Roger Ashby, Radio Personnel and Polio Survivor
Posted by Carol (Bieser) Hutchinson
on Oct 21, 2014
Special Guest for Friday Lunch, October 24, 2014, World Polio Day
Location: Fairmont Royal York - Upper Canada Room, 18th floor
Back in the day, young Roger Ashby was considering life as a university student, had even paid his deposit, when a radio station in Hamilton stepped up and hired him during the summer. Ashby decided to forego university and embarked on what would become a rather remarkable career in radio. Ashby was a radio nut even as a kid and his dad set up a home-made radio studio in the basement, with speakers throughout the house, and Ashby would practice his "broadcasting" every afternoon after school.
A few years later, Ashby was working at 1050 CHUM before crossing the hall at 1331 Yonge Street to take the reigns as morning man on CHUM FM in the highly competitive world of Toronto radio. CHUM FM became #1 and has held that position for the last 12 years despite many changes in the Toronto market.
In January 2010, Ashby was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame receiving the Waters Family Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award. Outside of the studio, Ashby loves spending time with his family at home. He’s also involved with numerous charities including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Toronto as honourary chairman, the CNIB, The Toronto Humane Society and the Toronto Wildlife Centre, among others.
Ashby is known for his quick wit, storytelling ability, encyclopedic knowledge of music and his tight-fisted way with a dollar. Which brings us back to the beginning. Remember that deposit he gave to the university way back when? "I never got it back" says Ashby, still a bit perturbed by the memory.