisses campaign. Like he was, he had a role there as a youngster regarding the mugs at Kiss. This is more of a fun fact, small world story.

Yeah, and I don't know if he was volunteering or helping out when I was there. It wasn't there very long. Well, how long were you there? From November of 92 until January of 94. Why do you leave Kiss FM? You know, I'll be honest with you. I was having a lot of anxiety issues. And I was pregnant with my son, Jacob.

But I would make anyone anxious. Well, and it just, I don't know. It wasn't going along in a way that was making me feel comfy. I had some demons I was working through at the time. And anxiety among performers is very common. And I have worked through it back and forth and inside and out over my many years in radio. But I think it was creeping up to the point where it was scaring me a little bit. And I was pregnant and I wanted to have a healthy pregnancy.

Jacob was born in September of that year. So I just, I opted out. I just, I left. There were some contract things and stuff that were going on, which I won't get into. But just things were not going well. And I just thought I need to get out. And I left. And about a year later, well, even before that, I got a call from Paul Fisher at CHFI.

You know, he's been over. Jacob was maybe two or three months old. And he came over to my house and he said, you know, they wanted me on the morning show at CHFI maybe to do news updates and entertainment and stuff like that. And he was trying to convince me, oh, it'll only be three or four hours a day, but I'm thinking, I know what this is like. And I'm not going to do this with a little baby, right? It just didn't feel right.

However, a few months later, or maybe even, I think it was the summer of 80, of 95. So I guess I kind of got out for maybe a year or a bit. And then I went to 680 and did the morning show on the weekends and did that for a few years until and also worked at the Pelmer X radio network doing some syndicated radio and the weather network. I was in there. Scott McCath gave that to me. Okay. I have the 680. I have been at 680 twice because I went there.

I went there in 85 and was there until like, or sorry, 95 until. I don't know, when it was. But I left to go on the weather network on the weekends. And then I came back for a very short time before I got a call from Bill Carroll. Did I want to come over and do news on 1010 than CFRB because Avery Haynes was going to see TV? Wow. You know, I'm seeing Avery's sister at the RBC Amphitheater next week because she's the lead singer for Metrick. Neat.

Yeah. Just a small one. Emily Haynes is Avery Haynes sister. Emily Haynes is the, a founder and lead singer for metric. And metrics playing with broken social scene and stars at the RBC Amphitheater next week. Okay.

There you go. Avery Haynes. Okay. Because Avery Haynes went to CTV, I ended up going to CFRB. Okay, so you've been everywhere. I'll tell you right now, you have a sneaky,

important, you're like a glue guest. That's what we call a guest. like you where it's like you got the Q107 thing you got the kiss hug you got the kiss 92.5 thing you've got the 680 news thing C HFI you've got 1010 you go off a dalliance I had just Kim McDonald over fairly recently with yes carry over yeah so we we talk a lot about the weather network on the show because Carla Collins by before it moved to Oakville or whatever yeah or Mississauga I guess wherever the hell Mississauga then Oakville maybe anyway

All those people. I know all those people. You know, I know Pelmorex. Pelmerx. Pelmerx. Okay. I know this weather network universe. It's fascinating.

You know, you had a little dalliance there in the late 90s. Yeah. And the syndicated radio part of it ended. But again, it could have been a CCO thing, right? It's just too hard to do syndicated radio unless you're going to top the ratings in various markets. It's just, it's too many resources. It's too costly. And ultimately it didn't work out. But Pellmerx owned the radio network and own the weather network. And that was when the weather network moved from Montreal. So in, that's when Carla Collins was on it in the Montreal era.

Right. And then it moves to like near, I'm going to say near square one or something. Yes. I've been to that office. Okay. Then I think it's in Oakville now. Yes. Yes. We're tracking, we're tracking Kim McDonald's wearabouts. I got a GPS bug on her car. see where she's going. She's been there a very long time. She has been, yes, because she's my era. Actually, we were trained at the same time. Wow.

You had to do 40 hours of basic meteorology training before they would put you on the air. And of course, you learned how to do the green screen and all of that stuff, right? But are you concurrent? Like, I'm curious how this works. Are you at the Weather Network and Rogers for 680 and CHFI? Like, does that overlap? Yes. I am, well, let me think about that.

You're on this, Jane, you had no idea when Andy said, hey, you should go to this guy's basement. You had no idea to be on the stand, being cross-examined. Lauren Honnickman taught me well. Very good, Lauren Honoggan. I was on 680 and the Pelmerx Radio Network at the same time, but I don't think I was at the weather network and 680 at the same time. In fact, I was not.

But that is wild to do them both at the same time. Yeah, because I left. 680 because I was doing weekends there and then I ended up doing weekends at the weather network. Okay. And when does CHFI come into play here? Oh, that was in tandem with 680. Okay. So when you worked on the weekends, you would go live on 680 and sometimes at the top of the hour you would be live on CHFI or you were record if you were going to be on 680 at the same time. Did you enjoy your time working at Rogers Communications? Yes.

