I admit I have mixed feelings about CJAD’s move. On one hand, I thought Sol was one of THE brightest, most humble and sincere voices on Montreal English radio. He told you how it is, without shouting or making you feel insignificant or stupid, the way some other talk show jocks do. But CJAD’s reason for cancelling Last Call with Sol cannot be faulted by any fan of the legendary American show, Coast to Coast, which you were able to listen to on 940 till that station’s sudden recent demise.
Coast to Coast has been picked up by CJAD, airing from midnight till 6:00 a.m. nightly as of this past week. This is a huge coup for CJAD and I applaud them for it with one hand, while wiping away tears for Sol with the other. Begun by Art Bell, Coast to Coast is must-hear radio, dealing with UFOs, government conspiracies and every metaphysical or cryptozoological concept out there. It’s compelling, often creepy and a really, really great way to while away the hours if you work the night shift or are a rabid insomniac.
"We decided to opt for Coast to Coast AM so we could offer more live programming for our listeners,” Dorval resident Chris Bury, CJAD’s program and news director, told me. “Coast to Coast AM also gives us the opportunity to have consistent overnight programming- seven nights a week.
“In addition, there has been a great deal of demand from the public. I've been inundated by e-mails and phone calls from Coast to Coast AM fans. It's quality broadcasting, and features excellent interviews and really stimulating call-in segments."
My sole problem is that it doesn’t have a local component and I have often yearned for a Montreal-based talk show that dealt with these issues. Even Sol had a couple of callers last month who claimed to have seen a UFO over the Trans Canada in Ville Saint-Laurent. Listeners eat that stuff up!
Take a listen. I guarantee you will be interested by what you hear. Just don't expect to get a lot of sleep if you do...
Last Call with Sol cancelled due to CJAD’s move to the Coast
Last Call with Sol cancelled due to CJAD’s move to the Coast
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Published on
February 26, 2010
- Published on March 22, 2010
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Bram Eisenthal
Life is often a funny thing. Man plans, God laughs, is the adage. Just two weeks ago, I brought you news about Westmount resident and gambling terminator Sol Boxenbaum’s campaign to stop Loto Quebec dead in its tracks insofar as its pursuit of on-line gambling is concerned. Sol appears to have succeeded.... on that front, anyway. Unfortunately, while I was interviewing him at NDG’s Second Cup, CJAD was in the midst of cancelling his popular early morning talk show, Last Call with Sol, which ran for over three years and had a loyal listening audience, which extended internationally thanks to the Internet.
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Comments
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- susan J. Stroud
- - December 9, 2010 at 11:11:05
Hey...................I miss Saul & his Last Call ....... !!!!! The Coast is available on so many stations. As a newly retired person Saul was perfect for the late night /overnight listening. He is missed . Is there no market now for the 60+, newly retired???
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- Allan Creates
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:28:02
I wonder what powers that be moved to take away our English spokesperson to silence us. Look at governments Federal, Provincial, and Municipal, as well as Lotto Quebec. We still are waiting for the results on the Mulroney inquiry. They want us to forget it so it comes to a soft landing. Or they want to hold it till it is too late, like the Maloffe inquiry on Mayor Drapeau. He is a true friend to people of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He answered all questions and never closed off a subject, not like anybody before. We need his casual comfortable style of conversation to calm the people.
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- Allan Creates
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:28:02
Answer I received on behalf of Mr. Applebaum, Hi Sol; As expected. Unanswered, except by way of form letter duly issued by underling secretary, With the present economic conditions that are touching all of us. Who are they kidding? Their take home pay is steady, and they have all the benefits. Three days after this, Sol was off the air. They exercise their powers of coercion to keep the tax payer victims in line. I am addressing the problem with the excessive taxes and the cost of living that are becoming a crushing blow to life as we know it. I just paid Hydro Quebec and their crazy rates to the tune of $2,027.96 for 64 days. This covers our duplex personal use and heat. In 1971 we bought this place and it cost $315.00 to heat the whole house for the year, and now we are over $6,000.00 to heat for the year. 5 years ago oil cost us over $5,000.00 so we changed over to electric heat to get off oil to try to save money. In 2005 we paid $5,117.90 to heat with oil. 7,022.70 litres. Heat and taxes have gone nuts. The cost of heat has gone up 19 times over the years, They must be laughing uncontrollably, upon tearing open a letter of disgruntlement or any other letter of complaint which remain unanswered except by way of form letter duly issued by underling secretary, only to return to crush whomever to show where the power is, as the system has given them a life style to which they have become accustomed. They exercise their powers of coercion to keep the tax payer victims in line. Our freedom is governed by bureaucratic bullies that abuse their positions, and financial power. They set themselves up with iron clad salaries, and sunset pensions that are achieved only by extortion on the tax payers. Hydro Quebec is another one that uses exaction as their method of conduct on the very citizens it is supposed to serve. As predicted. *form letter duly issued by underling secretary* Dear Mr Creates, On behalf of Mr. Applebaum, I would like to let you know that we understand the difficult times that many Montrealers are currently living. Unfortunately, municipal taxes are not under a borough's jurisdiction. Therefore, I have sent a copy of your e-mail to Mr. Alan DeSousa, Vice-president of Montreal's executive committee responsible for finance and have asked him to also take note of your comments. We would however like to mention that as a borough, our operation budget from 2009 to 2010 has remained practically stagnant and all remaining funds from last year's three-year capital works program have been cut substantially. We did this in order to better deal with the present economic conditions that are touching all of us. Regards, Rina Eleanor Scrim Political Advisor to:
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- Tina B
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:28:02
Just checked CJAD & at 3a.m. they started airing infomercials!??! I thought Chris Bury "claimed" his email was inundated to air Coast to Coast - Last I checked that was on for 5 hrs - So basically they took Last Call with Sol off for infomercials?? Sad. I WONT be listening to CJAD any more.
