Sophie Thibault “noted anyone” when Pierre Bruneau announced last March that he was retiring. The branch manager saw herself “quietly ending” her mandate at the TVA News from 10 p.m., a newsletter she loves and has hosted for 20 years. And yet, three months later, it was announced that she would take her place at the helm of the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts.
Posted at 10:38 a.m.
Updated at 8:24 p.m.
“It was not in my plans, says the lucky winner in an interview. No way. »
Sophie Thibault will bid farewell to VAT News from 10 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, the same day that Pierre Bruneau will bow out. She will make her comeback at VAT News from 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. after the summer holidays, on Monday (numerology lovers, brace yourself) August 22.
Familiar face to viewers, Pierre-Olivier Zappa, who currently hosts the show About your business on LCN, will succeed him at the controls of TVA Nouvelles at 10 p.m.
As to VAT News from 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday, they will be piloted by Julie Marcoux.
“I realized the other day that it’s been 20 years that I bring my little lunch box every night and that I sit in front of Paul Larocque to eat my supper, points out Sophie Thibault. It’s still something. It’s a change of life, it’s a change of course. »
” Are you serious ? »
It was in April that Xavier Brassard-Bédard, general manager and editor-in-chief of VAT News and at LCN, met Sophie Thibault to measure her interest in “moving” at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
He said to me: “I would like you to raise your hand”, says the journalist. I backed up. ” Are you serious ? I didn’t think I was in their plans for this position.
Sophie Thibault
Although she has been at TVA for 34 years, has won nine Artis trophies and continues to rally the public, Sophie Thibault maintains that this is an offer she did not expect.
“I thought they had a whole other strategy, that they were going to bet on someone who could line up on 20, 25 years from 5 p.m. Me, it’s great. I still have several good years ahead of me, I’m in good shape, I still have the flame, but I don’t have another 20 years to give. »
Sophie Thibault will keep the same mandate at the helm of the VAT News from 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. The change of host will not result in any change of formula, informs us the broadcaster. the VAT News at 6 p.m. remains the most watched newscast in Quebec. During the week of May 16, the daily show maintained an average of 656,000 viewers, against 399,000 for The Telejournal of Radio-Canada, according to confirmed data from Numéris.
Another dynamic
Sophie Thibault perceives her transition to VAT News from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. as “a nice big mountain to climb”. She also took a weekend before accepting the proposal.
“It’s quite a challenge,” she says. You still had to think about it. It is an investment of time, energy. It’s another vortex. It’s a whole different newsletter. At the same time, I’ve done it for the past two years every Friday. I know a little about music. But animate it regularly like Pierre [Bruneau], that means being on the end of the cell phone all the time. Even on holidays, even on weekends. If something happens, I’m going home. It’s another dynamic. It’s another commitment. »
Sophie Thibault has struggled to keep the secret in recent weeks. She laughs, however, saying that she practiced last year by participating in the show Masked singers. For a good part of the fall, she had had to hide from her entire team that she was under the costume of the imposing Cat Goddess.
This spring, the issue was quite different.
“It’s all a bit surreal. I talk about it and I half believe it. It is very particular. »
Reassuring reaction from the public
Thursday, the reaction of the public to the announcement of the passage of Sophie Thibault to VAT News from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. much reassured the main interested party. On the phone, the antenna chief seemed really relieved to have found several enthusiastic reactions on Facebook.
“For the public, it’s a big adaptation after so many years. People, when they listen to me at 10 p.m., they’re in their bed, in their living room, and they fall asleep afterwards. Starting in August, we’ll have dinner together. It’s very different. »
From behind the scenes, the news was also warmly welcomed by all TVA employees.
“People are happy, my colleagues are happy. It’s important to me, because I’m really a group girl. I am a team girl. »
“After the tribute to underline my 20 years as head of antenna last week, it’s a big, big wave. I barely had time to catch my breath. I’m in a bit of a tsunami. »