Spalding puts his stamp on Astral Radio

By Mike Cohen

Martin Spalding represents the finest example of someone making it to the top of the broadcast industry by starting out in the business at a young age and patiently climbing the ladder. The newly appointed vice-president and general manager of Astral Radio’s three Montreal English language stations — CJAD, Virgin Radio 96 and CHOM — likes to recall his humble beginnings. “I began my career more than 25 years ago at CHOM,” he says. “I was a remote operator, producer, on-air announcer, promo-guy / Mr. Giveaway and morning man Terry DiMonte’s personal assistant.”

Spalding ultimately wound up as promotions and later program director for Mix 96, obtained his MBA from Concordia’s John Molson School of Business and a Post-MBA in strategy from McGill and then got a high ranking executive post with the Grand Prix of Canada. He stayed there for 11 years before getting back into radio at Astral’s head office. Several months ago he was recruited by a headhunter to assume the top job at CJAD, Virgin and CHOM.   

When I sat down with Spalding at his Fort Street office last week he was gushing with praise for some of his new hires. Chris Bury, who began his career barely out of his teens as a CJAD producer, now becomes the new program director and interim news chief. He succeeds Mike Bendixen, now back in his native Toronto and veteran Steve Kowch, who filled in for the last few months. The young Bury has already fulfilled these roles with great success at the former 940 Montreal.

Mark Bergman, the popular drive home show host, got a well deserved promotion as interim program director at Virgin Radio. “It was something that I had set my sights on 12 years ago when I was hired for free to hand out bumpers stickers at the station,” he said. “By working hard, coupled with Astral Media’s desire to see their staff succeed, I got here. I will still be hosting Virgin Radio’s afternoon show with Chantal Desjardins until I find someone to replace me.”

Kowch’s legacy during his brief three-month stay was returning local live weather discussions to the Andrew Carter Morning Show by replacing the Weather Network’s taped reports with CTV weather specialist Lise McAuley’s live hits.

Women On The Fence: It was more than a decade ago when I first encountered Erica Mintz. She was 24 and had just launched a successful business out her parent’s Westmount basement by selling corporate gifts and promotional products to corporations. Two and a half years ago, now married with children and going by her husband’s last name of Diamond, she sold the business Bentley’s... Fast forward to today and Erica has now become a blogger. As she explains it, www.WomenOnTheFence.com is the blog she was only thinking of starting a few months ago, but it’s now a reality. “For all women on the fence in life, in love, at work it’s time to get off the fence and start living,” she says. “Over the past three years at home, I have also written three children’s books and a TV show. I guess I bore easily!”

COHEN CHATTER: Staff and customers at Gordon’s Goodyear in N.D.G. are in deep mourning following the sudden and shocking death of Heather Gordon from a cerebral hemorrhage. She was only 49, married and the mother of two. Heather was a beautiful woman whose enthusiasm for the job and the family business lit up the customer service desk… A waiter at St. Hubert BBQ on Côte des Neiges Road acted quickly last week when he saw a woman and man stealing a wallet from someone’s purse. He alerted the managers who blocked the exit, held down the perpetrators and called police, who escorted this nasty duo to the station.

Item of interest? e-mail mcohen@thesuburban.com, call 514-484-1107, ext. 307 or fax 514-483-7213.