CFN – There’s a trend in BIG CORPORATE media that is seeing a lot of talented people being replaced by young and less experienced voices. Cost reduction or just reactions to divergence in media? Some would see a decentralization and less focus on local is the culprit. Create one radio show or one set of news stories and brand them locally and you save on an awful lot of staff.
Recently Astral in Montreal brought back old voice Terry Dimonte to replace “Bad Pete” Marier. Marier, a long time voice in Montreal radio was to be bumped to the afternoon slot, but Astral decided to tender him a contract for a lower amount than he was earning as the morning voice on CHOM.
Mr. Marier understandably wasn’t happy and the end result was his removal from the air waves.
English radio in Montreal has a very rich history. Growing up in CHOMedy, Laval as I did I grew up listening to the Ralph Lockwoods; the Ted Tevan’s, George Balcon’s; even Dean Hagopian, and so many other wonderous voices. These people became our friends and part of the fabric of our lives in the mornings or drives home. Now so much of that is gone.
Of course the world keeps spinning; even if we don’t use turntables or CD’s anymore to spin music; but these trends in media are most disturbing.
Newspaper chains have been loosening off a lot of names too. What does that leave us with? In my town; Cornwall Ontario, after the retirement of Claude McIntosh I’m now the senior columnist and I’ve only been doing this for three years!
Smart Phones, tablets, Netflix, iTunes; how we get our music, news, TV, and entertainment and information is changing rapidly. Is it all just dollars and cents are is our information delivery and distribution being re engineered?
Hopefully Bad Pete will be back on the airwaves soon. He’s far too good at what he does to be silent for long.
You can post your comments below:
hey bad pete we miss you ,come back.Love you on the mornig show along whit chantal desjardins and the rest,why they took terry demonte and too tall,chom was a lot better whit-out them,…so sad,it will never be the same whit-out you gays, gabriel.
Way back I think it was Ralph Lockwood who barricaded hinself in the AM studio and just played some Muppets song over and over for half the morning. CHOM used to have the summer alerts, to remind you to roll over in the summer, and of course great music. Still listen to CHOM on the net.
There seems to be a thought among many that information should be free, hard to run a business like that.
I`ve been tuned to CHOM for a very long time,I can remember Ron Able as a morning host then Terry and so on………As a long time listener I have enjoyed bad Pete`s shows no matter what time slot he was on the air. Most recently the morning show with Pete and Chantal was a pleasure to listen, they gave plenty of people lots of laughs and enjoyment. CHOM you let the Wayne Gretzky of Montreal radio go !