Talent: BRIAN SKINNER
Station: CHUM Toronto
Date: December, 1965
Time: 1:01:18 (unscoped)

(Montage courtesy Bill Dulmage)

Brian Skinner came over to CHUM from cross-town rival CKEY as a swing shift deejay in 1961. The Prez was promoted to full-time duty when he replaced Dave Johnson in the 7-10 p.m. shift in the fall of 1965. Johnson had been doing the evening shift since the station's Top 40 beginnings in 1957 so Skinner had big shoes to fill. But CHUM listeners weren't disappointed as Skinner combining his cornball sense of humour with a cacophony of bells, whistles and tambourines to create an unforgettable listening experience. Nothing was too zany for Skinner, who brought real-life CHUM janitor Jerry Kowalski onto the air to tell corny jokes in his broken Polish accent.

The fun lasted until 1968, when CHUM tightened up its programming and Skinner was relegated to the all-night show. The Prez did his last CHUM show July 15, 1969 and later went into teaching in Seattle.

Hear Brian Skinner on CHUM in December, 1965 (UNSCOPED) here. 

Hear Brian Skinner on CHUM in December, 1965 (UNSCOPED) here. 
 

(The Charlie Ritenburg Collection)

RESTORATION by Charlie Ritenburg
 

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