I mean, I was part time, right? Like I was weekends. So, but yes, I had a great time there. That was really when the internet was kind of beginning. And we were able to research stories,

quote unquote, online. I remember the newsroom, which was a much different newsroom than I worked in at CCO where there was one computer and all a bunch of Underwood manual typewriters. Right. To when I worked at 680 and it was all computerized.

Okay. Shout out to Dick Smythe, the late great. I'm going to shout out all my 680 news people I remember here because he was on the top 40. Well, him and Evelyn Macko were kind of Larry Silver. These are all names I remember from top 40 CFTR who made, didn't get the Jesse and Jean Pink slip when they went all news. You can stick around, basically.

Right. Yeah, that's right. They kept the news people. They kept some of the news people. And I worked with Evelyn at CFRB. I never worked with Dick Smyth. I think that he was broadcasting remotely and maybe once a morning. That's the way I see it. I feel on Dick Smyth.

Yeah, on Dick Smyth. Yes. When I was, yeah, when I was doing the weekends. So there were a lot of people at 680. You'd miss them if you were only working. Exactly. So you didn't have the pleasure of, you know, spending every day with the legend that is Mike Eppel.

Yes, I remember Mike. Yeah, because when I would fill in during the week, I would work with Mike. Yes, another of the many. Is he a nice guy? I've heard things. I'm just kidding. I know he's listening right now,

so I'm trying to create a little friction. Mike is so smart and he's so focused and he's so hardworking. I always admired that about him because he was like a nose to the grindstone guy. And that's kind of how I am too. So I always really admire people who work hard and don't, just chat, you know, and then kind of wing it on the air. And he's being there, I will say this. He's not a day oneer, but he's like an early arrival at 680.

He came there very early and he's still there today. Yes. And he's done a lot of television as well, right? Of course. Yeah. So I think when you, that list of people of my era, I think, you know, we've named a bunch of people who are still doing radio who are of that era. Yeah.

Although, you know, you go back further than my era. Mike Epple on the Toronto Airwaves. I think you might be the queen. I'm going to do a little digging. But because I said the name Mike Epple, now I mentioned, I teased this earlier that I had the big announcement. So this is a chance for you to catch your breath.

As I announced to the listenership, although Jane, of course, you're invited as well. But I have a date for TMLX-23. That is the 23rd Toronto Mike listener experience. And that date is, where is my drum roll, br, okay, that date is September 28, 2026 from 6 to 9 p.m.

But this is key. We often get together at Great Lakes Brewery, which is in our hood, Jane South Atobico. But this event on September 28 is actually at the GLB brew pub, which is Jarvis and Queens Key. Not far from where Chorus Key is,

by the way, that's where all the chorus action happens. So Jarvis and Queens Key has GLB Brew Pub, which is a great place to visit. But we're going to have our event, September 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. But here's the kicker. Jane, are you ready? I'm ready.

Okay. I want to make sure. I haven't lost you yet. I see you're doing your taxes over there. No, no, never. Okay. You don't do your taxes. No, you don't do my own taxes.

No. I'm sorry. I did once about a time. CRA is listening. We have to be careful here. Okay. CRA, you're not invited to this event. Just you are invited.

Okay, so this is the big thing. You need to get on the list. All these TMLX events we've had, obviously, this is the 23rd. Typically, it's just show up. You don't have to RSVP. You don't have to do anything. Just show up and you get your free beer, you get your free food.

For this one, the one at the GLB Brew Pub, you have to get on the list because there's a cap at the number of FOTMs, friends of Toronto Mike, who can attend. So if you would like to attend, just send an email to Mike at TorontoMike.com and stick in that subject line, TMLX23, and ask if you can get on the list. And then if I'm still below the cap, which I am at this moment,

you'll get on the list. Jane, isn't that exciting? It's really exciting. I'm trying to hype this up. I know, and you are. Zumer style here. All Zumers listening. Do you agree with Andy's statement off the top that a Zumer is anything north of 45?

Well, that's what I was told when I joined. And I was 44 when I started. You were too young. Yes, I was basically Andy's age now when I started at Zumer. Gotcha. And I still felt like I had so much career ahead of me and wanted to. to do special things and I had been

packaged out of a job at 1010. You know what, let's do let's, we're doing a nice chronological order thing. So maybe this, that's good. Let's get to 1010. Okay. We'll get you. Sure, sure, sure. I know. So, uh, you're doing the part-time work there at 680 and CHI. I'll drop one more name though. I dropped it earlier, but just the bang at home that Mike Eppel's dear friend who he knows from his time at 680 is now a dear friend of mine, the legend that is Peter Gross.

