A coffee with… Franco Nuovo | The animator who does not fear the heat

Early in his career, Franco Nuovo received this advice from his friend Pierre Bourgault: “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen!” The wise old man also said to him: “Tell yourself that you will be loved by half the people and hated by the other half.” »

Franco Nuovo remembered these words when he left the studio on Saturday August 20, when he had just presented the first edition of Draw me a morningthe formula that now occupies the space left vacant by Joël Le Bigot.

“Can I tell you that the 50-50 that Bourgault was talking about, I had it,” he told me over a strong espresso from the legendary Caffè Italia, where he gave me an appointment. “The difference is that today I know what I can change and improve. I know what I can do. »

I wanted to meet Franco Nuovo because I was curious to know how he was living this back to school. But also because I realized that I knew little about this man who has been part of the Quebec media landscape for over 40 years.

This host with a familiar face and a warm voice, neither too sharp nor too relaxed, is the one chosen by Sylvie Julien, director of programming at ICI Première, to inhabit the weekend morning shows on public radio. . The one who already officiated on Sunday does not hide it: he wanted to obtain the Saturday slot for a long time.

When in 2011 he took the helm of Draw me a sundaystill replacing Joël Le Bigot, Franco Nuovo had the jitters.

This time, the experienced man is not under the same pressure. “Strangely, I feel pretty good, because I know that we will build the show over the weeks. But in the days leading up to the premiere, I was obsessed with the first words I was going to say when I opened the microphone. »

Finally, with a certain quiver in his voice, he spoke of his feeling of entering a new classroom, with a new teacher and a new desk. And his anxiety to make friends. Then, he greeted the listeners and dove in headfirst.

From newspaper to radio

Franco Nuovo made his debut in the mid-1970s in “gossip newspapers” such as Teleradiomonde. “I was a messenger for Kébec-Spec, Guy Latraverse’s box. It allowed me to meet lots of people, including Thérèse David, the press officer. I told him that wanted to write. That’s how I started doing it with Edward Rémy and Michel Girouard. »

One day, he bumps into Nathalie Petrowski at Théâtre Outremont. The two journalists have known each other since the age of 11 when they attended the same college. She tells him that she is leaving the Montreal Journal to join the To have to. While pursuing his studies in sociology, he therefore became a collaborator for the tabloid.

Quite quickly, Franco Nuovo added other strings to his bow, radio and television. “I realized that some colleagues had vertical ambitions, that is to say that they wanted to become bosses. Me, I had horizontal ambitions. I wanted to shine. »

His career took an important turn when in 2004, the management of Radio-Canada asked him to host I saw it on the radio, a live show he loved doing for eight years. To better devote himself to this project, he took a sabbatical at Montreal Journal.

But when he later wishes to combine the two functions, an unpleasant surprise awaits him. Patrons of the Montreal Journal invite him to eat. “They asked me to give up Radio-Canada. I refused. They then asked me to cut my employment ties with the newspaper. »

We are then in September 2007, a year and a half before the famous lockout. “They dared to tell me: ‘If ever there is a conflict, you will be able to continue to work from home.’ I did not see myself doing this during the conflict. As I was unionized, I returned to the newsroom. They then made me live four months of hell. They asked to see my pay stubs from Radio-Canada to see what I was doing, I also received complaints of conflicts of interest. »

At that time, a Radio-Canada boss suggested that he read Tuesdays with Morrie, which tells the story of a journalist who reunites with a former professor. The two characters see each other every Tuesday to talk about life. “I read that and decided to quit. the Montreal Journal. I had to get out of there. »

Franco Nuovo slams the door of Quebecor in April 2008. On January 24, 2009, the 253 employees of the Montreal Journal are locked out. “Pierre Péladeau always told us that as long as we were the first and the best, we would have everything we wanted. But when Pierre Karl arrived, the policy changed. »

A strong desire for integration

This son of immigrants is proud to say it: he has everything of an Italian. Passion, boiling blood and, one can guess, a charming side.

Coming to Quebec in the early 1950s, after a stay in France, Franco Nuovo’s parents, Maria and Salvatore, were modest workers. “My father’s real job was a cabinetmaker. And since the only job offered to him was in Labrador, he went to work there for a year. He did it to get his papers. Can you imagine a Sicilian in Labrador? »

If his parents and his older sister speak French fluently, little Franco only speaks Italian until he is 3 years old. Then things will change.

His desire for integration is very strong. Sometimes he has to show his fists in the alleys to show that the Italian he is can defend himself. He spends a lot of time with neighbors, the Duvals. “I wanted to be like them so much that I told others that my name was François Duval. »

After attending La Mennais primary school, located at the corner of Beaubien and Saint-Denis streets, he enrolled at the French College (where he met the young Nathalie Petrowski) and at Stanislas College.

Without being rich, Franco’s parents want their children to receive a quality education. “My father never owned a house. People blamed him. He replied that it was more important to pay for a good education for his children. »

One day, Franco’s father goes into the kitchen and says to his wife: ” This the abbiamo fatta which means “We made it through”. The same day, he was the victim of a serious accident at work which plunged him into an interminable coma.

“My mother visited it for two and a half years. After his death, she began to suffer from Alzheimer’s. It lasted from 1974 to 1987.

The pleasure of interviews

Franco Nuovo has built his career on opinion, as a critic and as a columnist. The host that he is does not hesitate to share his ideas with his columnists. But returning to a role of columnist on a regular basis does not tempt him a crumb.

“I think there are too many opinions and too many columnists. That’s why I tend to appreciate those who shed some light in their columns. I prefer those who pick up rather than those who hit. »

I remind Franco Nuovo that he had a reputation for being tough in some of his columns. “Yes, but I was not Richard Martineau. I tried to vary the subjects and the tones. »

Today, he recognizes that his passion is based on the encounters that the radio allows him to make. “I discovered the pleasure of interviews. This is where I feel the best. I like when people tell me stories. »

At 68, Franco Nuovo is one of the “seniors” of ICI Première. His young colleagues like to remind him jokingly. “And I don’t mind,” he said. In fact, I like being around young people. They are the ones who bring you a new way of thinking. You can agree or not, but you have to take their ideas into account. »

If opinion no longer attracts him, writing remains an attraction. ” I miss it. Sometimes I think I should at least sit down and try. »

While waiting for him to sit down in front of his computer to “try” to write a book, Franco Nuovo has his work cut out for him. It has two of the most coveted slots on ICI Première. He knows he has to wear them high.

He knows that Maria and Salvatore would probably like to hear him say ” Sono riuscito a passare which means: “I managed to get through it. »

Draw me a morningSaturday, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., and Sunday, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., ICI Première