The thing is well known: Joël Le Bigot and I have a stormy relationship. But for the columnist that I am, whose radio is a passion, it would have been inappropriate for me to ignore the departure of this pillar of Here First.
Posted at 4:09 p.m.
After a 45-year career, the host of Saturday and nothing else, broadcast on Saturday morning, decided that it ended there for him. His departure considerably changes the media landscape already upset by the announcement of many other departures.
There is no doubt that fans of this show, which he has presented for 24 years, will have to experience a form of mourning. Many expressed it on social networks as soon as his departure was announced. But others also expressed their satisfaction.
This colorful and controversial character (he has kept the Radio-Canada ombudsman busy in recent years) leaves no one indifferent. He is probably the first to recognize it.
His admirers adore his incisive style, his great culture and his unconditional love for the French language. I remember this program which brought together French, Belgian, Swiss and Canadian public radio stations. A representative of each country had to make the others guess the meaning of a word or an expression typical of his country. Joël Le Bigot was always a very high quality ambassador for us.
Even though his family immigrated to Quebec when he was only 2 years old, in 1948, Joël Le Bigot could never put aside his French origins (some remain convinced that he grew up in France until adulthood). In the various programs he hosted, he always gave a lot of space to current affairs and the reality of “cousins”. This enchanted some listeners as much as it annoyed others.
I belong to the second category. His obsession with the “mother country” has always exasperated me. I already wrote it in a scathing column about him in 2016. This text also earned me the wrath of the hot host on a certain Saturday morning. Even if his remarks contained some falsehoods about me, his reply was fair game! I had looked for it.
His detractors, they have often struggled with the rough side he had with his collaborators, not hesitating to cut their whistle at any time. His passions and obsessions also had the effect of getting on the nerves of some people. His lyrical flights on boats and the open sea had become caricatural over time.
But let’s give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, Joël Le Bigot is a great communicator and an attentive and interested interviewer. As much as he could be “square” with his comrades, he was always warm with his guests. He then became the one who wanted to highlight rather than the one who wanted to crush. We were then entitled to the welcoming, affable, gentleman Le Bigot.
If there’s one thing I’ve always really appreciated about him, it’s the energy and passion he tirelessly put into serving our heritage and our products. Joël Le Bigot has always made it his duty to encourage the initiatives of local creators, craftsmen and entrepreneurs.
His best encounters remain for me, beyond those he had with many giants, such as Philippe Noiret or Gilles Vigneault (whom he interviewed countless times), those he had with farmers and producers. He could then emphatically tell listeners the importance of recognizing and encouraging our know-how.
During all these years, Joël Le Bigot has shown extreme loyalty to his collaborators. Around him gravitated Caroline Morin, Ariane Cipriani, Ève Christian, Guy Bois, Lionel Levac, Philippe Mollé, Jean-Claude Vigor, Christophe Huss, Stéphane Garneau, Jean-François Kahn, Michel Coulombe and Isabelle Porter.
Before the current team, he was able to count on his inseparable Francine Grimaldi, as well as Richard Garneau, Gilles Archambault, Jacques Languirand and Edgar Fruitier to multiply the jokes on the advanced age of those around him. We have often felt that the rejuvenation operation that the management of this chain has been carrying out for a few years is something that annoys it deeply.
A controversy particularly marked his years at the microphone of Saturday and nothing elsethat of the dismissal of François Parenteau, in December 2005. To everyone’s surprise, the management abruptly put an end to the posts of the ex-Zapartist who was invited every Saturday to deal with current affairs with “wit, humor and fantasy” .
But as we found that “humor” had taken over “humor”, Parenteau’s presence stopped there. Some saw there a request coming from “the beyond”.
Joël Le Bigot comes from a long line of animators who used to be called advertisers. With his departure, a generation of communicators for whom respect for the French language is fundamental is dying out.
Saturday morning, when he addressed the listeners, he said he was making this decision while he is still able to be in control of his life, to decide what his life will be and not to wait for life decides for him.
The Bigot was not unanimous. But that, he couldn’t care less about. It was for him an asset of his personality. And a way to be in control of your life.
Come on, I wish you fair winds, dear old sea dog!
Who will succeed Le Bigot?
The departure of Joël Le Bigot further complicates the schedule puzzle that the management of Ici Première must face in anticipation of the fall start. In addition to having to fill the slots for the afternoon (left vacant by The more the merrier, the more we are bed) and Sunday afternoon (left vacant by the team of The Evening is (still) young), we will have to find the right person to fill the big Saturday morning slot.
Several names come to mind. First, the obvious: Franco Nuovo, whom the management could ask to host the morning shows on Saturday and Sunday as was the case in the past. It was understood that the collaborators of Le Bigot were going to remain in place next fall. Would Nuovo compose with two different teams? It seems unlikely to me.
And then, I think of Isabelle Craig who would be perfect for the tone required by this show. Also, Karyne Lefebvre or Catherine Perrin. And then, I imagine that Stéphane Garneau, faithful replacement for Le Bigot, will raise his hand.
Management could also consider Philippe Fehmiu, who will lead this slot this summer, or André Robitaille. Furthermore, Jean-Philippe Wauthier would, in my opinion, be a formidable candidate. But he no longer wants to work on weekends.
Let’s get out of the box a bit, as the English say. And why not Monique Giroux? This seasoned animator is able to talk about something other than song.
The Bigot is a big size. The management could be tempted to seek a “star” outside the box. But taking on a big name just because it has a big name is a risky bet.
Finally, I would like to add that it is all the same ironic that the announcement of Joël Le Bigot’s departure comes a week after that of Paul Houde from 98.5 FM. The two animators occupy the same slots.
Would the bosses of Cogeco have made the same decision if they had known that the prince of Saturday morning was going to bow out?