Oh, Peter. Now, Peter only worked weekdays, right? So you probably never cross paths. I did. I did. Yeah. Did you ever catch him sleeping on the job? No.

Legendary. He would be, uh, it would be early in the morning. He'd be, you know, doing those live sports updates on 680 and they'd throw to him, and he'd be out like a light. I don't ever. I've never heard that story. You got to listen to more Toronto mic. I do. I do.

Peter Gross. Okay. Yeah. So Peter Gross. Anyone else you want to name? from 680 or CHFI. Stephanie Smyth. Of course.

Yes, a Paul Cook. They're married. They are married. There you know. Who else did I work with? Well, Aaron was there at CHFI. Aaron, who I think is phenomenal. Yes.

Absolutely phenomenal. And we were quite close back in the 80s. Okay. Yeah, we would lunch. Should I reconnect you? What's going on? We could reconnect like that, I think. but yeah, we grew apart.

Like, I mean, that's life, right? Right. People get on your train, they get off your train. You know, other people get on and then they get off, right? But no, great memories of Aaron and certainly learned a lot about her. You know, she was fired once as morning show host at CHI. Yes. Julie Adam decided we're better off about Aaron Davis as our morning show host.

Oops. That was a mistake. And then we worked together, Aaron and I at Easy Rock as a result of that move at CHFI. Right. And at some point, am I right? At Easy Rock, am I right that Mike Cooper becomes Aaron Davis's co-host? Right. And that's the tandem that goes back to CHF.

Exactly. Except this is key to you, Jane, because I know your show is called, I think it says Andy and Jane. It should be Jane and Andy. No, no, no. I'm good with Andy and, Jay. Like I told you, this is his time. Because when Aaron was of Don Danard, of course, it was Dawn and Aaron. And then when Aaron negotiated back with Mike, it was.

One of her rules was, but now it's Aaron and Mike. Yeah, you see, I don't care about stuff like that. You don't care about that. No, I'm a worker. I just, I like writing news. I like, you know, like, I really sort of think, I think that's probably been a big secret to my success, quote unquote, success, is that I just like to write news.

And I like to put together puzzles that are newscasts. And I like to talk about stuff on the radio. I'm okay with just talking about life, right? And just being real. I love it. You're in the home of real talk. You're in the right place here. Basically, I guess I'm curious, how do you get to 10-10? Okay. Yeah, it's funny how everything kind of moved along because of phone calls. So Bill Carroll called me when I reemerged on 680 after being on the Weather Network and the Pellmerg's Radio Network.

And he said, Avery Haynes is leaving. Would you be interested in coming in and doing an audition? Well, of course. So I go in and I did an audition with the last. legendary Dave Agar, and it wasn't long after that that I was offered the opportunity full-time and was there for nine-plus years, almost 10 years, until it was decided that they were going to restructure everything. So it was a big era in my life. Oh, that's almost a decade, Jane. Yeah, and I thought, I thought that I would retire there. I'll be quite honest with you. I enjoyed it there. I, I enjoyed it there. I enjoyed doing the mornings. I learned a ton from Dave Agar. He was a crusty guy, but, but I don't know. It was the same sort of thing with Gallagher. Like, I think that, I think that

Dave kind of warmed up to me. He liked me as a person, so we had a nice vibe where we'd talk about our families and stuff like that. But when it came down to business, he was hardcore. But anyway, I learned a lot from him. Ted Wollison was instrumental in my life, professionally and personally because I worked with him closely for two eras there, because there was a period of time. They moved me over to Easy Rock, to, because they wanted to bring Taylor Parnaby into the morning news mix on 1010,

and I was doing the bottoms of the hour. So they moved me over to Easy Rock, and they moved Taylor into the bottoms of the hour. Well, that went on for a couple of years, and I worked with Christine Cardoso and Mike Cooper. And then they, Pat Holliday called me in one day and he said, you know, we miss your style of news. We love what you're doing on Easy Rock.

We want you to do that on 10-10. So I went back and Taylor was taken off the half-hour breaks. And then I was working with Teddy again. And it was around this time that my marriage was coming to an end. and had come to an end at a certain point during that era. And I remember Teddy saying to me, I should introduce you to my friend Myron. And Myron had been separated from his first wife for a couple of years.

Well, anyway, one thing leads to another. Ted sets us up. Right? We've been together for almost 21 years. 21 years. Meir and Myron and Irin. Okay. Yeah.

And thanks to Ted Walshian. Yes, 100%. Okay. Ted, we're going to mention John Moore, I guess who took over for Ted. Yes. Who took over for some guy who was there 50 years.

Yeah. Wally Crowler, who I never actually met him. I did meet his sidekick and worked with his sidekick Bill Stevenson. Okay, that's a big name. Grant B. He was the gentleman of a broadcaster. Just, oh, what a guy. What a guy.

