Pouncing on an opportunity left by the shutdown of CINW, CJAD has picked up the syndicated overnight program Coast to Coast AM, which used to air on 940. It will occupy the overnight hours on CJAD starting Monday, March 1.

Chris Bury, CJAD’s program director, said he has been “swamped by e-mails and calls from Montrealers demanding we add this program.”

“We added Coast to Coast AM to the lineup so we would have more live programming overnight and consistent programming seven nights a week.”

These comments were echoed in an Astral Media press release issued today.

The added program bumps off Last Call with Sol Boxenbaum, a local late-night program. Boxenbaum didn’t respond to an email from me, but told Radio in Montreal’s Sheldon Harvey that “It was a decision of CJAD and for the record I had a passion for the show and the audience that was genuine and I would never have quit.”

Update: Boxenbaum emails me:

My phone and e mail have been bombarded with calls from listeners who are confused as to why i was not on air after Tuesday. Some think I am ill with a sore throat. CJAD has been swamped with calls too. Nothing like what is likely going to follow after reality sets in to my listeners that they would be listening to syndicated radio from Monday on. I hope that Coast to Coast does as much for CJAD that it did for 940 radio under the guidance of PD Chris Bury. TG Gord Sinclair didn’t have to see this time in history. Never send a boy to do a man’s job.