There are a lot of words to describe Tim Denis, and none of them are negative.
Funny, charismatic, consistent, trustworthy, knowledgeable, friendly, the list goes on and on from people across the Niagara region, with seemingly nobody having a bad word to say about him.
Denis, who many know as the Host of Niagara in the Morning on 610 CKTB in St. Catharines, is calling it a career today after 47-years in the broadcasting industry – 29 of those on CKTB.
Tim was raised in nearby Port Colborne, and says radio was always something that fascinated him as a boy.
He says through this, he would listen to a number of AM radio stations at night, including those from New York City and Nashville. The way announcers communicated with their audiences, and the connections they built, is something he says he became obsessed with.
(Photo: Tim Denis Facebook)
While attending Port Colborne High School, he began doing radio shows at the former CHOW studios on Forks Road, the current home of Classic Rock 91.7 Giant FM and Niagara’s New Country 89.1. The idea behind his first show was to be a ‘high school reporter’, to appeal to the younger audience in the Niagara region through the 1470 AM frequency.
In his final year of high school, Denis applied to Niagara College’s broadcasting program to further his pursuit of a career in the radio industry. His time at school didn’t last long, as he was quickly headhunted while still a student.
Joking that he’s a ‘college drop-out success story’, Denis adds that it was a quick decision for him that wasn’t an overly difficult one.
While radio is a huge passion for Tim, he notes that he’s also an avid musician, and his band at the time was touring so a source of income was needed – something that AM 1600 in Simcoe could offer that he wouldn’t have had if he stayed in college.
After about three years in Simcoe, Denis was offered a job at CHOW in Welland to return as the station’s morning show host. He admits he had never thought of daytime radio, as his fascination had always been with overnight radio – and that’s all he knew at the time as a host.
Denis’ music career would see him end up in Nashville eventually to record an album, but he was still hosting a radio show for a cluster of stations in the northern-Michigan area. Being that it was nearly 900-kilometres away, he says he had to get creative with how he was getting the show to those stations.
When it came to balancing music and broadcasting, Denis says he always found a way.
The album cover for Tim Denis’ country record, which included a track with Shania Twain.
After releasing an album on his own, he was invited to Nashville to record an album with a record company, and spent about two and a half years there. The album actually achieved Top 10 status on country charts, before the record label folded.
While in Nashville he worked alongside a number of other musicians, including Shania Twain in the early parts of her career. A song on his album, titled ‘Heavy on the Sunshine’, that Twain is featured on is believed to be her first recording as a musical artist.
Tim’s first brush with the now-famous ‘White House of Rock’ in St. Catharines wasn’t actually with 610 CKTB, as he began at 97.7 when it was a country station. From there, he had stops at CHSC (also in St. Catharines), as well as in Kitchener.
Reflecting on his first day at CKTB, he says it was a ‘horrifying’ day for him – going from doing Top 40 pop music to hosting a talk show for six hours.
Denis says he thought he had plenty of prep, but that didn’t last him long.
Another hurdle for Tim in his early days of talk radio was the phone lines, which would ultimately become a staple of his show for years to come.
The issues he had early on included not having a call screener or a producer, which meant he was more often than not going to air live with no knowledge of who was on the other end of the line.
After about six months in the afternoons, he moved over to the morning shift – which he says was much better.
Denis in front of the iconic ‘White House of Rock’, one week before his final show.
Over the last 29 years, that’s where Denis has found his home on the radio, hosting the staple Niagara in the Morning for CKTB. He says over nearly three decades, he’s seen lots of changes within the building on the two other stations from format, to on-air personalities, to off-air staff that worked in the building. He was actually the final morning show host on 97.7 before it changed to its now-known name of HTZ-FM.
When it comes to the radio business, he says he’s seen just about every change possible, from stations moving from AM to FM, to the competition from streaming platforms. Even within the white house, Denis has seen ownership change a number of times for the three stations. Throughout all the changes, he says he never considered leaving the industry.
Outside of radio, Tim is a well known figure across the Niagara region for his various speaking appearances, MCing events, donating to charity, and being involved with different organizations – from fundraising to performing.
He says while it is important to be a figure in the community, it’s something that comes with the job.
Tim admits that the radio industry was maybe a bit slow in realizing the threat posed to it by the internet and streaming services, but says at the end of the day it’s still unique in its own sense for offering timely, important information to people in a local community.
He says he’s heard for years that the industry is dying, but he still has faith in radio and doesn’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.
Over the last few weeks since announcing his retirement, Denis has been replaying some of his favourite conversations on-air from his time during CKTB, and says that it’s been difficult to narrow it down after talking to thousands of people.
When it comes to days he’ll remember for the rest of his life, one sticks to mind. September 11th, 2001.
While being located a ways away from New York City, Denis says he was still in the building for nearly 48-hours straight after the attacks of 9/11 – as there was a lot of information that needed to be shared. It was a true case of finding a local angle for a national story, which is something Denis is best-known for.
