TSN 690 and Other Montreal Based Media (Part 10)

[tazsub3]

Sad how much hate there is in this thread.
I am sure each is doing his best. No one obliging any of us to listen.

 

[Runner77]

690 has needed an overhaul in both its staff and programming for a long time.

Who is in charge and why does it look like most of these stale, boorish mouth breathers act as if they have jobs for life?

Who is allowing Campbell to infect so much programming with his pause-infested simpleton pontifications? Why is Campbell’s and Gallo’s bromance our problem — can’t they enjoy that off air?

More importantly, what talent lies out there and when will it be given an opportunity? I’m a longtime sports radio fan and the lowest of the low for me has been how 690 has chosen to mine and develop its on air people. Most of the time it feels like a community radio station. Ted Blackman is probably turning in his grave.

 

[Habs Icing]

690 has needed an overhaul in both its staff and programming for a long time.

Who is in charge and why does it look like most of these stale, boorish mouth breathers act as if they have jobs for life?

Who is allowing Campbell to infect so much programming with his pause-infested simpleton pontifications? Why is Campbell’s and Gallo’s bromance our problem — can’t they enjoy that off air?

More importantly, what talent lies out there and when will it be given an opportunity? I’m a longtime sports radio fan and the lowest of the low for me has been how 690 has chosen to mine and develop its on air people. Most of the time it feels like a community radio station. Ted Blackman is probably turning in his grave.

It's English sports talk radio in Montreal. I'm positive the numbers are low. Almost non-existent. That tells me they don't have the budget to "draft", "poach" "develop" or employ quality. Simon and Mo and a few others are moonlighting at TSN 690. They have other jobs. And if I'm not mistaken many of the people who started there did on a pro bono basis. Think of it this way. It wouldn't surprise me if Sports talk radio in Timmins Ontario has a bigger audience than TSN 690. (an obvious exaggeration to make a point).

 

[Runner77]

It's English sports talk radio in Montreal. I'm positive the numbers are low. Almost non-existent. That tells me they don't have the budget to "draft", "poach" "develop" or employ quality. Simon and Mo and a few others are moonlighting at TSN 690. They have other jobs. And if I'm not mistaken many of the people who started there did on a pro bono basis. Think of it this way. It wouldn't surprise me if Sports talk radio in Timmins Ontario has a bigger audience than TSN 690. (an obvious exaggeration to make a point).

And yet the same owners at 800 AM keep bringing in new folks, different shows and they’re also playing to a similarly small Anglo audience. And most importantly, the people they bring in can string together several intelligent thoughts in one show. On 690 instead, they keep parading the same duds years on end.

Looks to me that ownership has decided it would rather focus on 800 and keep 690 as an afterthought.

 

[Habs Icing]

And yet the same owners at 800 AM keep bringing in new folks, different shows and they’re also playing to a similarly small Anglo audience. And most importantly, the people they bring in can string together several intelligent thoughts in one show. On 690 instead, they keep parading the same duds years on end.

Looks to me that ownership has decided it would rather focus on 800 and keep 690 as an afterthought.

800 am. You mean CJAD? CJAD and TSN690 are owned by the same corporation. Bell. You forget Bell wanted or had to change 690,s format but there was some kind of demonstration and I think they got 20 people (another exaggeration) to sign a petition and Bell was allowed to run 690 as talk radio.

 

[Runner77]

800 am. You mean CJAD? CJAD and TSN690 are owned by the same corporation. Bell.

Yes, CJAD. I said exactly that, both owned by the same entity.

 

[rik schau]

Sad how much hate there is in this thread.
I am sure each is doing his best. No one obliging any of us to listen.

I'm listening now anticipating updates,distinctly very Montreal. No where else to get up to date information.

 

[Habs Icing]

Yes, CJAD. I said exactly that, both owned by the same entity.

Although I agree with you, I listen to some 690 and rarely ever tune into CJAD. Years ago before 690 I would tune into 800am and found them a little too right wing for my liking. An example I can remember one of their talk show hosts was presenting an idea that people who smoke should not be entitled to medicare because people like her who didn't smoke had to pay for their mistakes. Meanwhile, I forget her name, she was a morbidly obese person who ate MacDonald's every day. She revealed that on her show. I remember thinking the irony went over her head.

 

[Suzuki x 14]

Sad how much hate there is in this thread.
I am sure each is doing his best. No one obliging any of us to listen.

best or not, if it’s not good, we are gonna say it.
Ive watched Cedric Paquette all season, he’s trying, doesn’t mean he’s good, he is horrendous, it’s the same thing on the radio

 

[Laurentide]

He was good in NHL 1999 or something.

