Rosalie Trombley

Rosalie Trombley, legendary Music Director of AM Top 40 powerhouse CKLW aka The BIG 8. CKLW was a Windsor, Ontario based Detroit market AM Top 40 radio station powerhouse. With its 50,000 watt signal at 800 on the AM dial, CKLW covered the midwest states including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois. It has been stated that on night pattern the station could be heard in at least 23 states and 4 Canadian provinces. A ratings leader in the competitive Detroit market, CKLW was at one time, a part of the RKO General chain of Top 40 radio stations that used the Bill Drake "Boss Radio" format. In its heyday in the early to late 1970s the station was the 3rd or 4th most listened to station, cumulative audience, in North America, outranked only by WABC, New York; KHJ, Los Angeles; WLS, Chicago

Rosalie served as Music Director from 1968 through 1984, at which time the station changed formats.Rosalie is legendary in the history of AM Top 40 radio and was known for her amazing ability to predict and pick future hits. Artists that have publicly acknowledged her pivotal role in their success through early belief and airplay include, but are not limited to: Alice Cooper, Elton John, Bob Seger, Earth, Wind & Fire, Tony Orlando & Dawn, The Guess Who, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, Gordon Lightfoot, The Stylistics, Anne Murray, Parliament/Funkadelic, Aerosmith and many, many others.Bob Seger immortalized her in his 1972 song "Rosalie" from his "Back in '72" album."She's got the tower, She's got the power"Rosalie, Rosalie Trombley" are two lyrical lines from that song.

The term "Crossover hit" literally owes much of its definition to Rosalie's uncanny ability to pick artists from Urban & Rock playlists and cross them over to CKLW and their CHR Top 40 format, which in that era of radio, was the most listened to format as defined by cumulative audience listenership and reach.

Rosalie has been inducted into the Motor City (Detroit) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The Canadian Music Week Broadcaster's Hall of Fame.Now retired and still residing in Windsor, Ontario, Rosalie's legendary status remains undiminished.

Toronto based Markham Street Films released a fascinating documentary on CKLW in 2003 entitled Radio Revolution, The Rise and Fall of The Big 8. The documentary is a very insightful look at the history of the station. Rosalie's significant contributions to the station's success are among the highlights of the documentary.