Hamilton's 900 CHML, One of Canada's Oldest Stations, Closes

Hamilton's largest radio news station — and one of Canada's oldest —has shut down with no notice.

The CBC reports Corus Enteraintment's  900 CHML, posted an announcement online about the closure on Wednesday. By early afternoon, the station was no longer on the air.

"We want to extend our profound gratitude to all of our listeners, valued advertisers and community partners - thank you for your steadfast support throughout the years," read the statement posted to social media site X.

"Your loyalty and this community have been the foundation of our station's legacy and we deeply value the connection we've shared with you."

According to archives from The Hamilton Spectator, the station opened in September 1927. The Government of Canada's website says there were 77 commercial radio stations on-air between 1922 and 1932, which would make CHML among the first in the country.

The loss of the station is "devastating," Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said on social media Wednesday. "For close to 100 years - 97 years next month - CHML's on-air personalities have been a part of our daily lives here in Hamilton and beyond .... this is a tremendous loss to our community," she wrote.

Peggy Chapman, who worked at CHML as a producer in the mid-90s, told CBC Hamilton on Wednesday generations of families listen to the station. "Their people are in the community, they're not just behind a microphone," she said, also referencing the work of the station's children's charity.

And without its news coverage, she added, it will be harder to keep people informed and hold local institutions to account.

CBC Hamilton contacted Corus for more details about the CHML closure.