Welcome to this week's Open Mike. I'm Mike and I'll be your master of ceremonies for the day. Feel free to use this space to vent, rant, share a story and/or ask a question of the hivemind.
April 06, 2026
In this 330th episode, Mike chats with Ralph Benmergui about his years at CKLN, CBC Radio, hosting Midday and Friday Night with Ralph Benmergui! on CBC Television, doing mornings at JAZZ FM, Mike MacDonald, Stuart McLean, fatherhood, Hamilton and his spirituality. This episode is exactly 1:17:06. You can
In this 329th episode, Mike chats with Matt Elliott about yesterday's Yonge Street tragedy, his coverage of the Rob Ford years, his work with Metro and what's next for him. This episode is exactly 1:41:18. You can listen to this episode in a variety of ways: Subscribe in
Today, shortly before 1:30pm, a man driving a white rental van struck a number of pedestrians between Finch and Sheppard on Yonge Street. Toronto Police have confirmed 9 people are dead and 16 are injured, 5 critically. The driver is in police custody. If you're looking for speculation and
When Avicii passed away on Friday, I did what I often do when a musician dies. I dove into his catalogue of work. He's got a song called "LE7ELS" that I quite like. It came out in late 2011. Here's that jam. At the time, my oldest daughter was really
Verne Troyer was 49. He was the actor best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, and for his brief appearance as Griphook the goblin in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
In this 328th episode, Mike chats with Acid Test vocalist Lucy Di Santo and guitarist Steve Fall about their sonic rise in 1992, lengthy hiatus and triumphant return to take care of unfinished business. This episode is exactly 1:22:28. You can listen to this episode in a variety
Avicii was 28. He was the producer and DJ responsible for hits like "LE7ELS", "Hey Brother", "Wake Me Up!", "The Days" and "You Make Me."
Welcome to this week's Open Mike. I'm Mike and I'll be your master of ceremonies for the day. Feel free to use this space to vent, rant, share a story and/or ask a question of the hivemind.
Gene Valaitis, current morning man on Roundhouse Radio in Vancouver, received some bad news this week when it was announced Roundhouse Radio was shutting down at the end of the month. Back in 1993, Gene and his co-host Jesse Dylan received similar news from 680 CFTR when they were told
The Blue Jays game against the Kansas City Royals is taking place at the dome right now, but it's not on Sportsnet. This game is a Facebook exclusive. I thought I'd check it out, so I logged into Facebook and searched for "Blue Jays". Lo and behold, there was a
Bruno Sammartino was 82. He was the professional wrestler who held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (later known as WWF, then WWE) for over 11 years across two reigns, the first of which is the longest single reign in the promotion's history at 2,803 days. I was enamoured by
Barbara Bush was 92. She was the wife of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, and served as the First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993.
In this 327th episode, Mike chats with Bill Brioux about his years at TV Guide and The Toronto Sun and TV... lots and lots of TV, from Hill Street Blues to Breaking Bad. This episode is exactly 2:10:32. You can listen to this episode in a variety of
Harry Anderson was 65. He was the actor best known for the role of Judge Harry Stone on the television series Night Court. Prior to that, he made many appearances on Saturday Night Live and appeared as Harry "The Hat" Gittes on Cheers.
In this 326th episode, Mike chats with Michael Hainsworth about why he just quit his mainstream media gig at BNN after 30 years in the business. This episode is exactly 1:45:09. You can listen to this episode in a variety of ways: Subscribe in iTunesListen via Google Play
R. Lee Ermey was 74. He was the Golden Globe-nominated actor best known for his role as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. He was also Army Sarge in the Toy Story films and Colonel Leslie Hapablap on The Simpsons.
Art Bell was 72. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM syndicated on hundreds of radio stations in the U.S. and Canada.
Milos Forman was 86. He was the accomplished director who won Best Director Oscars for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Amadeus". He also directed "The People vs. Larry Flint" and "Man on the Moon".
In this 325th episode, Mike chats with Dan Shulman about his years on The Fan, calling Blue Jays games for TSN, the move to ESPN, why he left ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, his return to Blue Jays baseball, his new podcast and more. This episode is exactly 1:05:42.
Welcome to this week's Open Mike. I'm Mike and I'll be your master of ceremonies for the day. Feel free to use this space to vent, rant, share a story and/or ask a question of the hivemind.
Podcasting is one of those terms that most people have heard of but not everyone can accurately describe. Put simply, a podcast is essentially a radio program which is distributed over the internet as opposed to using one traditional radio station. These shows are then available to download on various
In this 324th episode, Mike chats with Gord Stellick about his years working for Harold Ballard, being the youngest GM in NHL history, his transition to broadcasting, The Fan 1430 and 590 and what he's up to now. This episode is exactly 2:21:02. You can listen to this
In this 323rd episode, Mike chats with movie critic Richard Crouse about his years as a bartender, co-hosting Reel to Real, hosting The Richard Crouse Show on 1010, his cancer scare, his love of Elvis Costello, Pop Life on CTV and so much more. This episode is exactly 2:00:
