Rock Radio Scrapbook

AIRCHECK OF THE WEEK
For week of September 14, 2008
Weekly issue #496

Talent: BRIAN MASTER
Station: CHFI Toronto
Date: September, 1992
Time: 16:42

From Dion and the Belmonts to Celine Dion, Brian Master has played it all in a career spanning all or parts of five different decades.

Born in Brentwood, England and raised in St. Catharines, Ont., Master began his radio career in January, 1969. His first station was CFCO Chatham, Ont., where he was production manager and also did swing shifts. In May of 1969, he moved to CHOW Welland, Ont., where he did midday op and swing shifts, and later evenings. He was Brian H. Master then - the H. was added to avoid confusion with another CHOW announcer, Don McMaster.

On his evening show at CHOW, Master played Top 40 from 6:30 p.m. to midnight weeknights. Then from midnight to 1 a.m. - a segment he called Symmetry - Master spun progressive rock (he started every Friday Symmetry show with In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly). Also on CHOW, Master played "J' T'Aime...Mon Non Plus" by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg a lot, much to the consternation of local Roman Catholic Archdiocese, so he made it number-one three weeks in a row!

Master's evening numbers at CHOW were so high (a 32 share!) that CHSC's Bob Redmond hired him away to his St. Catharines station in June, 1971. Master initially did the all-night show (called Town and Country) at CHSC and later moved into evenings.

In July, 1972, he got his biggest break yet, when CHUM-FM PD Bob Laine hired at the Toronto progressive rock station. It was there he permanently dropped the H. from his air name. At CHUM-FM, he was assistant to Benjy Karch, the music director, and Laine, who was followed in the PD position by Duff Roman. In June, 1978, Master moved to Q-107 Toronto as music director and swing announcer.

Master returned to CHUM-FM in June, 1980, initially in mornings and later in middays. He left CHUM-FM for a second time in May, 1983 for easy-listening CHFI Toronto. Master would spend the next 19 years at CHFI, first in weekends and beginning in 1987, afternoon drive. He also spun the oldies as part of CHFI's popular Saturday Night Oldies program.

Master left CHFI in January, 2002. He went into real estate at RE-MAX in 2005.

*On a personal note, I'll never forget the time Brian Master came to Ryerson University in the mid-'70s to listen to the airchecks of the announcers on the campus radio station, CRFM. One of the airchecks he listened to was mine, and it gave it a nice review and good words of encouragement. It thought it was great that a broadcast professional would take time out of his busy schedule to visit us at Ryerson, and critique our airchecks in such a positive way. Thanks, Brian.

Enjoy Brian Master on CHFI's Saturday Night Oldies here.

(The Gary Heighington Collection)

More 1992 airchecks here!

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