On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of French-language radio in North America, The duty explores this medium in transformation.
A century ago, they read cooking recipes and gave household advice on the air. Today, women talk as much about politics, culture as sport to their listeners. At least, on public radio. In the private sector, the facilitators can be counted on the fingers of one hand – and few are those who accompany Quebecers when they wake up or return from work, the most popular slots.
“When I listen to private radio stations, it’s a lot of male voices. But I have the impression that at Radio-Canada, we have achieved a certain parity. The presence of women on the air is more self-evident. […] And the fact of no longer being confined to cultural, social or song programs denotes a real evolution. We are capable of providing information and news! says Annie Desrochers.
The host took the helm of ICI Première Montréal’s homecoming show in September 2015. And despite the atypical schedule that accompanies this role, the mother of five did not hesitate for a second when it was offered to him. “It’s a question of organization, a rhythm to take”, she explains, “like for the morning show”, where she was a columnist for several years and a substitute host for a few months.
It should be noted, however, that the late afternoon on Radio-Canada’s Montreal airwaves had not been hosted by a woman since the 1960s. is that this year we achieved parity for the first time across the province’s ICI Première stations, with five women and five men at the helm.
“Alone in her gang”
It is especially on the side of private radio stations that the shoe pinches. On Cogeco Media’s six talk stations, male voices monopolize the airwaves. At dawn, there is only one morning womanCatherine Gaudreault, who hosts That the Mauricie rises.
“To the public, there have been efforts. It is especially in the commercial radios, the problem”, supports the ex-journalist Geneviève Bonin-Labelle, who published the work Women in Radio: Unfiltered Voices from Canada in 2020. “Yes, there are more women, but they remain in the minority and are rarely at the helm of their own show. They will present the weather, do cultural chronicles or co-host with a man. Not to mention that politics, news or public affairs programs remain in the male domain. »
Isabelle Maréchal, who until last year hosted the public affairs program Isabella in the morning at 98.5 FM, confides that for a long time she felt “alone in her gang”. “I was Smurfette”, she notes in reference to the book The boy club by Martine Delvaux, who describes the “Smurfette principle” as the fact of integrating a woman into a group of men in order to clear one’s conscience.
The one who was at the helm of her own morning show at CKAC from the beginning of the 2000s indicates that she always had to provoke her luck. “At the time, I had seen an advertisement for CKAC in the newspaper with only photos of men. I was a little drooling, I went to see the boss to tell him: “When you are ready to hire a woman, you have my number.” A few months later, I had my show,” she says.
The scenario repeated itself when she had the opportunity to be a morning host, while waiting for Paul Arcand to take up his post at 98.5 in 2004. “I read that they had trouble finding someone one to warm the seat. I offered myself. […] It’s as if we weren’t going to think of contacting a woman for these positions, especially when the radio is run by men,” laments Ms.me Marshal, who advises women to go ahead and take their place.
Demanding slots
The vice-president of spoken stations of Cogeco Media, Pierre Martineau, assures for his part that he is looking for hosts to diversify his schedules. “I can’t find any. I am constantly on the lookout for women of opinion, character, interesting, captivating, who can perform well in these high-pressure jobs. But not many people want to do that. »
Now at the head of the production house IPROD Media, Isabelle Maréchal recognizes that the morning schedule or the return home can put some people off. “For me, for example, 10 a.m. to noon suited me better 15 years ago. I had two young children at home, I wanted to be there for them. Balancing work and family was even less easy than today. »
“The morning show is the most demanding slot on the schedule,” adds Marie-France Bazzo, who was the first morning woman at Radio-Canada, from 2013 to 2015. “You get up in the middle of the night, you have to have read the newspapers, be lively and in all your power from 5 am. If you want to be there for children, it’s more difficult. I have no children, the question did not arise for me, but there was the impact on social life. »
Nevertheless, she “loved” every minute on the air. “I might not have done that for ten years, but I wouldn’t have just done two,” adds the one who is still looking for the reasons that led to the end of her contract.
There is also this persistent idea that a woman’s voice, higher in pitch, disturbs the ears of listeners. “Before, during and after I take the job, I’ve been told that listeners want male voices to start in the morning. I did my two years and the ratings never went down though! says Marie-France Bazzo.
” It’s ridiculous ! protests Isabelle Maréchal. In radio, it’s not a question of tone of voice, it’s a question of empathy, ability to listen, expression. You have to be able to talk to people, to interest them by imagining yourself in conversation with them. Falsehood is easily heard on the radio. It does not deceive, it does not forgive. »