Legendary morning drive time host Ralph Lockwood, formerly of CFOX, made his debut on CKGM on October 2, 1972. He would remain with the station until late 1981.
In 1975, CKGM introduced "La Connection Française", referring to a trio of bilingual personalities (Rob Christie, Marc Denis and Scott Carpentier) which used both English and French on the air and played songs of both languages. As CKGM remained an English-language station, this resulted in French-language stations complaining to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and even refusing to observe quotas of Francophone music. On-air bilingualism would remain a distinctive CKGM feature until stringent CRTC regulation forbidding it (and also enforcing quotas on the Francophone side) went into effect on January 1, 1980.
CKGM got a record-high number of listeners among English-language stations in Montreal according to the Fall 1976 BBM ratings that were released on December 13 of that year, thanks in part to the large numbers of Francophones who listened to the station. (Almost 40% of CKGM listeners were French-speaking.)
Here's Lee Murray, whose birth name was Murray Cruchley, jocked at CKGM from 1971 to 1973. He moved to CFUN in Vancouver in 1974. This classic aircheck is dated December 28, 1971. [ LISTEN ] (30:23)
Here's another ditty... from Ralph Lockwood and Bob Charles in 1972 [ LISTEN ]. During its Top 40 era, CKGM was one of a handful of Canadian radio stations to carry the syndicated countdown show American Top 40 with Casey Kasem.
A Montreal-Toronto connection is very much evident in this wonderful CKGM composite from 1973. Midday man Mike Williams was one of the first-year jocks when Toronto's CKFH switched to rock in 1967. He stayed there more than five years, before moving up the 401 to CKGM in '73. CKGM Composite, 1973 (9:33).
Donny Burns was at CHUM Toronto for a few months in 1968. In 1973, he held down afternoon drive at CKGM. By the late 1970s, Burns had returned to Toronto, at CHFI.
Chuck Morgan was the all-night man at CHUM in 1975. But in 1973 he was the early evening jock at CKGM. If CKGM's 1973 morning man Ralph Lockwood worked in Toronto radio, we're unaware of it. But Lockwood did spend nine memorable years (1972-1981) as CKGM's morning mayor.
