August 14th, 2024, 1 PM. A moment that felt like a punch to the gut. 900 CHML, the station where I began my journey in radio, went silent. The airwaves that once buzzed with the energy, news, and voices of Hamilton were gone, just like that. And I can’t shake the feeling that this was inevitable—a direct consequence of misguided government policies that have crippled our media landscape.
I remember it like it was yesterday. Graduating from Mohawk College in 1994, full of dreams and energy, I walked into the CHML studio for the first time. My internship was a dream come true, starting with the grunt work of collecting weather and traffic updates. This was before the days of Google Maps and instant digital access. My job was to pick up the phone, talk to tow truck operators, and connect with the police to get the latest on traffic and accidents. I’d scribble the information down, print out a sheet, and update the broadcasters. Eventually, I mastered WordPerfect macros to make those updates flash on their screens in real time. It was thrilling, it was raw, and it was the heartbeat of Hamilton.
But now, that heartbeat has stopped. And while my heart aches for the station that gave me my start, I can’t ignore the rage I feel toward the forces that led us here. The writing was on the wall, and it’s impossible to overlook the role of recent government legislation in this tragedy.
Let’s talk about Bill C-11, the so-called “Online Streaming Act,” and Bill C-18, the “Online News Act.” These bills, championed by our Liberal and NDP government, were supposed to support Canadian content and journalism. But what did they really do? They added a burden to traditional media outlets like CHML, while giving digital giants like Google and Meta the perfect excuse to pull out of Canadian content altogether. Facebook didn’t negotiate—they blocked. The impact? Local news lost its platform, and stations like CHML lost a key part of their relevance and revenue.
And don’t get me started on the new 2.5% Digital Services Tax. Another hit to small businesses trying to survive in this brutal economy, all courtesy of the same government that seems hell-bent on regulating us into the ground. Small businesses, which were already struggling to get noticed with their local ads, are now facing higher costs and fewer platforms to reach their audiences. With social media clamping down on news content, who’s left to listen, to watch, to care? Advertisers pulled out, revenue dried up, and here we are—900 CHML, a station that survived decades of change, couldn’t survive this.
It’s beyond frustrating. It’s infuriating. The government, instead of nurturing our media and small business ecosystems, has done more harm than good. And while CHML goes dark, the CBC—a government-funded entity—hands out $18 million in bonuses to its executives. How is this fair? How is this just?
If I were still in radio, yesterday would have been my last day. I’m proud of my time at CHML and proud of the work we did, including my time on TechTalk from 2015 until now. But I can’t stand by and watch as our private sector media crumbles under the weight of misguided policies and regulatory overreach.
To the government, I say this: Stay out of small business. Stay out of media. Let us breathe, innovate, and survive without the constant threat of more taxes, more restrictions, and more top-down control. The closure of 900 CHML isn’t just the end of a radio station—it’s the silencing of a community’s voice. And that is something we should all mourn.
RIP 900 CHML. You will be missed, but your silence speaks volumes about the damage that has been done.
Adam Oldfield