The NewMusic
The NewMusic was a weekly music and culture television newsmagazine that aired on the Canadian television stations owned by CHUM Limited: MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic, Citytv and CP24.
Created by John Martin, and intended to combine the spirit of magazines like Rolling Stone and New Musical Express with the format of a television newsmagazine, The NewMusic presented current popular music in a broad social, political and economic context. It won an Iris Award in 1984.
The series was cancelled in 2008 amid ownership changes: the CHUM Limited properties were sold to CTVglobemedia (now Bell Media) a year prior in 2007, whilst the Citytv stations were acquired by Rogers Media the same year. Following its cancellation, the brand has been resurrected as a blog that features news items, concert reviews and exclusive pictures.
Hosts
- Jeanne Beker (1979–1985)
- J. D. Roberts (1979–1985)
- Daniel Richler (1985–1987)
- Laurie Brown (1985–1990)
- Denise Donlon (1986–1993)
- Jana Lynne White (1990–1996)
- Kim Clarke Champniss (1993–1996)
- Avi Lewis (1996–1999)
- Byron Wong (1999–2000)
- George Stroumboulopoulos (2000–2004)
- Hannah Sung (2004–2006)
- Hannah Simone (2006–2008)
Theme song
There have been many songs used for the theme during the opening credits, each reflecting the music of the time. The original music was the opening bars of "Overture" from Rush's 2112, whereas the current theme song is an interpolation of Pigbag's "Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag", which was also used as the show's theme during the early 1980s.