My cousin was a producer at EA Sports in Vancouver and she was in charge of the NHL game. She worked with Hughson when he did the voice work for the game. She says that when he first started, before he got the HNIC gig, he was nice and personable. As soon as he got the top job he morphed into an entitled, insufferable, self-important "Do you know who I am?" a-hole.

 

[Laurentide]

Terrestrial radio in general is slowly dying and the people who work in it are mostly low paid nobodies who need other jobs to pay the rent but who like the sound of their own voice. Marinaro had no formal training in broadcasting. He learned everything on the fly. He was hired because he had a personality and as much as people here like to ridicule him he does have the ability to entertain which is more than I can say for the Tsalikis's, Starr's, Gallo's, Alfieri's and Still's of the world. You could toss all of those guys into a blender for all I care. I listen semi-regularly while at work and I really can't tell them apart. The only two on air people worth the price of admission at 690 are Marinaro and Melnick and even they have to shill for extra income.

Before Covid, Marinaro was doing a live show once a week from a car dealership. He has that podcast where he is shilling every 2 minutes. Even Melnick has to shill for Environment Electronique and other sponsors while lesser lights like Tsalikis has a side hustle in real estate to make ends meet. Radio does not pay well and terrestrial radio, which is broadcast to you free of charge, is proof of the adage that you get what you pay for. Remember too, that Bell seems to be in the radio business only so that it can destroy it from within. Last year they shut down 2 or 3 TSN Radio affiliates, including TSN 1040 in Vancouver, which had been around nearly 20 years and had what could be termed as an all-star line-up of professional hosts compared to the amateur hour garbage you hear on 690. But Bell shut them down without warning one day simply to cut costs and I suspect that the only thing keeping 690 from suffering the same fate is the fact that aside from Melnick nobody is really getting paid very much to work there so their operating costs are manageable.

 

[Colezuki]

Terrestrial radio in general is slowly dying and the people who work in it are mostly low paid nobodies who need other jobs to pay the rent but who like the sound of their own voice. Marinaro had no formal training in broadcasting. He learned everything on the fly. He was hired because he had a personality and as much as people here like to ridicule him he does have the ability to entertain which is more than I can say for the Tsalikis's, Starr's, Gallo's, Alfieri's and Still's of the world. You could toss all of those guys into a blender for all I care. I listen semi-regularly while at work and I really can't tell them apart. The only two on air people worth the price of admission at 690 are Marinaro and Melnick and even they have to shill for extra income.

Before Covid, Marinaro was doing a live show once a week from a car dealership. He has that podcast where he is shilling every 2 minutes. Even Melnick has to shill for Environment Electronique and other sponsors while lesser lights like Tsalikis has a side hustle in real estate to make ends meet. Radio does not pay well and terrestrial radio, which is broadcast to you free of charge, is proof of the adage that you get what you pay for. Remember too, that Bell seems to be in the radio business only so that it can destroy it from within. Last year they shut down 2 or 3 TSN Radio affiliates, including TSN 1040 in Vancouver, which had been around nearly 20 years and had what could be termed as an all-star line-up of professional hosts compared to the amateur hour garbage you hear on 690. But Bell shut them down without warning one day simply to cut costs and I suspect that the only thing keeping 690 from suffering the same fate is the fact that aside from Melnick nobody is really getting paid very much to work there so their operating costs are manageable.

People are straight up complaining about content they're not paying for but the reality is that they are going 8-10 hrs a day straight while podcasts are 1-2 hrs per wk in most cases. I don't treat 690 as a bastion of info just a place to decompress and if what im listening to isn't helping with that I switch to spotify. For me Normand Flynn is insufferable and I avoid it at all costs

 

[tazsub3]

best or not, if it’s not good, we are gonna say it.
Ive watched Cedric Paquette all season, he’s trying, doesn’t mean he’s good, he is horrendous, it’s the same thing on the radio

difference paquette is for a product one pay to watch, free radio aint.

 

[Runner77]

Terrestrial radio in general is slowly dying and the people who work in it are mostly low paid nobodies who need other jobs to pay the rent but who like the sound of their own voice. Marinaro had no formal training in broadcasting. He learned everything on the fly. He was hired because he had a personality and as much as people here like to ridicule him he does have the ability to entertain which is more than I can say for the Tsalikis's, Starr's, Gallo's, Alfieri's and Still's of the world. You could toss all of those guys into a blender for all I care. I listen semi-regularly while at work and I really can't tell them apart. The only two on air people worth the price of admission at 690 are Marinaro and Melnick and even they have to shill for extra income.