Wow, Jam. You're the glue, okay? When we do our FOTM cast for the next quarter, I hope we're going to shout out this episode as a key glue episode. So, okay, by the way, this is when, Standard owns, like, so standard owns 1010

and easy rock and don't tell me. Mix 99.9.9. Exactly. Okay. I've been to the studio. CKFM. CKFM.

Right, right, right, right. Which we've talked many times people like Maureen Holloway would work there. She was over recently. She said some stuff about her, the,

Darren B. Lamb. This is going, everything also tied. to Mike Cooper, actually, as we talk about this stuff. Because Mike Cooper replaces Darren B. Lamb at CHFI when Maureen Hollow is there. And she started telling the real talk about what happened

to Darren B. Lamb. He just disappeared. Like, he just disappeared. I don't know him. You know, you don't know. Okay. Because he was also the replacement for Rick Hodge. And I remember Rick Hodge at Standard because he left Chumfm. He did. For the job, because he would do the 10-10 stuff and

Easy Rock. And this was the foreheaded monster that Humble Howard and I joke about all the time, where there was calling Rush home, there was Humble Howard, there was Kim Stockwood, and there was Rick Hodge. There were four hosts of that Easy Rock morning show. Do you remember this? Yes, and I worked with Rick Hodge because he took over from Bill Stevenson. So Rick Hodge and I became colleagues and worked together and talked together on the air back in, I think that was, I can't remember if Bill Carroll had taken over the morning show by then, or if Teddy was still maybe in the last little bit. But anyway, Rick Hodge

came over and so got to know him. He'd run down the hallways. I was there once. I once live blogged from him and I saw, he would just leave for a bit. Yes. He would go do 10-10 and you come back. Yeah. And I think the, I think the producer of that show could have been Andy Wilson. Like, who produced that foreheaded monster? Yeah, because Andy and I were in the building, at the same time. And we kind of remember each other, but we never worked together. We worked down the hall from each other. And that's why

earlier in this lovely chat, I mentioned, and he was producing Humble and Colleen, because at some point they decided, oh, we don't need the foreheaded monster. And they said goodbye to Rick Hodge. Right. And they said goodbye to Kim Stockwood, who was absolutely relieved to be relieved. Okay. Okay. Well, she's a

singer, and she's not a radio person, and she's done with that anyways. But they kind of did her a favor. there. But yeah, and it became humble and Colleen until Stu Jeffries took, well, they transferred to Boom and then Stu Jeffries took over and he's still there. Yes. And Stu, well, he's one of those guys who goes back. Like, what was his show on TV? Good rockin' tonight. Good Rockin' Tonight. Which he took over from Terry David Mulligan. And I remember watching him, I mean, he can't be that much older than me, but I do remember watching him in my parents living room when I was still living at home. So

this is pre-Reyerson or during the summers of Ryerson. Right. But yeah, look at him. And he would do, like, switchback? Do you remember this show? Yes. Okay. I remember switchback?

And there were different iterations of switchback throughout the country. And I think at West, I think Humble Howard himself was the host of one. And then he had Stu Jeffries. Wow. Okay. So Jane Brown, you're at the mighty at the time, we'll call it, because the newsroom is gone. Okay. It's no longer what it was.

But the Mighty 1010, CFRB, you're there for almost a day. decade. What exactly happened in, I think it was January 2009, what restructuring, what happened that Jane Brown was let go? Oh, I was devastated that day. Devastated. That was the day of Barack Obama's inauguration.

And we had a couple of people down in Washington. Like, we were covering major news on location and us as news anchors, Dave and myself. Of course, we're throwing to this coverage in Washington was a big buzz of a morning, right? And then I got a call down to Steve Couch's office, and the HR person was there. And this is the only time, knock on wood, in my career that I have

been let go. Which is amazing. It is amazing. And it was about time, I suppose, right? And I just, I wasn't even, it was like, oh, so and so from HR, oh, nice to meet you, right? Like, I didn't even clue in for a good 15 seconds. So, yeah, I was, I was pretty broken up about that, because I loved it there. And, you know, there had been challenges with some of the personalities. Well, one of the personalities, but I didn't think that that was going to be... I don't get a name or a clue. Oh, it was Bill Carroll.

Okay. You can say that. I heard similar things. Yeah. And you know what? I respect him. No hard feelings. But he and I, you know, in as much as he brought me into 10-10, and we had

worked together at Q107. He was actually my news director at Q107. Barometer, right? Barometer. I used to listen to Barometer. I was one of his contributors. Yeah. And I think he even did the news on the Q Morning Zoo for a time.

