98.5 FM will make more room for female voices next fall. Elisabeth Crête will succeed Paul Houde on weekends, Catherine Brisson will host a new cultural show, and Chantal Lamarre and Marie-Ève Tremblay will inherit a microphone.
Contacted by phone, Cogeco’s vice president of talk stations and general manager of 98.5 FM Montreal, Pierre Martineau, speaks of a “certain transfer of power.”
“Society is 50% men and 50% women. But that’s not what we had in the air. And yet, in the office, I am surrounded by women. The president, the director of programs, the director of communication… They are all women. »
Paul Arcand’s social media columnist Elisabeth Crête will fill in for Paul Houde on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The driver’s contract, which had been on the air for 15 years, was not renewed. Elisabeth Crête will lead a new meeting entitled even on weekends. She will be supported by Chantal Lamarre, who describes her role as that of an “ally”, a “bouncer”, a “taunt” and a “bringer of knowledge”. Jeremie Rainville of sports enthusiast will also be part of the group.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY CHARLES MERCIER
Chantal Lamarre
fans ofinfomanCalm down: Chantal Lamarre will not abandon Jean-René Dufort, nor will she abandon the orders of culture in HERE ARTV. “I still have the energy and I still have the taste, so let’s go! she exclaims at the other end of the line.
For her part, Marie-Ève Tremblay leaves Radio-Canada to join the ranks of Drenville PM as the main collaborator. It will deal with “human” issues that touch the news. She should also fill in as hostess during the holidays, we’re told.
In an interview, the journalist behind the sugar baby podcast on sexual exploitation, says he is leaving the public broadcaster on good terms. After 10 years of loyal service, he wanted a new challenge and, above all, a daily presence on the airwaves.
“98.5 is a station that I like. I admire the people who work there. It is a natural choice for me. I wouldn’t have missed going anywhere. I had other offers, but they stuck less. »
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Marie-Eve Tremblay
As for Catherine Brisson, she will pilot Behind the scenes 90-minute cultural magazine that will be presented on Friday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., a time that it currently occupies let’s talk about health with Christiane Laberge, a program that has not been renewed.
“It had been a long time since we had a cultural program in 98.5”, underlines the columnist from Since you have to get up. My goal is to give creators a voice to inspire people to go to the theater, to go back to see shows, to buy books… Not just to stay home and listen to Netflix. I want to go through everything that is happening in Montreal, but also in the regions because we are going to be broadcast everywhere in Quebec. »
” A step forward “
Chantal Lamarre, Marie-Ève Tremblay, and Catherine Brisson salute the strategy of 98.5 FM, which wants to give more space to women.
For a few years, the station has offered resolutely masculine programming. On weekdays, from waking up to dinner, Paul Arcand (Since you have to get up), Bernard Drainville (Grenville PM), and Patrick Lagace (Quebec now) hold the steering wheel. Only Nathalie Normandeau, with her two hours of radio a day in the second half of the morning, prevents the daytime offer from being a real boys club. The former deputy prime minister of Quebec took office in August 2021, replacing Isabelle Maréchal, who had held this position for 13 years.
“I’ve been talking about it for a long time,” says Catherine Brisson. It is time to have leading women, women of character, and with things to say. I am part of Nathalie Normandeau is one of them. Isabelle Maréchal was one of them. The girls are capable of doing a good job in animation. »
That a top station decides to make room for female voices is a step forward.
Marie-Eve Tremblay
“Bosses may want to offer a variety, a plurality of voices, adds Chantal Lamarre. They want to open the windows wide and cool something down, I imagine. »
This wave of recruitment had been brewing for some time, says Pierre Martineau. This is not a reaction to radio polls. Last winter, the Numéris poll revealed a breakthrough for ICI Première in Montreal. 98.5 FM kept its first place with a 22.8% share, but the Radio-Canada antenna reached a new peak with 18.3%.
“It is difficult to recruit women of opinion, women who want to get involved in broadcasting,” says the director of 98.5 FM. It’s not always easy to find the right people in the right places. But lately, everything has fallen into place. »
The work is not finished, emphasizes Pierre Martineau. More announcements are expected in the coming months.
#radius #recruits #women