Radio-Canada viewers will have to say goodbye to Pascal Yiacouvakis in March, the weather presenter having recently announced his retirement. Since the public broadcaster is already looking for its successor, the question arises: is it still relevant to present the weather on generalist channels when a multitude of applications offer live outdoor conditions on our electronic devices?
“It is not by looking out the window that we will know the weather outside, launches Pascal Yiacouvakis, nor by consulting the weather applications, which all have a different scenario. Someone needs to analyze and explain all of this. »
For 28 years, at Radio-Canada, the weather presenter has been making his own forecasts based on a range of measurement tools and his past experience as a meteorologist at Environment Canada. His work is also and above all to popularize, explain and put these meteorological phenomena into context.
“It’s an essential service, the weather, it’s not entertainment,” he says. The climate here, it brews! […] People need to know and understand what awaits them when they leave their homes. »
It’s no secret that Quebec experiences contrasting seasons during which conditions and temperatures can change quickly. This weather has a direct impact on the daily lives of the population, particularly in winter. “Preventing the arrival of a snowstorm means informing people of its impact, such as dangerous road conditions, schools that could close”, gives as examples Mr. Yiacouvakis.
Explain climate change
And its role is all the more important in a context of climate change, according to the management of Radio-Canada, while storms, tornadoes, floods and heat records are increasing. “We have good weather presenters, but […] it takes at least one meteorologist in the team to also analyze climate change, ”says the director general of information for French Services, Luce Julien, who clearly announces her desire to recruit a meteorologist to replace Mr. Yiacouvakis.
At TVA Nouvelles, while the weather is presented by presenters with no qualifications or experience in the field, the job is nonetheless taken seriously. “Since I am not a meteorologist, my duty was to understand the movement of the systems and then explain it to the viewers. I was constantly talking to the people at Environment Canada—who did the forecasts—to keep me up to date,” says Geneviève Hébert-Dumont, who was a weather presenter at hello hello weekend between 2015 and 2021.
At the head of the private channel, we believe that the presentation of weather forecasts still has its place. “The weather remains just as relevant to our viewers as all of the segments that make up VAT News […]. Our duty is to inform people by presenting subjects that have an impact on their daily lives, such as climate change and the repercussions on the climate,” underlines Xavier Brassard-Bédard, General Manager of Information, Groupe TVA.
an appointment
For Patrick White, professor at UQAM’s School of Media, the weather segment has become an unmissable event for many Quebecers still attached to the traditional format of the television newscast. “It comes back at a fixed time, it’s presented by the same face that becomes familiar, reassuring. Weather presenters are people we trust, for whom we develop an incredible attachment. »
Geneviève Hébert-Dumont confirms having received waves of love at each of her meetings with viewers in the field. Pascal Yiacouvakis, for his part, says he receives questions from viewers on a daily basis: they want to better understand a weather phenomenon, know his opinion on the forecasts of this or that application. “People were already curious, but they became even more fond of the weather over time,” he notes, satisfied to have been able to inculcate this meteorological culture.
Future in question
Patrick White nevertheless wonders if the profession of weather presenter will still exist in twenty years on generalist channels. He recalls that the younger generations shun traditional media and consume their information especially on the Internet and on social networks. “People may check the weather mainly on specialized apps and channels,” thinks the professor.
The news broadcast Noovo The yarn — launched by Bell Media last year — has already drawn a line under the weather, wishing to stand out from the competition. “With quick access to offers [consacrées] entirely to the weather on the market, we have made the editorial choice not to include this kind of segment in our programs, ”says one by email.
Patrick White also notes that none of his journalism students in recent years have mentioned the desire to become a weather presenter.
Conversely, Stéphane Leduc, educational director at the Promédia school, believes that the profession still has a future. “Given the environmental concerns of young people, the weather is a subject of interest for them. […] There is a better perception of the profession today than ten years ago, when we still had in mind the clichéd image of the beautiful young Miss Weather who just wants to do TV. If a student shows a desire to make a specialty of it, he is taken seriously,” he maintains.