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- melissa
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:28:02
Wrong move CJAD-Sol was the only reason I listened to your station and a lot of other people too-I hope you watch your ratings drop-Sol if you read this you are the best and CJAD will regret the day they dot rid of you-and your coast to coast is crap-without Sol cjad sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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- Thomas H.
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:28:02
This move by CJAD is simply contemptable. The days of this station being a community minded entity are over. Replacing an addiction counselor during a time of day when the people who need his help have no one else to turn to with a bunch of Birthers, 9-11 conspiracy theorists, UFOlogists and other fools is beyond the pale. Gord Sinclair and George Balkan must be turning in their graves.
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- Secoya Friedman
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:11:19
I will sincerely miss Last Call With Saul. I listened to him each and every night since my husband passed away. He was a comforting and intelligent voice in what are to me, dark and lonely nights. CJAD has robbed me of his company. I will never listen to that frequency again.
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- Corry Todd
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:11:19
At one time I thought Bram was a decent journalist. After reading this article I now understand why Bram does not write for for larger papers. Sol Boxenbaum's show served a very important purpose and had a very loyal and strong following. He is very active in the community and he helped desperate people in need each and every night on air and off air as well. Not only did he counsel people with gambling problems, but he helped people with drug and alcohol addictions. He was a needed voice in Montreal and now he has been replaced with UFO and conspiracy stories? Yeah, that is what people need to hear more about. We obviously did not need to hear real life stories of what addictions do to regular everyday people and the damage it does. We also did not need to hear how to resolve these issues that are destroying common everday Montrealers, Canadians and North Americans alike. Now we have 6 hours of made up fears and fantasies from people that most likely could have benefitted from Sol's help. What a croc! After reading this article I now think Bram is most likely one of those freaks. The cancellation of Last Call With Sol was simply just a way for Astral Media to save money. They obviously do not care for the Montreal listening public and I for one will never listen to that station again. I'll now happily invest in Satelite radio if I want to listen to english talk radio. Shame on you CJAD and shame on you Bram Eisenthal for plugging Coast to Coast instead of supporting what little we english Montrealers had left in quality local talk radio that we had left. Just incase you are reading this Bram, here is a conspiracy for you since you like that kind of malarky: Sol stood up to fight Loto-Quebec...he won the battle but didn't win the war. I just wonder how much money Loto-Quebec paid Astral media to get Last Call With Sol off the air.
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- Thomas
- - April 22, 2010 at 11:42:49
Corry, you hit the nail on the head! Corporations survive on making money, their managers have a responsibility to do their job and the bigger the corporation the bigger the responsibility there is to make bigger money. So we have seen over the recent events (re Ted Bird and Kim and even Terry on Chom97.7) things change to save them money. In the end the only way we as listeners can change them is to not listen to their stations and voice our opinion (much the same as politics). I cannot imagine that many Montrealers will want to listen to some American stories over the lives of real people who live in their own "back yard". I hope everyone can voice an opinion to CJAD and hope for change, Sol was great. no doubt about it and I now do not listen to that station anymore.
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- Bram Eisenthal
- - January 19, 2011 at 13:43:24
I just saw this now, almost a year after it was submitted. I wanted you to know that I have been published hundreds of times in "big" papers across North America. And this chilidish notion that I am not allowed to have a favourite show other than the favourite show of other people is, well, childish. I loved Sol's show, too, and I often listened. I know Sol and think he is an amazing man. But comparing Last Call to Coast-to-Coast is not comparing apples to apples. The decision was made and it will not be the first unpopular decision made by media moguls.
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- C.
