New turnaround at Cogeco. Martin Spalding, who was due to take up his post on Monday, will ultimately not be appointed president of the company’s media subsidiary.
“Earlier this week, we informed you of our intention to have Martin Spalding join our organization. We have ultimately made the decision not to recruit him to lead Cogeco Media,” reads an internal memo, sent Friday, which The Duty got copy.
Cogeco Media showed the door earlier this week to its president of the last three years, Caroline Paquet. When the news was announced on Wednesday, it was said that Martin Spalding, a former Bell Media employee, would succeed her at the head of Cogeco Media.
Two days later, the company finally changed its mind for reasons that remain unclear. “Even if the situation is unfortunate, everyone must understand that the decision I am sharing today was made with care,” Cogeco CEO Frédéric Perron simply stated in the email sent to employees.
It is unclear who will serve as president of Cogeco Media. No appointments are planned at this time, the company said.
Martin Spalding had a lot of work to do at the helm of Cogeco Media. The company, which owns 98.5 FM, has seen its advertising revenues drop in recent years.
98.5 FM is also experiencing a hectic return, as the schedule has been completely remodeled following the retirement of its star host Paul Arcand. Starting Monday, the talk radio station will face competition for the first time from 99.5 FM, which will rebroadcast the programming of Qub, Quebecor’s digital radio station.
Cogeco’s music radio stations are also undergoing major changes these days. We learned Monday that Rythme, the most listened to music station in Montreal, has removed two of its flagship hosts, Ricky Dee and Patricia Paquin, from the air. The latter should be replaced by Maripier Morin.