Rosalie Trombley (September 18, 1939 – November 23, 2021)[1] was a Canadian music director of Windsor, Ontario AM Top 40 radio station CKLW, also known as "The Big 8".

[4] Trombley and her then-husband Clayton moved to Windsor, and she was hired in 1963 to work as a part-time switchboard operator and receptionist at CKLW.

[7] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, With its 50,000-watt AM signal, CKLW covered Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois, as well as southwestern Ontario, Cleveland and Toledo.

[7] Trombley acknowledged in a 1982 Billboard magazine article that her station no longer had the "clout" it once did; but despite that, CKLW continued to play a role in breaking hits.

Among the artists she is credited with helping are Earth, Wind and Fire; Elton John; Kiss; Ted Nugent; The Guess Who,[6] The Poppy Family and Bob Seger.

[16] She persuaded Elton John to release "Bennie and the Jets" as a single, because she believed, correctly, that it would be a cross-over hit, appealing to both black and white listeners.

[18] There are differing stories concerning Trombley's reaction to the tune: some claim she hated "Rosalie" and refused to allow her DJs to play it; others insist the programmer was flattered, but worried about a potential conflict of interest.

[21] The "Rosalie Trombley Award", which honours women who have made their mark in broadcasting, is presented during Canadian Music Week.