Metro Morning facts for kids

Metro Morning is a popular radio show from CBC Radio One. It is a local morning program for Toronto, Canada. You can listen to it on the radio station CBLA-FM.

The show airs every weekday morning. It starts at 5:30 a.m. and finishes at 8:30 a.m. Metro Morning is often the most listened-to radio program in Toronto during these hours. The current host of the show is Ismaila Alfa.

Metro Morning is mainly for people in Toronto. Other parts of Ontario listen to a different show called Ontario Morning.

The Story of Metro Morning

How the Show Started

Metro Morning first began in 1973. Back then, it had a different name: Tomorrow Is Here. Before that, there was a show called I'm Here Till 9. That show was hosted by Alex Trebek until the end of 1972. The people in charge decided they wanted a show with more news. So, Tomorrow Is Here started on April 2, 1973. George Rich hosted the morning show for a short time before Tomorrow Is Here began.

Even earlier, from 1948 to 1971, the CBC's morning show was called Toast and Jamboree. It was hosted by Bruce Smith.

Becoming Metro Morning

In 1974, Tomorrow Is Here changed its name to Metro Morning. The first host of the show was Bruce Rogers. In 1975, Harry Brown took over as host. Harry Brown even won an award in 1976 for his great work on the program. The award was for being the Best Public Affairs Broadcaster.

Where the Show Was Made

For its first 20 years, Metro Morning was broadcast from a studio in Cabbagetown. This studio was at 509 Parliament Street. It used to be a theatre! During this time, the show was famous for a "watchcat" named Tuffy. People would often talk about Tuffy on the radio. Tuffy even appeared on things the station sold. In 1992, the show and all of the station's operations moved to the Canadian Broadcasting Centre.

Who Hosted the Show Over the Years

Joe Côté became the host in 1979. He stayed with the show until 1992. He was the longest-serving host for a long time. After Joe, Matt Maychak hosted the show until 1995.

Then, Andy Barrie became the host. He hosted Metro Morning for the longest time in the show's history. He retired in 2010.

After Andy, Matt Galloway took over in 2010. Matt had hosted the station's afternoon show, Here and Now, for many years. Matt Galloway's last day as host of Metro Morning was December 6, 2019. He then became the host of a national news show called The Current.

After Matt left, different guest hosts filled in. These included Farrah Merali, Piya Chattopadhyay, Ismaila Alfa, Jill Dempsey, and David Common. Finally, on July 7, 2020, Ismaila Alfa was named the new permanent host. He officially started on August 24, 2020.

Before hosting Metro Morning, Ismaila Alfa hosted a show called Up to Speed. That show was on the radio station CBW in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ismaila Alfa is also a hip hop musician.

Meet the Hosts of Metro Morning

• Bruce Rogers (April 2, 1973 – 1975)
• Harry Brown (1975 – 1977)
• David Schatzky (1977 – 1979)
• Joe Coté (1979 – 1992)
• Matt Maychak (1992 – 1995)
• Andy Barrie (September 5, 1995 – February 25, 2010)
• Matt Galloway (March 1, 2010 – December 6, 2019)
• Guest hosts (December 9, 2019 – August 21, 2020)
• Ismaila Alfa (August 24, 2020 – present)