Emotion frequency | The Press

The last weekend was marked by the end of several radio programs and the departure of some presenters. Regardless of the frequencies we tuned into, we were treated to moments of great emotion. Back to the many bereavements we will have to make.

The more the merrier, the more we cry

For the latest issue of The more the merrier, the more we read, Marie-Louise Arsenault and her team had the good idea of ​​inviting a few hundred fans to the Robin des Bois restaurant, in the heart of La Fontaine Park. I was there. Let me tell you, there was electricity in the air. And also a lot of sadness.

As the latter took place on a Friday, we did not deviate from the cabaret formula. The performances of the comedians and columnists, however, revolved around the end of this show. While making great use of handkerchiefs, Marie-Louise, despite everything, laughed a lot at the surprises that her comrades had in store for her.

The first was significant: a message from Justin Trudeau. “During 11 beautiful seasons, The more the merrier, the more we read has inspired millions of Canadians to explore the world of Canadian literature, to listen to authors who tell us about their reality and to see the world through the eyes of Marie-Louise Arsenault. »

If the tone seemed to come from the Heritage Minute, this gesture seemed to impress everyone, including the host. Good words from the Prime Minister of Canada, it cannot be refused.

During the two hours of the show, Émilie Bibeau, Olivier Morin and Catherine Trudeau, comedians in residence at the cabarets, brilliantly read excerpts from some of the highlights of the last 11 seasons in which it was a question of sex or writing. under the influence of certain substances.

They also reproduced “psychotronic” moments experienced by the host. The interview with Katherine Pancol which, in addition to being short in the mouth, contradicted each of the assertions of Marie-Louise Arsenault (the favorite sport of certain French personalities), remains a piece of anthology.

Then, the authors Simon Boulerice, Fanny Britt, Manal Drissi and Mani Soleymanlou delivered tickets in which they kindly roasted the host, but above all expressed all their love. The highlight of the show belongs to Mani Soleymanlou, who created a eulogy on theAlbinoni’s Adagio. High-flying!

This brilliant and moving text ended with this sentence: “We are losing more than a radio broadcast, we are losing a space for resistance. The audience then gave him a standing ovation.

The musical presence was provided by the Valaire band, in addition to FouKi and Jordan Officer. The latter offered a very controlled version of Blue Moon of Kentucky. Note that Marie-Louise Arsenault is a great admirer of Elvis Presley, that of the first years of glory.

I attended the latter as a columnist, but also as a contributor to this program. I had the good fortune to be part of the Book Club of The more the merrier, the more we read for many years. Every month, I went to the studio to share my emotions or my disappointments about a book with extraordinary people like Anne-Marie Cadieux, Biz, Sophie Lorain, Émilie Dubreuil, Luis Clavis, Geneviève Guérard or Ludmilla Proujanskaïa. I will miss these lively discussions very much.

One thing struck me watching the audience who came to this final, and it was the extreme variety of listeners. Evidenced by this man arrived in the race and who settled behind me. Covered in tattoos, he looked like he had come out of a construction site. This was the case. I spoke with him.

Jean-Louis Séguin was carrying out renovation work not far from La Fontaine Park when he heard Marie-Louise say that there were a few places left. “I told my guys that I had to come. This guy was a fan of the show to the point of imposing it on his employees every day. “At first they found me tiring with it, but eventually they embraced it and loved it. »

I listened to Jean-Louis speak to me, I looked at the brilliance of his gaze and I said to myself that the great success of Marie-Louise Arsenault and her team was before my eyes. Talking about Proust or Patrick Senécal, explaining the origin of words that emanate from current events and organizing book fights while captivating guys who install ceramic tiles or pull joints, that’s a real tour de force.

Well done, madam!

Joel the Blessed

The other major radio event of the weekend was obviously the departure of Joël Le Bigot and the end of his program Saturday and nothing else. He too was entitled to the heartfelt words of the members of his team. Everyone had the chance to tell him how much they enjoyed working with him.

The younger ones confided how they had been scared to find themselves in front of the one who had a whole “reputation”. But instead of the obnoxious, directive, and ruthless man they had been told, they found someone welcoming and caring. Joël Le Bigot took the opportunity to say that the babies of his young comrades were “a great joy in his life”.