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:11:19
This is horrible news. Talk of UFOs, etc. is the LAST thing i want to be listening to in the wee hours of the night. Listening to Sol was so soothing, but this is just going to lead to nightmares and a restless sleep :(
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- Steve Golecki
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:11:19
I think CJAD decision to cancel “Last Call with Sol” has done a disservice to the greater Montreal’s English speaking community for which it serves. The interaction between callers on a local forum for the insomniacs and the lonely and homebound. It was something to look forward to Five nights a week. Last Call with Sol, was as informative as it was enlightening as home based entertainment gets. Sol Boxenbaum’s show provided a link via the internet to those Montreal homesick individuals who have moved away or just simply on vacation as they could keep a breast of the local issues. I know many will miss him and his show. I for one, always looked forward to hearing Sol’s mellow kind voice reminiscent of my childhood as I remember the old time talk radio days. Let’s face it, through his radio show Sol Boxenbaum was family to many Montreal’ers and to many through out the world such as myself. We hope he’s back soon. Steve Golecki~ Jersey City, New Jersey
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- Tina B
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:11:19
If Chris Bury will change the programming from having his email inundated, maybe that's what Last call with Sol fans need do. I already have.
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- Saida Birthman
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:11:18
Carol, anyone with any internet savvy would know that unless we had personal access to your email account, there is no way we could verify that your "sent copy" of your alleged email is in any way true. Your so-called evidence already makes me doubt your claims. And even in the case that he did send out an email that had "porno" I can't begin to tell you how many friends have had emails hacked whereby their whole contact list was spammed with vile email and/or links. One thing that personified Sol was that he was always respectful, no matter how much he disagreed with you, and he had a few crazy callers that hated him because he didn't share their political or religious adgenda or didn't support their racist comments. They were the vast minority and those were the only times Sol ever diverted from being patient and letting callers voice their opinions. Hate was not his thing- and he never wanted to give a voice to those that would treat others that way. I don't know either of you in person, but I have sure seen a lot more character out of Sol then to believe some random person on the internet slandering another individual without ACTUAL evidence. If your claim was true I am sure some credible journalist out there would have verified your story by now. As a professional, if Sol would have done that it would have hit the media. I had to respond to that comment, but back to the article itself, I think it's the only news article out there talking about Sol no longer on CJAD. He will be missed by many. I don't ever remember a radio host that offered to take addicts to meetings just to make sure he helped them get help and make sure they did not back out of going for recovery. His dedication and vision to help addicts was beautiful. Also unique besides his calm and relaxed attitude and kindness towards all callers was his desire to be a community of individuals helping each other. If one person called in needing a computer - I remember him hooking them up with another who was willing to donate theirs. He also gave a voice to the anglophone community. It's sad to CJAD ditch so much local programming. People usually turn to AM radio to have access to something local at any time of the day. CJAD has really made some bad choices starting with letting go of Peter Anthony Holder, and now Sol. As others have said, they now have one less listener.
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- Lindsay Rollin
- - March 26, 2010 at 15:11:18
Looks to me Last Call with Sol was Dumped for Cheaper Syndicated Radio.It`s probably cheaper to have Coast To Coast on CJAD than Sol`s Show.Strange because Coast to Coast was once on CJAD a Few Yeas Ago after CFCF radio went Bellie UP.DEJA VU I Guess.
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- Nancy Small
- - March 22, 2010 at 11:34:14
Sorry I am NO fan of the Coast to Coast Show. I miss waking up at 3AM to listen to Sol how is a LOCAL DJ easy to listen to and says it like it is I have e mailed CJAD which I am sure they don't care but CJAD will NOT be heard in my home or workplace anymore. Sol thanks for the good times hope to hear you on Montreal air waves SOON!
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- Brian Hill
- - March 22, 2010 at 11:34:14
hi, as i do enjoy coast to coast and find science ufo'sand all that stuff interesting, Sol was at least local and most of the time interesting, i think the changes that cjad have made recently will make them regret it. It all started when they cancelled Peter Anthony at midnight. As i am sure i am not the only one saying this, cjad just lost another listener. Have a nice day!!!
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- Jeanine Chartrand
- - March 22, 2010 at 11:34:14
I am so sorry that Sol's program was cancelled. I started listening to it as I used to be a CKAC night line listener and was very happy to start listening to Last call with Sol. I was very glad to have found it on CJAD and very sorry that it is no longer on.I am not a fan of the Coast to coast show.
I agree with Tina. Bye bye CJAD................Last Call With Sol was SO necessary ,a great show....... Canadian , unique , filling voids in so many ways - we depended on Sol. He's a good voice for so many of us night people... very loyal...shame on you CJAD. I was brought up on CJAD but I won't be listening anymore.......!!! Sol was so special - so Montreal. Coast is on air on so many other stations. Bring back Sol.