Today (April 30th) is his final broadcast with CKTB, and says the decision to retire is one that came quickly. Denis notes that it’s unrelated to the station’s sale to Whiteoaks Broadcasting, as it’s something that’s been on his mind since around Christmas.
Denis says he doesn’t feel his age at nearly 65-year-old, but feels it’s important to hand the show off to someone younger. He adds that he loved Gordie Howe, but thinks he held onto his playing career far too long, and he didn’t want to do that in broadcasting.
Steph Vivier will be taking over Niagara in the Morning on CKTB, effective tomorrow. Denis says he has talked to her a lot in recent weeks about the importance of being part of the community, as well as the importance of being a reliable voice for the people of Niagara, and not a shock-host.
Mayor Mat Siscoe and Deputy Mayor Bill Phillips with Tim Denis on the day of his retirement. (Photo: City of St. Catharines)
On his final day with CKTB, he was awarded a key to the City of St. Catharines by Mayor Siscoe.
Over the course of 29 years, Denis has undoubtedly made a lot of friends, and also has a lot of listeners that feel like they know the man behind the microphone. We caught up with some of Denis’ colleagues, former and present, as well as some local community figures that have worked alongside him.
NIAGARA REGIONAL CHAIR JIM BRADLEY
For Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley has been a familiar face in the political scene in Niagara since the late-1970s when he started out as an MPP, and has appeared in 13 different elections over the span.
He says Denis has always been the one constant in the Niagara region over the last three decades. While politicians have come and gone, as well as other personalities and community figures, Denis has always been there.
Bradley says one of the things that makes Tim so special is his ability to talk to anyone, whether it be someone high-profile, or an everyday listener, and make them feel like the most important person in the room.
TED LEHMAN
Another voice that is often synonymous with Niagara radio is Ted Lehman, who has been the voice of Niagara IceDogs games (regardless of broadcaster) since the team’s move to Niagara in the late 2000s.
Lehman has an interesting perspective with Denis, as he replaced him in Kitchener way back when, and also filled in on his show here in Niagara.
Having worked together CKTB for a stretch, Lehman says filling in for Denis was always a daunting task because of his loyal following in the region.
NIAGARA FALLS MAYOR JIM DIODATI
The Mayor of Niagara Falls since 2010, Jim Diodati has had a number of run-ins with Tim Denis – and also speaks very highly of him.
He says Denis was always a constant in a world that was ever-changing, often offering an escape for people who may be having a bad day. Diodati adds that he also wasn’t shy about having a respectful debate on the air with anyone, as he often gave everyone a chance to voice their opinion.
He adds while him and Denis had a running joke about him being his connection to Shania Twain, it’s his ability to make people feel heard that’s what makes him so unique.
ROD MAWHOOD
Rod Mawhood is the host of the Niagara Sports Report on CKTB, and also hosts the sports updates during Tim Denis’ morning show on the station.
He’s been working alongside Tim since he returned from working in Toronto over a decade ago, and says he was a longtime listener of Denis’s before that.
Mawhood says it’s one thing to host a radio show, but it’s another thing to be able to captivate an audience, which is something he feels Tim has done so well his entire career.
ST. CATHARINES MAYOR MAT SISCOE
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe and Tim Denis are very familiar with one another, with Siscoe appearing on Niagara in the Morning numerous times since being elected in 2022, and also while he spent time as a Councillor on St. Catharines City Council.
Siscoe echoes many of the same statements about Denis as Bradley and Diodati, and adds that he’s always very fair to politicians on the air – even in cases where he could probably be harsher to them.
Siscoe recounts a funny story of one of his early elections, and his enthusiasm with his signs – which Denis then went on to mention on air.
CHUCK LAFLEUR
Another longtime broadcaster in the Niagara Region, Chuck Lafleur has worked alongside Denis at both CHSC and CKTB. Today, he’s the Afternoon News and Sports Anchor with Classic Rock 91.7 Giant FM and Niagara’s New Country 89.1.
Lafleur came to the Niagara region in the 90s, and worked with Denis multiple times in multiple buildings. He says despite being near the same age as Denis, he’s always looked up to him as a broadcaster.
During his time at CHSC, Lafleur remembers Denis always being ready to go on the air, regardless of how long he’d been in the building, as he was that naturally gifted at what he did.
BRUCE GILBERT
Bruce Gilbert has held a number of jobs within the ‘White House of Rock’, from Program Director, to Operations Manager, to Board Operator, to Promotions Assistant.
Today, he’s a Program Coordinator at Niagara College’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program.
Gilbert says in an industry where so many people jump between one job to another, often times going from one market to another, Denis was always in Niagara and was one to brag about this region to others. He calls him one of the most important people in the region of the last 30 years.
With 6 daughters and 11 grandchildren in total, Denis says he’s excited to spend more time with his family and travel with his wife as well. He’s also an avid fan of theatre, from both being on stage to behind the scenes, and plans to do more of that in his retirement.
From everyone here at Classic Rock 91.7 Giant FM and Niagara’s New Country 89.1 – congratulations to Tim Denis on an outstanding career as a broadcaster, and enjoy your retirement. It’s been well-earned.
(Written by: Matt Latour)
