CHOM’s Terry DiMonte to hang up headphones later this month

Longtime Montreal radio personality Terry DiMonte has announced he’s hanging up his headphones after a more than four-decade career in broadcasting. His last day on the CHOM 97.7 morning show will be Friday, May 28.

DiMonte broke the news to listeners Tuesday morning, coming off of a stop set featuring singles from 1984 – the first year he sat in the morning show chair at CHOM.

“It’s been many many, many years, through many, many, many different changes and ups and downs. And it has been amazing and it’s time for me to bring the curtain down on this chapter of my life,” DiMonte told listeners. “It’s time for me to let someone else occupy this chair, the same way that Ron Able did in 1984 when he went on to another chapter in his life. I was lucky enough to be asked to try to become a morning man at one of the most storied radio stations on the planet and as luck would have it, it worked out. Despite a few turns off the road…I always ended up back here. My heart always seemed to be with CHOM. So, to walk away from something that has meant so much to me for so many years, to walk away from something that I love so much, has been a very, very, very difficult decision.”

Raised on Montreal’s West Island, DiMonte started his radio career in Churchill, MB in 1978 working as an announcer/operator for CBC’s Northern Service. After six months, he joined Moffat Communications’ Winnipeg stations – 92 CITI FM and 58 CKY – where he was on-air in various day parts and served as music director over the next three years.

After a brief turn into A&R and band management, working with acts like Streetheart and Queen City Kids, DiMonte joined the CHOM morning show in 1984. From there, morning show runs at MIX 96 (CJFM-FM) and CJAD 800 followed. After a five-year stint back at CHOM as part of “Terry & Ted in the Morning,” DiMonte headed to Calgary in 2008 to host the Q107 (CFGQ-FM) morning show. He returned to Montreal and CHOM mornings in 2012.

DiMonte told listeners that it’s time for him to embark on a new chapter.

“From the days of my mother and father supporting me when I told them I wanted to be on the radio, to the point where I ended up on the radio in the city I love, in the city I grew up in, in the city I was surrounded by all of these legendary broadcasters…I’m awash in gratitude and luck for all of the things that have come my way over the years from sitting in this storied chair, but I’ve also said many times that this storied chair doesn’t belong to me. It comes with an immense responsibility that I’ve tried to use wisely…it belongs to the old girl, herself – CHOM. It’s time for someone else to take the station into another epoch, as it were.”

DiMonte said he plans to find something else that he enjoys doing “that doesn’t involve getting up in the middle of the night.” That includes spending more time with his wife, family and friends, noting the sacrifices and toll associated with 3:30 a.m. wake-up calls.

“I really struggle with that announcement because the joy and privilege of being in your car, and in your home, and in your shower, and in your bedroom for all of these years is just a gift that I never could have expected and has given me a life that has been awash in joy and wonder and too many thrills to even begin to talk about,” said DiMonte.

CHOM will be celebrating DiMonte’s career throughout May. The station is inviting listeners to share their favourite memories via social media @CHOM977 or by calling 514-931-5373.

“One of the beautiful things born out of Terry’s broadcasting career is the relationships that he has made with thousands of people that he will never actually come into contact with,” said Mathew Wood, Program Director, CHOM 97.7, in a Bell Media announcement. “He received one of the biggest compliments possible for a broadcaster when a listener wrote in, ‘You feel like a friend that I have never met.’ He is a gentleman and a true professional.”

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