An unusual fall return at 98.5 FM. After a turbulent period, notably the result of the high-profile departures of MC Gilles and Pierre-Yves McSween, the Cogeco Media station is starting the fall with a transformed schedule, the kind of radical change one might expect from a radio station at the back of the pack, with nothing to lose. Coming from a dominant station, this decision seems risky.
From Monday to Friday, the biggest change obviously takes place in the morning, with the arrival of Patrick Lagacé at the microphone of Paul Arcand. After years at the top, the “king of the airwaves” bowed out in the spring. A large part of the team that surrounded him stayed to support Lagacé.
Also during the week, Marie-Ève Tremblay will take the helm at 10 a.m., surrounded by Meeker Guerrier and Ludovick Bourdages. At noon, Luc Ferrandez and Nathalie Normandeau will join forces, while at 3 p.m., Philippe Cantin will take the reins of Quebec nowThe journalist will host the return show accompanied by Catherine Beauchamp (arts and entertainment), Jeremy Filosa (sports), Valérie Beaudoin (American politics), Jessica Harnois, Fadwa Lapierre and Sébastien Fréchette, alias Biz de Loco Locass.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Columnist and author Geneviève Pettersen
Columnist and author Geneviève Pettersen will be speaking on air from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., just before Sports fansthe only box that remains intact, with Mario Langlois.
In an interview, the program director of 98.5 FM, Julie-Christine Gagnon, acknowledges that a metamorphosis of this kind may seem like a daredevil move.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Julie-Christine Gagnon, programming director at 98.5
It’s certainly risky. But listeners won’t be disoriented. In the morning, we keep a recipe that works. A recipe that we copy elsewhere. We haven’t gone into something completely different. We know our listeners. We think what we offer them is good.
Julie-Christine Gagnon, programming director of 98.5 FM
“We’ve known for two years that Paul [Arcand] is leaving, continues Julie-Christine Gagnon. We’ve been preparing for two years. In our industry, it’s an incredible luxury to have all this time. It’s not always like that. I experienced the departure of Bernard Drainville [en 2022]. He told me on Friday afternoon that the CAQ had called him and that he wanted to think about it. He left for home and never came back.
Habits turned upside down
Radio is often called a “medium of habits.” That’s why we rarely see programming changes as numerous and profound as those of 98.5 FM this season. To retain listeners, especially on the commercial radio side, stations prefer to make gradual changes.
“We are usually cautious in Quebec,” says Éric Létourneau, professor at the School of Media at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
Reached by telephone, Mr. Létourneau described the decision of 98.5 FM as a “risky bet, but certainly calculated.”
“It’s good to take risks and adjust in case of failure. 98.5 is very, very listened to. If they realize that they are losing listeners, they will correct the course. It is far from being a radical gesture.”
Julie-Christine Gagnon also points out that all of the fall’s star hosts had been part of the network for some time already. “Listeners were asking for them,” says the program director. “That’s the case for Marie-Ève Tremblay. Philippe Cantin too. Every time Philippe replaced as host, we received emails from people who wanted to know when he was going to have his own show.”
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Marie-Ève Tremblay, who will be on air Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to noon
The other Montreal stations are obviously aware of the upheavals at 98.5 FM. Some of them hope to take advantage of it to increase their audience share in the fall. Contacted at the beginning of the summer to comment on the spring surveys of Rouge and Énergie, the general manager of French-language radio stations in Quebec at Bell Media, Chloé Boissonnault, acknowledged that “with the departure of Paul Arcand, the market is likely to change.”
Although he left his post as morning manPaul Arcand continues to work at 98.5 FM. He is preparing podcasts that will be put online in the fall. He will also deliver his traditional press review every morning, which The Press and Cogeco will offer on their platforms.
Tumultuous period
The turmoil of the last few months at 98.5 FM is not only attributable to changes to the schedule. In April, MC Gilles, who worked on the Quebec now Patrick Lagacé, was fired after a period of great friction. In July, another surprise announcement: the station terminated the contract of Pierre-Yves McSween, who was supposed to appear alongside Philippe Cantin in the return show.
Read our column “The reasons for MC Gilles’ dismissal”
These twists and turns have obviously dampened the mood. “It would be a lie to say otherwise,” says Julie-Christine Gagnon. “Departures like that are never fun. They’re never desired either. But we came to these conclusions for good reasons. Now, people are looking ahead. This week, no one talked to me about it. We’re looking to the future.”
The atmosphere is also said to be pleasant in the research team, which has also undergone profound changes. Last winter, management indicated that it wanted to “shuffle the deck.”
“Change scares everyone. It’s a bit uncomfortable at first, but then things settle in. Once the positions were filled, the nervousness subsided. Today, the feedback is positive.”
The new 98.5 FM schedule comes into effect on Monday.