So we had a history. But then when he became the morning show host on 1010, and maybe it was because Ted was, you know, Ted's era had ended. So I think maybe Bill felt I was still quite. aligned with Ted as a result of Myron and all of that. And so maybe there was just sort of a feeling like she and I are not going to ever be super cohesive. I don't, you know, in the end on that day in January of 2009, a whole bunch of us were let

go. So it wasn't like I was let go and I was the only one. So. Is this the day that like Barb de Julio got it? Are we talking about the same way? Well, it would have been. Maybe that was... David Bent.

Okay. John Elston, the overnight anchor. Bill. Oh, Bill. Evenings. He did evening news and I can see his face and I just can't think of his last name. But there were a bunch of people who were all let go on the same day. Does that make it, because you mentioned it was devastating.

You didn't see it coming. It had never happened to you before. It'll never happen to you again. Okay. But is it a little bit like relieving to know it's not personal? It's actually a giant wave of restructuring. And then there were more waves of restructuring at 1010, as we know. Well, like I said, there's no newsroom at 1010.

And forever the reputation of CFRB was this mighty newsroom. I had many of them over. And it was. One of the biggest days of my career was September 11, 2001. And that is a day when Dave Agar and I, and Bill Carroll, we all just went in the studio, and then we were just freewheeling the whole morning about the terror attacks. I can't imagine what it was like to be on the air that day.

Yeah. So, yeah. So are you the news person who breaks in with that news? Because I remember going to work that day. I was working at Thornhill that day. And there was news before the second towers hit. There was absolutely news that, oh, a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. Right. Right.

But there was a vision you'd have in your head would be like, I had a vision of a Cessna. Exactly. Exactly. Like a little, a small plane that somebody. Like human error or whatever. Yeah, somebody had a heart attack or whatever and they hit the building. Dave broke in with that and he broke in with the second plane. And then that's when we both went in the studio and just did our very best to cover what was going on.

And I remember at one point peeking out into the newsroom and there were, I don't know, 50 people out there. and they're all running around and making phone calls and bringing us information, bringing us bagels. Because you don't know what's next. Yeah, you didn't, yeah, exactly. Because you now you know, the two planes in the World Trade Center, then there was news of the Pentagon.

There was an erroneous story flying around about a plane in California or something that didn't actually exist. But then there was the, I think it was the Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania. So I remember thinking, oh, what's next? And I actually, I would have thought, oh, what other targets might there be

for this obvious. terrorist attack. And that's why they closed the C&Tower that day, right? And a lot of the high rises in downtown Toronto because we didn't know. Yeah, you don't know what you don't know.

Well, like it's hard to... What a day, Jane. I know. It's hard to imagine knowing what we know, but then being in the middle of that and not understanding at all what was happening in the world that day. Wow. And you're on the air

and you're just sort of, you have whatever you have, I'm sure you have like, I don't know, CNN on one TV or whatever, and you're just trying to learn what we know. And I definitely remember in real time that we were getting some information that turned out to be erroneous. So it was really tough, I would think, to be a news person live on the air as that was all unfolding. Right.

There was a lot of this is said to be going on. Reportedly, this is happening. There was a lot of that, right? Because like you said, it took a while before things were confirmed and they were reality. Wow. Okay. So when you do get this awful news, the day. What a day to choose.

I know. Obama's inaugurated, which I guess was January 20, 2009. Also, my firstborn's seventh birthday. Oh, that's nice. If I have that math. No, you know what? I have that math wrong. It's eighth birthday.

I might get it right. Okay, eighth birthday. So you get this awful news. What do you do? You go home and you lick your wounds? What's going on? Yeah, there was some wound licking. There were a lot of phone calls.

A lot of phone calls. You have a lot of contacts. Yeah, and there were people were just really, really nice. I did go over. over to Myrons. We weren't living together then, but, uh, so he was very helpful. And yeah, I remember him saying to me, because he's been very successful in business, he just said, try to book something every day. Like I, I took a week or two to kind of negotiate my severance package and all of that. But then after that, it was try to do something related to your work every day. So I really, it was, I mean,

it was hard, but I really, I, so I would have meetings, even with people, uh, at young and St. Clair. Right. Like I would get together for breakfast and coffees and I would try to network and blah, blah, blah. And then one thing led to another and I started doing some freelance at CBC Radio Toronto. And that was fun. That went on for a bunch of months. So I would fill in for Robert Fisher in the afternoon. Love that guy. Love that guy. And I would produce for him. That was back when they would have a producer for the news. Maybe they still do. Actually, at that station, I bet you they still do. They still do. Metro Morning is still like a small army.

And then I always laugh, could you get the small army like a Metro morning. And then Stu Jeffries is in a room by himself. I know. He's just, he's doing it. He opts his own board. He does everything.

He makes his own calls. But Metro Morning absolutely still has a pretty good size staff. Yeah. And so that's the way it was in 09. And so made some more contacts there. Is that a Mac Galloway era? Where are we with 09? My brain can't remember if...

