Marilyn Denis bids an emotional farewell to CHUM 104.5 after 40 years of love, laughter and great music.
Arriving at 1331 Yonge St. in 1986 for her audition to be Roger Ashby’s co-host on the CHUM 104.5 Morning Show, Marilyn Denis heard a special song come on the radio as she sat in the back seat of her taxi, a special song that seemed to be the most appropriate song that could ever be played at that exact moment.
“I’ll never forget that moment,” recalled Marilyn in her emotional on-air farewell upon her retirement on Friday, June 26, 2026. “It was a song called All I Need Is a Miracle by Mike and the Mechanics, and I remember thinking, ‘I am never going to forget this song, where I was and how I felt because, boy, I really need this.” And it’s been just that. Thanks so much everybody. Thanks for listening.”
Thus ended one of the most remarkable and impactful careers in Canadian broadcasting, which, oddly enough, actually began in Moscow, Idaho, at KRPL, where the Edmonton-born Denis had her first radio gig and was its first female DJ. Broadcasting is a transient business, and Denis soon moved to Calgary where she held various radio and television positions, including programmer, music director and traffic reporter. It was then that she auditioned at CHUM 104.5 and her “miracle” happened. With Ashby, later joined by Rick Hodge, the Roger, Rick and Marilyn Morning Show ruled Toronto’s airwaves for decades.
A groundbreaking figure in Canadian broadcasting, Denis announced the conclusion of her popular Canadian Screen Award-winning series The Marilyn Denis Show in 2023, following 13 seasons on CTV and a 34-year career of daily daytime television. Viewers had also eagerly welcomed her into their homes as a trusted friend for nearly 20 years as host of the popular daily show CITYLINE.
A three-time Gemini Award winner, in 2006 Denis received The Rosalie Award which honours Canadian women who pave the way for others in radio broadcasting. She is also a recipient of the Allan Waters Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award; the 2023 Crystal Award for Creative Excellence by Women in Film and Television; and in 2024, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s Lifetime Achievement Award. On top of all those honours, Denis was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2024.
“While we will all miss having Marilyn wake us up every morning, we are incredibly proud to have been her home for the last 40 years,” said Dave Daigle, VP of Local TV, Radio and Bell Media Studios. “Marilyn’s legacy will live on through everyone who has had the privilege of working with her, and all those she’s inspired.”
Denis thanked her listeners across Southern Ontario with style and grace in her final signoff, traits that marked her career. Trust us, Marilyn, the pleasure was all ours, and we can all agree on something very notable: It really was a miracle.
@marilyndenis