Before Covid, Marinaro was doing a live show once a week from a car dealership. He has that podcast where he is shilling every 2 minutes. Even Melnick has to shill for Environment Electronique and other sponsors while lesser lights like Tsalikis has a side hustle in real estate to make ends meet. Radio does not pay well and terrestrial radio, which is broadcast to you free of charge, is proof of the adage that you get what you pay for. Remember too, that Bell seems to be in the radio business only so that it can destroy it from within. Last year they shut down 2 or 3 TSN Radio affiliates, including TSN 1040 in Vancouver, which had been around nearly 20 years and had what could be termed as an all-star line-up of professional hosts compared to the amateur hour garbage you hear on 690. But Bell shut them down without warning one day simply to cut costs and I suspect that the only thing keeping 690 from suffering the same fate is the fact that aside from Melnick nobody is really getting paid very much to work there so their operating costs are manageable.

You’ll remember last year that when Bell proceeded to close several stations and ditch many employees, none of the closures impacted those stations that held broadcast rights with NHL teams. Those stations retained highly paid personnel for the most part.

It’s absurd to think that terrestrial radio is free. We the listeners support them by listening to their ads and buying their products and services. It’s a paid service in the end and I’ve been a customer and continue to buy from 690 advertising, so I am paying for it. The advertisers are still booking ads with the station cause it’s profitable for them to do so. Since I’m paying for it, I’m entitled to demand better as a listener.

 

[Runner77]

Double post, pls delete.

 

[Habs10025]

Marinaro will never lose his job just because he's able to blabber alone for 2 hours every day.

He's extremely profitable!

All the other segments need 2 or even 3 people at the same time.

nope.

 

[Runner77]

What’s wrong with our local sports media? Well this, among other things.



While the media doesn’t have to be the enemy of anyone, they ought to not be afraid to ask the tough questions and should be wary of getting turned into unpaid brand ambassadors for the Habs.

Maintaining a healthy distance from the team’s influencers and issuing reports based on facts and a multiplicity of reliable sources is all that matters.

 

[Laurentide]

What’s wrong with our local sports media? Well this, among other things.



While the media doesn’t have to be the enemy of anyone, they ought to not be afraid to ask the tough questions and should be wary of getting turned into unpaid brand ambassadors for the Habs.

Maintaining a healthy distance from the team’s influencers and issuing reports based on facts and a multiplicity of reliable sources is all that matters.

Actually none of that matters. Clicks matter and the thing that gets people clicking is the outrage machine churning out crap for people to get upset over, like hiring an Anglo GM for example.

 

[sampollock]

Tony gets wild and thinks his opinion is the only one

 

[angusyoung]

Tony gets wild and thinks his opinion is the only one

Kind of reminds one of this place doesn't it

 

[Runner77]

Listening to Mike Johnson right now on 690 is a breath of fresh. Bright, pragmatic, entertaining and articulate. Is university educated, has a degree in finance.

Moar like him pls. He’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays after 4:30 PM.

 

[tazsub3]

Listening to Mike Johnson right now on 690 is a breath of fresh. Bright, pragmatic, entertaining and articulate. Is university educated, has a degree in finance.

Moar like him pls. He’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays after 4:30 PM.

Tuesday Thursday great day with marc in the morning and mike in afternoon. They in a different league compared to others

 

[Runner77]

Tuesday Thursday great day with marc in the morning and mike in afternoon. They in a different league compared to others

Who’s “Marc in the morning”? Is that out of Toronto?

Over the years, Johnson is the type of broadcaster I’ve always enjoyed. Not enough like him, sadly.

 

[danboulie]

Who’s “Marc in the morning”? Is that out of Toronto?

Over the years, Johnson is the type of broadcaster I’ve always enjoyed. Not enough like him, sadly.

Marc Denis does a hit with the morning show on tuesdays and thursdays. Another educated and articulate individual. Typically a great listen.

 

[jaffy27]

Listening to Mike Johnson right now on 690 is a breath of fresh. Bright, pragmatic, entertaining and articulate. Is university educated, has a degree in finance.

Moar like him pls. He’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays after 4:30 PM.

Different league when it comes to salary too…..I guess you really get what you pay for.
Besides Melnick, Marinaro and Starr, you gotta think nobody there makes more then 60k a year, some even less.