Even if he affirmed that the four hours of this last emission were a “ordeal” and that the experience had been “extremely difficult”, Joël Le Bigot answered the questions of his colleagues during a long interview. He did it with the same aplomb and the same frankness that we could feel during his meeting with Paul Arcand a few days earlier.

In front of the “king of the waves”, Joël Le Bigot affirmed that he had not been under any pressure from his bosses to leave. “If it wasn’t this year, it would be next year. If it’s not next year, it would be in two years. But it can’t last forever. I didn’t feel pressure, but I didn’t feel fabulous restraint either. »

On the freedom of expression he was able to enjoy during all these years, he underlined that his status as “last unionized animator” had sometimes protected him. He added, however, that he was aware that there were “pressures” coming from above.

Before discussing the current federal government’s “multiculturalism” policy, he returned to an interview he conducted with Stéphane Dion before Justin Trudeau’s first term. “There was talk of Radio-Canada asking for 200 or 300 million more. Stéphane Dion had said yes, but that Radio-Canada would have to show Canada differently than it does. But what are you seeing right now? You see that the news, which is the same length, shows you much more Toronto than Afghanistan. »

Allow me to totally disagree with Le Bigot. Never have Radio-Canada TV and radio covered international news so much and as well as it does today.

At the beginning of his program, Le Bigot made hear Heaven, Earth and Watertheme song of the movie alexander the blessedwith Philippe Noiret, an actor that the host has always loved.

In this magnificent aria, Isabelle Aubret says:

“The bird in the glade, the blue glade
Whistle for me the happy days

Her song soars high in the sky
Between the Earth and the Sun »

Happy days, that’s what we wish for the one who gave so much to the radio.

The scholar leaves like a good prince

Unlike his Radio-Canada comrades, Paul Houde did not choose to leave his weekend show at 98.5 FM. His bosses told him it was over for him a few weeks ago.

This departure is undoubtedly the most surprising of this end of the season. The ratings were growing, the show was well oiled. Rather than making changes to the concept with the existing team, management decided to wipe the slate clean.

This decision would be linked to diversity objectives, I was told behind the scenes. It must be said that the animation team of 98.5 FM is mainly male.

Paul Houde signed his last two shows with a masterful hand. A bit like Joël Le Bigot, his direct competitor on the public channel, he controlled his emotions until the end, except when his grandson Lenny said a few words to him on the phone.

In the final seconds of Sunday’s show, Paul Houde lived up to the gentlemanly reputation he always had. He wished “sincerely” good luck to the host who will succeed him next fall, Elisabeth Crête. “You start from the top, know how to keep the top,” he added jokingly.

The departure of Paul Houde also leads to that of Thérèse Parisien. We will find her in the fall on the show It’s just TV. As for Paul Houde, I hope to find his tongue-in-cheek humor and his erudition very soon on TV or on the radio.

A record of finishes and starts

It has been repeated a lot in recent weeks, the season which is ending is breaking records in terms of departures and changes in the chairs of animators.

The last days have signed the end We’ll say whatever we want, hosted by Rebecca Makonnen on ICI Première. The host will propose a new appointment in the fall, on Sundays at 6 p.m. This was also the end of the show On the side of Catherine’s, moderated by Catherine Perrin. We are told that he will be given a new mandate starting in August.

The great lady of classical music, Sylvia L’Écuyer, host of Place at the opera, on ICI Musique, hung up his microphone after a 37-year career. We paid tribute to this passionate person with a voice of mead during a program presented on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Pierre Therrien presented the latest edition of Earthling Blues, still on ICI Musique, last Friday. This 64-year-old retiree took the opportunity to lift the veil on some parts of his life. Thus, we learned that at the age of 10, he was the assistant of Michel the magician in The surprise box.

Jacques Fabi, nicknamed the night owl of 98.5 FM, closed his microphone at 3 a.m. on the night of Thursday to Friday, after a 45-year career. He had the honor of receiving the good words from François Legault. In a video posted a few days ago, the Prime Minister thanked him for “comforting” him when he listened to him at night.

Jacques Fabi will be replaced in the fall by Louis-Philippe Guy. As for Sylvain Ménard, he retains night shiftweek ends.

We often hear the oldest say about a radio or television program that has now disappeared: “Ah, my God, that was good”, with nostalgia in their throats. We who have not experienced these emotional moments do not always understand these little sorrows.

I feel that it will soon be up to us to declare in front of younger people: “My God, this show was good! »