Placeline Hamilton

Hamilton is going from having zero professional hockey teams playing at TD Coliseum to two. 
That's a fantastic addition to to the local sports landscape. It seems most everyone is excited about the possibilities, the boost to the market and the jolt to the downtown. But it's also raised some questions about whether both teams will have the same level of success.
Bubba O'Neil from CHCH Sports joins Placeline Hamilton to talk about this unique situation and some of the benefits and challenges that'll come from this sudden surge in pucks.

For four decades — including years now as co-host of the morning show — Annette Hamm has worked at CHCH in Hamilton. But the other day she announced she was retiring this summer.
A career that long gives someone a chance to see a whole lot of changes within the company and the industry as a whole. It also allows for some insight about where things might be going. Particularly with local TV. 
She talks about the past, the present and the future on this episode of Placeline Hamilton.
And, yes, she is looking forward to sleeping in.

This is Juno Awards week in Hamilton. There are events and concerts happening all around town, capped by prize ceremonies on the weekend at TD Coliseum. It's a multi-day celebration of the Canadian music industry.
Since we're talking about Canadian music, let's ask this brain teaser: Is there a Canadian sound that's easily identifiable? In other words, can you tell a song's Canadian just by hearing it? 
Alan Cross is the host of The Ongoing History of New Music podcast and the man behind A Journal of Musical Things. If there's a discussion to be had about music - particularly Canadian music - he's the man with which to have it. 
In this episode of Placeline Hamilton we talk to Cross and try to answer those questions, assess the impact of politics in awards voting and figure out whether we're in a golden age of Canadian music right now. Among many other things.

This week we learned that the New York Islanders' American Hockey League team is moving to Hamilton in time for next season. It means a team will be calling this city's downtown arena home for the first time since the Ontario Hockey League Bulldogs were pushed to Brantford a few years ago.
But what's it going to take for this to be a success? 
There are some things obviously going for it. The fact that many folks are excited about having a team. The fact that it's pro hockey is more appealing to some than junior. The fact that this means some teams that are traditional rivals (the Toronto Marlies and Rochester Americans, to name two) will be visiting after an absence of a few years.
But there are also questions. This city doesn't have a historic connection to the Islanders that would provide a built-in, already primed fan base. The baby Islanders haven't been good for a while. What will tickets cost?
On this episode of Placeline Hamilton, longtime local hockey executive Don Robertson talks about some of the things going for the new team and a few areas that will require some work.

This week alone, Hamilton's downtown has been in the news for drug issues, problems at the Central Library and even graffiti. Throw in the often-cited concerns about crime, violence and mental health and the city is faced with a massive, ongoing challenge.
The police are the front line to all this. So what are they doing to clean it up?
Supt. Robin Abbott, the Division 1 commander in charge of the downtown, joins Placeline Hamilton to talk about what officers working in that area are trying to do, are having success doing and simply can't do.