I've been blogging for a long, long time. Well over 20 years at this point. And yes, many of my blog entries have been about Toronto radio.
When I started Toronto Mike'd, my little podcast that could, radio personalities were some of my favourite guests. I loved sitting down with the voices of my youth, be it Humble and Fred, Jesse and Gene, or Brother Jake Edwards. Plus plenty more guests that I'd like to interview soon, like Money With Mark. Over time, I gained a bit of a reputation as a guy who could break radio stories, or at least find out why you're no longer hearing that familiar voice anymore.
Reshmi Nair took over Newstalk 1010's afternoon drive show The Rush back in April 2022. Her co-host at the time was FOTM Scott MacArthur. Scott left radio altogether, but Reshmi soldiered on. In July 2022, Reshmi visited me for a chat on Toronto Mike'd, and I loved her personality and our chemistry. Hear it for yourself here.
Since then I debated Reshmi on CTV News Channel and, since early December, I've been fielding queries about her whereabouts. Apparently she hasn't been heard on Newstalk 1010 since.
At this point, you come to recognize the patterns. At first there will be guest hosts "filling in for Reshmi Nair". The station will drop her name and include her on the website. Then, as weeks become months, any reference to the regular host disappears. The website removes the name and image, the hosts stop saying she'll return or that it's her show.
I've sent a private note to FOTM Reshmi, and I hope she's okay, but I've seen this movie before.
Update: When you write Reshmi at her Bell Media email address, you get this reply stating she's no longer with the company.
