Kim Rossi
According to a report at radio industry watcher Milkman Unlimited, Astral Media is making changes at its Montreal office. Most of the changes are related to management (including Bob Harris, who will be moving to Hamilton), but one on-air voice is also affected.
Kim Rossi, who is part of the Terry, Ted, Kim, and Kemp Bad Pete trio (and is also married to Harris), will also be heading down the 401, filling a one-year maternity leave and joining Iron Mike on the morning show at Astral-owned CHTZ-FM (coincidentally, also at 97.7FM) in St. Catharines.
There’s no mention of a replacement for Rossi on CHOM’s morning show, which might just mean there won’t be any. CFQR is trying the one-morning-host format, and CHOM might be next to focus more on music and less on banter in the drive-to-work hours.
What a relief Kim is leaving CHOM. She was terrible. I actually had turned away from CHOM because of her and the lose of Terry. Poor Ted must be feeling the axe close to his neck now. Well thankfully I have my iPod and don’t need radio anymore. Gone are the days when the radio would always be on in the background. Kim was simply a reader of what was thrown in front of her. Ted caught her so many times, when he would ask her to elaborate and she would stumble and groan at Ted for being a million times smarter. Great way to destroy yourself Astral, even those new commercials with the big mystery to be revealed with the big shot Greenberg coming in at the end “interrogating” the big fat sweaty guy in the holding cell is awful. Stay bland people, stay bland.
Let’s see how Jean is going to make this an English Nobility thing..
Goodbye, Kim. CHOM mornings will be listenable again.
I wouldn’t mind that at all. It just so happens that morning that I got so fed up of CHOM that I’m thinking of switching to 98.5 FM for my wakeup.
Here are the reasons why:
1. Kim Rossi’s newscasts focus too much on alarmist news that aren’t always founded. This week, she mentioned how there’s a worm affecting most Canadian banks’ online operations with keystroker etc. I tried to find some report on that online, to no avail. That only makes people freak out about making online bank transactions when the actual threat might be blown out of proportion. Same goes with health news that she reports upon. I’m just sick and tired of that alarmist crap.
2. The attempts at humor are horrible. Ted Bird’s Revisionist history is often quite unfunny. The Joke Translator saves the day regularly, but Ted just doesn’t have it. If I want to have skits on my radio show, I’ll listen to a show actually hosted by a stand-up comic (see most of French radio shows in primetime of the past 20 years). Isn’t it funny how two unfunny men dissed Weird Al Yankovic this morning when they lack his talents for humor (and singing too).
3. The contests suck. Sure, the prizes are interesting, but I don’t care to hear someone try to sing air guitar to Metallica or sing along to Kiss when I’m trying to wake up. Also: charging people 25 cents for texting a response to contest questions just suck. Of course, there are more chances to win that way than trying to reach the phone lines, but I also see how Astral has found a way to add more money to their pockets.
Maybe if they got rid of Ted Bird as well, I’d reconsider. But until then, I think I’ll move to their radio neighbor on the dial.
I gave up on CHOM-FM almost a decade ago. Just awful. Just like most other Montreal radio stations. Too many stations in the hands of too few corporations in Montreal. Thank God for WBTZ-FM (the Buzz).
Funny how at the point of me writing this there are only 4 comments about Kim leaving, and not very positive ones at that. Kim is a has been was she ever important to Montreal radio? Bland will probably work better in her new home town. Don’t rock the boat, keep the guys in the corner office happy.
If you read between the lines, the real reason she is leaving is because her husband, Bob Harris; is being transferred to run the Astral Radio holdings in Hamilton. Wherever he goes, she goes. That’s how they came here in the first place from Belleville. Because of a company transfer.
Yup that is how she got here. Nepotism is a bitch and it leads to mediocrity. May they move on and prosper in their house of cards. I guess CHOM could hire some kid off the proverbial street to read the letters and words on a sheet of paper for a lot less now. Can’t be worse. Now who will be posting skanks and links to celebrity porn videos on their CHOM blog.
Far as i’m concerned, and many others agree with me, Kim has been the only saving grace on CHOM the past weeks since Bad Pete was added. Do we really need TWO whining curmudgeons on the same program? And hockey is important to Montreal, but i for one don’t want to listen to 10-20 minutes of hockey talk in the morning, or i’d tune into a sports channel.