Peter Zoski... Oh, he's long gone by O'9. He's long gone. So whoever was after Peter Zoski, Andy, Barry. Yeah, Andy Barry, he's still with us. Yes. Because Andy, right. Matt Galloway was on here and now.

Right. When Andy retires, Matt becomes the Metro Morning host. And I didn't really do... I think I did a little bit of fill-in for Jill Dempsey on the morning show. But I think when I filled in for her, you know, Andy Barry was on vacation. or you know what I mean? So I never actually worked directly with him.

He was a long time 10-10 guy, Andy Barry. Yes, preceded me. Right. So that was a great experience. And then got a call from Libby Snymer. They were looking for a morning news anchor. And Libby had been through the second of her major health challenges, her treatment for pancreatic cancer.

And so it worked out well in the negotiations that I could be assistant news director, associate news director, in addition to morning news anchors. So it was worth making the jump over to Zumer. And there have been many, I mean, so much has happened in the last 17 years, but Libby and I still work extremely closely together. So I see Libby every day as opposed to seeing Moses four times a year, right? Right, right.

Right, right, because you back up fight back with Libby Zeymer. I do. And, of course, the best of fight back. You talked about that earlier. So, okay. I forgot about that. That was the fifth job is the fill-in host on Fight Back. Well, I'm here to keep you in check here, Jane.

All right, so 17 years and counting. You're now mornings with Andy Wilson, who we've talked about quite a bit. And I think I mentioned before we pressed record. I met Andy at Dan Durand's house in 2006 when we recorded the very first ever Humble and Fred podcast. And he was there. Bob Willett, that's the day I met Bob Willett, who visits me every month now for, he's on the air. Actually, he's filling in right now doing mornings at Indy 88. So you're both on at the same time right now as he does the fill-in work there.

But, okay, you've had a 17-year run, and you seem very happy at Zumer. I'm very happy at Zumer. I will be there until the sun sets. Remember, John Gallagher said the same thing. Yeah, that's true. Well, as far as, I mean, I don't know. Right? I mean, we don't know, but I have no plans to retire. The biggest question I get from people my age is, so when are you retiring, right? Do you want to retire? No. Well, 61 is,

61's an interesting age because I feel like I can touch 61. I can see 61. And if you look, you look fit and healthy, and 61 to me is, it's not retirement age, unless you hate your job. Unless you hate your job. And then get the hell out as soon as you can. But if you like your job, why would you leave it at 61? This is what I told my kids who are now turning, 32 and 30 this summer, Jacob 32, Jamie 30. This is what I tried to tell them growing up. Just like, you know, whatever you love to do, figure out a way to get paid for it. Right.

Right. And I'm still getting paid for something that I love to do. What if they get you to wear more hats? Like, how many hats can you wear? I can't wear any more hats. I don't think, and I think Moses knows I have no more room for more hats. They'll say, oh, we need you to, you need to blog on blog T. They're saying we need this, we need that.

I do post web stories at zoomeradio.ca. So I do some... You do a little blogging. A little bit online. Can I shout out somebody who's worked at the Zoomer in different capacities over the year? A good friend of mine. Joel Goldberg. Oh, yes.

I saw him the other day in the parking lot. Is he still handsome? He's still handsome. And I've worked with him a couple of times on like a little cross TV ventures. Right. Because he works down the hall in TV. And he is one of the co-founders of Electric Circus on Much Music. Amazing.

And city TV. You know, my ex-husband wrote the theme music for Electric Circus. How long are you going to hold on to that nugget there? You brought up Electric Circus. Of course I brought up Electric Circus. It's funny. And I see over here on the right, a 12-inch single for Let Your Backbone Slide by Maister Fresh West.

And he got his record deal, his U.S. record deal out of his appearance on Electric Circus. That's neat. And here, and listeners of the show are going to be bored. I'm repeating the story, but I don't think you know it, which is working at the time, kind of like in a security function, just to get in the building at 299 Queen Street West, was a young man named Dwight Drummond.

And Dwight, because of this relationship with Joel Goldberg, and then Joel Goldberg's relationship with Maestro, Joel Goldberg directed the early Maestro Fresh West videos, like Let Your Backbone Slide, Drop the Needle, and you'll see a cameo in those videos by a young Dwight Drummond. Oh, that's a neat story. That is a real deal story.

And that's a story I've never heard, so thank you for that. You've got to listen to more Toronto Mike, Jane. You'll get those stories here. I'm going to pump your tires real quick here right after I thank two more sponsors. So I want to say to everybody listening, if you have old electronics, old devices, old cables, you don't throw that in the garbage because those chemicals end up in our landfill. Go to recyclemyelectronics.ca, stick in your postal code and find out where you can drop that off. Is that what you're going to do, Jane?

