Martin Streek took his own life in July. The last time I saw Martin, he was chumming around with his pal George Stroumboulopoulos at the Casby Awards. Here's a clip of them that night.
The first Sunday following Martin Streek's death, I tuned in 102.1 the Edge to hear The Strombo Show. I was hoping for a tribute of some kind. When 102.1 the Edge didn't air The Strombo Show and didn't utter Stroumboulopoulos's name, I asked aloud whether Strombo had quit Corus. I put on my detective badge and started to follow the clues.
Last Sunday, I noted that CFNY did not air the first Strombo Show following Martin Streek's death. I was speculating that perhaps Strombo, a good friend and fan of Martin, made this happen. His show did air on other Corus stations. I'm a big Strombo fan, and I was interested in his tribute to Streek. For my money, nobody could impart their passion for good music the way Streek and Strombo could.
In a new interview with CHARTattack to promote his new CBC Radio 2 show, Strombo has admitted that Streek's death played a role in his decision to leave Corus. Here's an except:
And to be honest, after [friend and colleague] Martin Streek died I had no interest in going back on The Edge [in Toronto]. So Corus was not the best place for me to be.
Radio may well be a business, where people are hired and fired all the time, but that doesn't mean it has to be entirely void of integrity. Strombo made a business decision with his heart, refusing to be a part of the machine that fired his friend after 20+ years of passionate service – his friend who literally had the station's call letters tattooed on his ass and remained one of the last links to the days at CFNY when spirit mattered. George took a stand and I admire the shit out of that.
Well done, George. Thanks for proving me right.
