Mike Stafford has been fired from his job at Global News Radio 640. He was the morning show host since February 2018 when he took Matt Gurney's spot alongside Supriya Dwivedi.
Legacy CFNY fans will remember Mike Stafford as the newsperson on Pete and Geets. Fred Patterson of Humble and Fred fame was the sportsperson. If you listened to Mike Stafford's first appearance on Toronto Mike'd, you heard why he eventually fired Fred as his best man. That's episode 113 and a personal favourite.
Before we get to why Mike Stafford was fired as 640 morning man, a bit more of my personal history with him. For many years, Stafford would read what I wrote on this blog, and would comment. It was always fun reading a Stafford comment, and we'd often correspond via email. I thought he was a great talk show host.
Once in a while, Stafford would even chat about me on his 640 show. Here's one such exchange with Lou Schizas.
Stafford's first appearance on Toronto Mike'd went so well, he came back to kick out the jams with me. Here he is on 640 talking about visiting my home later that day.
And here's that epic jam kicking. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.
But then, Mike Stafford turned on me. A question I asked Lou Schizas set Stafford off and he called me a "turd in a basement". It was a question I'd ask him again, so I'm not sure I could have avoided this conflict.
The last couple of years have been difficult for Stafford. Some of it was self-inflicted (his racist tweets that resulted in him deleting his Twitter account and his racist comment on an internal Corus Microsoft Teams channel that has resulted in this firing) but there was also a broken neck.
A little over three years ago he finally got his dream job after decades in the market. Now it's likely we've heard the last of Mike Stafford on Toronto terrestrial radio. Mike, if you're reading, and I know you are, let me share one of your jams.
There ain't nothin' short of dyin'
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin' city sidewalks
Sunday mornin' comin' down