Okay. Yeah, that's an order. Okay. All right. And I mentioned Ridley Funeral Home. They did send over a measuring tape for you, Jane Brown. Ridley Funeral Home? Ridley Funeral Homes.

And they're in, uh, they're, they're, 14th in Lakeshore here in New Toronto. In fact, I produced the podcast for Ridley Funeral Home, which is called Life's Undertaking with Brad Jones, and it's a great podcast you should listen to. But you have a measuring tape, Jane. You can measure anything you want. Thank you.

You know, people who work in funeral homes, they're wonderful people. Wonderful people. Absolutely. And they're there for you at your most vulnerable. And you need them, yeah. Absolutely. Brad does a great job.

He's, I believe, in Toronto. He's the last family that lives on the premises of the independently owned funeral home. Ridley funeral home, good people there. I urge you to get your butt to Christy Pits for a Toronto Maple Leafs baseball game this summer, Jane. I'm going to be there Saturday night for a 7.30

first pitch. I'm giving you a book on the history of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball so you can educate yourself before you get your butt to the hills of Christy Pits. You are so well connected. Tell me more, Jane. Now I'm going to start recording. Okay. All right, you got your

You got your lasagna. Last but not least, thank you to Nick Aienes. He has a podcast called Building Toronto Skyline and another called Mike and Nick. I'm actually the mic in that Mike and Nick moniker. And he stepped up to help fuel the real talk. So he's helping to keep this show going. So I can have great conversations with radio legends like Jane Brown. This has been so much fun.

It went by so fast. Well, I haven't even shouted you out because in 2004, You won a national... This is another Byron. How many Byron's are going on here? Okay. And it's... I have the note.

R-T-N-D-A's 2004 National Byron McGregor Best Radio Newscast Award. Did you win that? I did. What is that? A trophy? A plaque?

Is it a ribbon? It's a plaque. Where is that plaque right now? In my home office. And that sounds... And I did a little research. It sounds like it is a prestigious award. Yes.

10-10 back then CFRB won these awards all the time. They won most of these awards and they just, the news director at the time, just, I would have been Dave Trafford maybe, or Bill Carroll. I can't remember, but anyway, it was submitted for consideration and it won. I would like to commend you, that's amazing. So congrats to you, but I want to commend you for the work you do

for bladder cancer Canada. Oh, thank you, Mike. And it's a sad award, a bit of a, So my guest tomorrow, I won't name him actually, but at some point people will connect these dots pretty. He was a key member of a big Toronto band, one of the biggest bands we have, it's not Rush, but a big Toronto band, everybody knows and loves.

This guy was a member before he stepped away, and he was going to visit tomorrow. He's a maritimer now, but he's in town visiting his dad. And the very sad news is he's like, Mike, we need to postpone. And I'm like, oh, what's going on? Because, you know, he was going to drop by Friday, which would have been July 31st. He's like, that's the day my dad's getting made, medical assistance and dying.

And I'll just say, Jane, if you want a good excuse for not coming to Toronto Mike, that one is the best one ever heard. I'm like, oh, my goodness, like, you know, obviously, like, just to leave me from your brain. And is he bladder cancer? I don't know. But I guess this is a very awkward way, yes, for me to segue over that. Tomorrow's guest, who I did promote on Blue Sky, and if you were paying attention, and you figured out who it is.

We'll not visit tomorrow, but hopefully at some point he will make his way over here. But he's got more important things going on in his life. But you lost your mother to bladder cancer. Yes, in 2012. She fought it for three years. But, you know, Mike, this is the thing with bladder cancer, is that when you see blood in your urine,

you've got to say to your family doctor, I want to see a specialist right now so that you can rule out bladder cancer. Because if you have bladder cancer, bladder cancer and you know you're peeing blood you're you can probably be saved um but unfortunately back in that era my mother was given antibiotics for oh like it's like a year like a uti yeah my goodness and so the blood so the blood would go away for a while but then it would come back and blah blah blah um and then eventually she was sent to a urologist uroancologist

but it was too late because it had spread i'm so sorry yeah You know, you talk about back in the day, like we're talking about the 1940s or something. We're talking about, what, 2010 or something? Yeah, she was diagnosed in 2009. But my mother was a medical person. She was a nurse, right? But she was also of that era that when the male family doctor says to you, take these antibiotics, you'll be fine. You followed that guidance.

And so that, you know, and so that's why. I'm not as active now as I was for about eight years. I was very involved with bladder cancer candidate. I still have conversations with their people and so on on the air because I really believe that prevention or once you see those early symptoms, prevention is to not smoke, by the way, because smoking and environmental causes are the main ways that you can get bladder cancer. but once you see the blood in the urine, make sure you see a specialist. Now, I can't put on my 2009 brain, okay? But in 2026, I can tell you straight up, Jane, that if I saw blood in my urine, I would

absolutely, yeah, I'm not going to, I want to find out what is causing this blood in my urine. Like that to me is, is that the first sign one would get typically, the first symptom one gets? Because that to me is a, no point in tip, a red flag. Exactly. Like, if you got blood, I know, I mean, my. Mike Richards, a long-time veteran of a radio. Yes, I know Mike or knew him. He had a battle with this and he's doing well right now.

