It was with great ease that Mario Dumont launched the “new 99.5 of Montreal”. At 6 o’clock on Monday morning, he grabbed the microphone with impressive aplomb and left it three hours later without letting himself be put off by the technical glitches he encountered.
For those who missed the biggest news in the world of Montreal radio this fall, I would like to point out that WKND, owned by Leclerc Communication, has made a spectacular turnaround by filling its schedule with shows produced by QUB, Quebecor’s web radio.
The arrival of these shows, particularly that of Mario Dumont, risks changing our radio landscape. You will understand that, coffee in hand, I watched this launch with great attention.
Before going any further, I want to make it clear that my observations are very preliminary. I am one of those who believe that a radio show, especially a morning show, takes several months, if not years, to take shape. So we must give new runners a chance.
But this fight between “talk radio” in Montreal is much too exciting for me to miss this great moment.
As I’ve written before, QUB Radio usually designs its shows so that they can live in podcast format. Gone are the references that anchor things in time. In this case, we’ve significantly reworked the roadmap to make it a real morning show.
Around Mario Dumont, presented as the “master popularizer” in the advertisements, we find Alexandre Dubé (news and sports) and Isabelle Perron (culture, social networks and weather). This is the basic core. Already, we sense a good chemistry.
Stéphan Bureau (American and international news), Yasmine Abdelfadel and Antoine Robitaille (politics), Félix Séguin (legal affairs), Francis Gosselin (economics and finance) and Benoit Dutrizac (free electron) are the other contributors.
You will have understood that we are swimming in the heart of the Quebecor ecosystem. This is even more convincing when we are told about the return of TVA, the Alouettes and the reports of Montreal Journal.
Besides, the news items seem to come from beyond in this show. Since there is no news bulletin, the topics are listed without saying where they come from. Today’s news is like the voice of the Good Lord.
The concept of the show (and this is what will determine its success or not) is based on opinion, that of the columnists and collaborators. But above all, that of the host. If you are ready to hear Mario Dumont comment on all (I insist on the word all) current affairs, this event will be for you. Here, there is no barrier between an objective delivery of the news and the commentary.
Speaking of opinions, there was something weird during Benoit Dutrizac’s appearance. Alexandre Dubé came back into the studio to turn into a referee while Dumont and Dutrizac commented on a few topics (blue line, Justin Trudeau, construction sites, etc.). The formation of this trio is not necessary since Mario Dumont happily distributes his opinions throughout the show.
Benoit Dutrizac, the bad boy of the show, blew a fuse about construction sites and orange cones. There is no doubt that this was music to the ears of many listeners. This concern for the daily lives of citizens is certainly popular.
The show’s big hit was François Legault’s presence shortly after 7 a.m. The talk was about immigration, the Maison Benoit Labre, floods and a possible cabinet reshuffle. Not much came of that. But the Prime Minister’s presence on this new radio station sends the message that freedom and a mix of opinions is essential in a democracy.
The team was in the new Quebecor studios set up on Frontenac Street. This partly explains the minor technical issues. On this subject, several guests were connected (legacy of the pandemic) through a system like Zoom or FaceTime. God, this sound that seems to come from a tin can is annoying in the long run.
So, a new and solid player is added.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Patrick Lagacé hosts the morning show on 98.5
Meanwhile, Patrick Lagacé is having a great time in the morning slot at 98.5 FM. The advantage he has over Mario Dumont is the nerve and rhythm he brings to his show. His years on the homecoming show are evident. His interviews are conducted smoothly. He quickly found his bearings.
Patrick Masbourian is the one who finds himself in the most comfortable situation. His machine is well oiled. The danger would be that he sits on his laurels. At the public channel, they did not want to make many changes this year, apart from the presence of Julien Poirier-Malo at a web review. An excellent initiative.
On this subject, it is striking to observe that the three “talking morning shows” in Montreal have exactly the same components: a review of current events with commentary in a long format (classic press review in the case of All one morning), tandem of analysts, daily interviews, political columnists, economics and finance columnist, web and social media columnist, cultural columnist, etc.
This war will therefore be waged on the personality of the three hosts. It is clear that there will be a lot of jumping-button in the cottages and cars. Listeners of 98.5 will be tempted to go and see the side of 99.5.
Ici Première listeners will be rather immutable. If those of private radio stations are not bothered by the presence of advertisements, the same cannot be said of the faithful of public radio. They will not move. In this context, the Ici Première morning show could emerge victorious from this fight. We will see that in December when the Numéris surveys are published.
When I decided a few years ago to talk to you about radio on a regular basis, I knew I would touch you. You show me this in your comments. I knew that this medium was experiencing a tremendous revolution.
But what I didn’t know was that we were about to experience the most exciting radio season in decades in Montreal.