Astral needs to remember what a classic rock station is about. Lose the bitching and whining and politics and stick to the rock. Ted isn’t a bad guy but the joke translator has been saving his ass for years. Merv is too funny and needs more exposure.
And ENOUGH with the gratutitous subjective vulgarity, do you take us for simpletons? “CHOM wants you to get oral” etc. That’s what i feel bad pete ‘adds’ to the show.
Not happy at all these last weeks.
CRTC’s CanCon regulations prohibit the operation of a true classic rock station. Same goes for Jazz and Pop Standards.
I suppose you can argue that, but that’s not the reason these stations are so crappy. I’m pretty sure Canada has produced more than 12 classic rock songs in its history.
Maybe Rossi’s departure has something to do with the fact that she is Bob Harris’ wife. Same reason she came to CHOM in the first place (at that point she was just his fiance)
Yeah, when you start off with “I am probably going to kick myself later for even acknowledging most of the posts here..,” it’s never a good sign.
Kim, I don’t know you from a hole in the wall, I haven’t listened to CHOM in about a decade, so i can’t comment on you. But I will say that the direction that Astral Media has taken radio in Canada is terrible at best and extremely short-sighted at worst. Yet no one has the balls to do what’s right and speak out against the company.
So best of luck to you and Bob, but unless people at CHOM, CJAD, NRJ, & whatever the MIX is called start speaking up against the Astral’s maximize-profit approach, you’ll both be out of work sooner than later.
CHOM hasn’t been a good rock station in years. Last time I think they were good was in the later 90s when they dropped classic rock and started competing with the Buzz. New rock acts at the time found their way into the playlist and station was good … no BTO, Guess Who, Heart, Neil Young, Beatles or John Lennon.
For a station that thinks now they rock more than ever …
Kim at least you’re going to a real rock station at HTZ FM. I was never a fan of the morning show at CHOM but still wish you luck and all the best.
CHOM was a good rock station? I don’t ever remember it not sucking. In the 70’s I discovered what a real rock station was when I made a few trip to the US where they didn’t play the same 12 hits over and over on their rock stations and one could hear more than one cool rock tune followed by at least 2 others on the hour. To add to the boredom, we are forced to listen to Canadian content regardless of whether it’s listenable or even classified as rock.
Good riddance to bad rubbish! It’s about time. But in the meantime, a whole bunch of really good, really important radio have been affected.
How sad!
It’s time for CHOM to really change musically.
More 90’s and 00’s and less 60’s and 70’s.
They need to renew their crowd.
I found with Bad Pete on board, Kim had quieted down…which I found great. I found her annoying along side Rob Kemp. So far I think Bad Pete and Ted make a great team!
Pingback: Behind-the-scenes changes at Astral Media radio – Fagstein
Tis a sad day, learning that her sexy voice will no longer whisper sweet things through my headphones was the worst news I have heard in a long time.
I like TED and Pete too, screw all you non-chom supporters. Go and listen to shitty music elsewhere and leave our chom mornings alone.
Sorry to hear you’re leaving Kim, was nice playing the dating game with you this morning.
All I would like to say is that they were right when they said something BAD was coming to the morning show.
I’m not a fan nor a detractor of Kim Rossi’s I don’t think her leaving will really effect anything on the morning show, perhaps if Astral is Smart Merv will play a bigger part he’s a riot
so long Kim good luck in Hamilton with Iron Mike in the AM.
Pingback: Chantal Desjardins replaces Kim Rossi on CHOM morning show – Fagstein
I find it interesting how many comments are complaining about CHOM in general. If you don’t like the format, change stations! Until now the format has been classic rock (70s, 80s), if this is not your taste, change stations. If you continue listening then shut up and enjoy! And if you haven’t listened to CHOM in years, you have NO opinion. I have been a CHOM listener since the beginning of time and I agree that Kim’s leaving is a positive step. Good luck in Ontario, and I do miss the days when station owners were creative individuals rather than faceless, tasteless corporations, but let’s hope for the best for the future. 2010 should be an interesting ride at CHOM with Ted leaving as well (and his comments about the change in direction for CHOM).
chom.. good rock ..not.. come on it plays the same songs over and over ..
i work in my car about 14h a day and i can say that thay play the same songs..
all the time .. in the morring .. and latter on in the day same song..
never do the play new ones.. and if the do.. they play it once a month wow.. what the hell
the only reason i have chom on it was for tedd bird. in the morring .. sorry to hear your gone.. bye
take care tedd..