I talked to him all the time. But he talked about peeing ketchup. That's how he described it on Toronto Mike, do right? But yeah, that to me, if anyone listening has blood and their urine, I think your advice there is see a specialist, get a referral to a specialist ASAP, because early detection is key. And people survive all the time. all the time. And you mentioned you don't necessarily do it anymore, but for many, many years, you were participating in the bladder cancer awareness walk in memory of your mother Sandy. And I had so many listeners and just so many people donate to that cause that I think over the

eight years we raised, it was more than a hundred grand. It was, yeah, it was a lot of money. and all of that goes to the cause, right? That's the great thing. That's what I can say about bladder cancer Canada. If you can only donate to one organization, donate to them, because all of the money goes to the cause. That's key. That's key.

Good to do. I hope people do that, and I hope people tune in for Zoomer. I want to, I always, the name is obvious. I know, is it Zoomer mornings? It's the morning Zoom. Oh, my God. Very similar, of course, to the Morning Zoo.

That, I know. Right, which was, I guess that was Scruff Connors and... Well, we were the one with the Q Morning Zoo as well. You're right. Yeah, with Jake and... And he called it the Edwards Air Force Base. Am I remembering that right? I feel like Brother Jake.

Brother Jake went west and he did a lot of stuff with Gene Velitis. Yes. In Vancouver. Yes. Stations that no longer exist. Right, he's still out there. And he's a grandpa and all that good stuff. And I want to send some good vibes to beloved FOTM

John Gallagher. Man, his stories are crazy, but he has had a very, very difficult 18 months. He had a stroke in Nova Scotia, and I believe he's still in a facility recovering from this. A few big strokes. And we love John Gallagher. And I'm glad to hear you had a good relationship with John, because I would be worried you, Jane Brown, would be on his list, his 400, 600-person list, which if anyone listened to Gallagher and Grow Save the World, they know, exactly what I'm talking about. But you had a good relationship with John Gowder. We did have a good relationship.

We haven't been in touch in recent years. He ended up dating one of my friends, and that didn't go well. Only one? It didn't go well, and so I hold a little bit of bitterness about that. Well, you're a classy woman, Jane. You know what? That's all I'm going to say. That's all you're going to say.

You're a classy woman. I don't think there's a, you know, I'm thinking about women, you're vintage in the city. I don't think you can find one who doesn't have a friend who has a similar story. Yeah, you're probably right. Jeez, holy spokes. Jane, anything that you want to say on your way out here? Like, I don't know, you were driving here. It wasn't a very long drive, but you're like,

I hope I get to say this or shout out this or whatever. Did you want to say anything before I play us out here? I guess the only thing I wanted to say is that having been in radio for so long, I just, that newsroom I was telling you about it, the CKO Radio Network. Yeah. That would be a museum now, right? because of the typewriters and the tape bay and the wires spitting out news copy and I just think

I can hear it. Yes, and I just think how lucky am I to have lived in that era of radio and now live in the 2026 era of radio and I'm just, I am so grateful every day when I'm driving into the Zoom reflex in the middle of the night and it's just been wonderful meeting with you and you took me down memory lane which Well, Zumer, news talk, well, 10-10, 680 news, CHFI, K-O, K-O-W.

Yeah. Amazing, right? Well, I loved it. Yeah, and that's why I've met so many of the people that you talk about because everybody goes around. Well, I'm glad we can make this happen. And you're now an FOTM, friend of Toronto. I am an FOTM. And the Zumer Plex, which I bike by all the time in Liberty Village, is only a stone's throw from the little house that India

38th broadcast. That's right. We're neighbors. If you see Bob Willett, give him a hug for me. I would love to see Bob Willett. It's been a few years. And that brings us to the end of our 1,941st show.

Go to Toronto Mike.com for all your Toronto Mike needs. Again, if you want to go to TMLX 23 on September 28th, send me an email, Mike at Torontomike.com, and we'll get you on the list. Much love to all who made this possible. Great Lakes Brewery. Palma Pasta. Don't leave about your lasagna.

I'm alone. Toronto Maple leaves baseball. I'm there Saturday night. Nick Aini's Recycle My Electronics.C.A. and Ridley Funeral Home. See you all next week. So again, Friday's guest has postponed for the saddest of reasons. But I am back. If my calendar will load, I'll tell you, I am back Monday with Tuesday with Tanika Charles.

See you then.