Former Newstalk 1010 (CFRB-AM) afternoon host Jim Richards is now helming a new national late night talk show across Bell Media’s iHeartRadio news/talk network.
Making its debut last night at midnight ET, the Late Showgram with Jim Richards airs through 5 a.m. ET.
The show promises to bring a “refreshing and light-hearted perspective to Canadians across the country” touching on news, social issues, and featuring guests and call-in.
“There has always been an intimacy to late night radio. We will bring some laughs to that space,” said Richards, in a Bell Media release. “My hope is that at one point, the audience will stare at their smart speaker or radio and say, ‘What the ____ is that guy doing?’, whether they’re listening live or to the podcast.”
This isn’t the first-time the network has flirted with a national late night talk show. During the first wave of the pandemic in late March, Bell Media introduced The Late Shift with Jason Agnew. Replacing Coast-to Coast AM with George Noory, the network cited the importance of giving Canadians a platform to share their stories.
Richards, whose career has included stops at CJTN-FM Trenton, CIHI-FM Fredericton, CJCH-FM Halifax, Rock 95 (CFJB-FM) Barrie, The Fan 590 (CJCL-AM), and Q107 (CILQ-FM), has hosted late night radio before. His initial gig with CFRB-AM, when he joined the station in 1997, was hosting The Nightside. He also briefly hosted syndicated late night programming for the Rock Radio Network.
The Late Showgram can be heard in Toronto on Newstalk 1010 as well as CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, Newstalk 610 CKTB St. Catharines, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 1290 CJBK London, BNN Bloomberg 1410 Vancouver, CFAX 1070 Victoria, and AM 1150 Kelowna.
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