Rock Radio Scrapbook

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Talent: PUNCH ANDREWS with MARK CHAMPAINE
Station: Mix 99.9 (CKFM) Toronto
Date: 1997 or 1998
Time: 6:22

If a man could be measured by his friends, Chris "Punch" Andrews stood very tall indeed.

South Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ont. - where Andrews spent his last days - said they've never seen a patient with so many friends and family. In addition, his Chris Andrews Support Posse Facebook page was filled with hundreds of messages of support from the many people whose lives he touched. Karen Steele, program director at MIX FM, writes "Punch had a tremendous heart and passion for radio. He absolutely LOVED everything about it..."

Andrews started in broadcasting in 1982 when, at just 17, he began an eight-year run as an on-air host at Cable 10 in Aurora, Ont. He also jocked at CKAN Newmarket, Ont., from 1986 to 1992 - mostly in evenings - while studying radio and television at Ryerson University. After that, he moved to AM 640 Toronto for a short time as a producer. Andrews' next stop was from 1992 to 1994 as an evening announcer at CFCY Charlottetown. In 1994, it was on to Toronto's MIX 99.9, where his 7 p.m.-midnight show grew to be number-one in its demographic and timeslot.

Andrews went on to host the popular Saturday Night Party MIX on MIX FM, and also did traffic reports for CFRB, EZ-ROCK and MIX FM. In 2000, he began teaching Communications Technology at Vaughn Secondary School in Thornhill, Ont., and was PD and technical director at the school's radio station, 90.7 RAV-FM.

Andrews' multi-faceted career also included stops at three other Ontario stations: HTZ-FM in St. Catharines, Rock 95 in Barrie and Z 103 in Brampton. He was also narrator for the show "Office Temps" on Global TV.

Andrews died March 30, 2008. He was 43 and suffered from lung cancer.

Enjoy Andrews - with Mark ChamPaine* - on Mix 99.9 here.

(The Larry Maxwell Collection)

*Better known as Mark Paine, he was Mark ChamPaine at Mix 99.9 and yes, that's how he spelled it!

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