Two veteran local broadcasters enter news partnership

Outlets with combined 176 years in business enter new deal that will see 1150 CKOC simulcast CHCH Evening News at 6PM from Monday to Friday.

CHCH-TV and 1150 CKOC will work together to bring more local news to radio listeners in the Hamilton, Halton, Brantford and Niagara regions. As of Dec. 8, the CHCH Evening News at 6PM will be carried live on 1150 CKOC each weekday. The program will be aired in its entirety for the radio audience, in simulcast with the CHCH-TV live TV broadcast originating from its studios in Hamilton at 6 p.m. daily.

“We’re thrilled to distribute our news to an even wider audience in our community,” said Greg O’Brien, news director at CHCH-TV. “It’s important for us to reach people wherever they are, whether that’s at home, at work, or in their cars. Tapping into CKOC’s loyal radio audience is a great fit for us.”

Says Al Pervin, general manager of CKOC 1150: “Just as CHCH has been a trusted pillar in Hamilton media for decades, CKOC has a deep-rooted history in our community. This partnership helps keep Hamilton’s local media strong and thriving.”

CHCH-TV and 1150 CKOC are both legacy media brands in Hamilton. CKOC is Canada’s oldest continuously operating radio station, launching May 1, 1922. It was a CBC affiliate from 1936 to 1962. After decades as an oldies station, recent years have seen several format changes. The station became TSN Radio 1150 in 2015 and then flipped to BNN Bloomberg Radio in 2021. Most recently, on Aug. 19, 2024, new ownership relaunched CKOC with a classic hits format focused on the 1970s and 1980s, featuring new morning and afternoon hosts.

CHCH also has a long history in the city. taking to the airwaves in 1954, two years after television began in Canada. The station was initially a CBC affliliate and has transitioned through ownership and format changes ever since. Now producing more than 24 hours of original local news programming each week, CHCH features daytime “retro favourites” of classic sitcoms and series, and a primetime line-up anchored by movies, news magazine shows, and dramas. CHCH is available to more than 92 per cent of Ontario households and is viewed by millions nationally each week.

In 2026, CHCH will celebrate its 72nd anniversary, while CKOC will enter its 104th year of continuous local broadcasting.