Not for nothing that ICI RDI took the opportunity to reshuffle its programming from Monday January 20, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, by sending Patrice Roy into the ring against The joust of LCN.
The information network wants to focus on what works best.
Thus, the emissions Zone info et Live with Patrice Roy will be extended by one hour, at least until June.
Zone infohosted by Gérald Fillion, will now begin at 2 p.m. and conclude at 3:55 p.m.
Patrice Roy, who went on air at 5 p.m., will do so from 3:55 p.m. starting Monday, which constitutes a declaration of war on The joust by Paul Larocque, broadcast at this time on LCN.
By counting Economy zone et The TV news with Patrice Roy at 6 p.m., the two men will therefore each find themselves occupying three hours of live air time each day.
By making such changes in the middle of the season, ICI RDI says it is adapting to the political and economic context.
-’s general director of information, Luce Julien, recognizes that the resignation of Chrystia Freeland and everything that followed changed the situation and guided this reshuffle.
She recalls that ICI RDI’s duty is to be able to react to news in real time and to maintain proximity with viewers.
“Since December 20, we have been thinking about adapting and changing our programming. A bit like we did during the pandemic. […] We receive a deluge of emails to understand what is happening.
“It may seem like people are tired of hearing about Donald Trump, but the truth is that our specials are a hit.”
— Luce Julien, general director of information at -
Moreover, six of the 10 most watched programs this fall on ICI RDI concern American politics, including the first two: the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, seen by 240,000 viewers, and election night, which rallied many on average 221,000.
It is not because Fillion and Roy will see their airtime double that it will not mean the same for the space granted to opinion and comments on the channel. Zone infowhich presented a panel, will give more space to continuous information and the economy, specialty of Gérald Fillion.
Same thing for Patrice Roy, who will not give any more opinion than now.
Although LCN is ahead of it in the listening surveys, ICI RDI is making good progress with a market share of 4.4%.
“This is our highest fall in the history of ICI RDI,” assures the channel’s first director, Sébastien Perron.
It goes without saying that Gérald Fillion retains the animation of Economy zonefrom 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Here too, the channel attracted plenty of viewers with the fall events.
“This is what led us to think [pour le changement d’horaire]. People need to understand the impact it has on their lives,” confides Sébastien Perron.
News anchor Christian Latreille, who covered Donald Trump’s first term, will be sent to Washington to provide even more complete coverage. Including Azeb Wolde-Giorghis and Frédéric Arnould, there will therefore be three - correspondents on site for television.
Furthermore, the morning show First the infohosted by Marc André Masson, will no longer go on air at 5 a.m. but at 6 a.m. and will therefore be shortened by one hour.
“Since the pandemic, we have felt a decline in listening very early in the morning,” explains Sébastien Perron.
In addition, according to its operating license, the channel must offer 16 hours of original programming per day to the public, but the time from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. does not count in the regulations.
As for The agenda at 9 a.m., Isabel Richer at 11:30 a.m. and Politics buffs at 12:30 p.m., they resist this major cleaning and keep their respective huts.
This reshuffling of the schedule comes at a time when the greatest uncertainty reigns at the public broadcaster, in anticipation of a possible conservative tidal wave in the country. On more than one occasion, Pierre Poilievre has said he is considering abolishing CBC funding, while remaining vague on the fate reserved for -.
However, cutting one while keeping the other would be very complex, even impossible, according to many.
One thing is certain, significant cuts are being considered.
We do not know what will happen with the 42 million that the federal government planned to pay to the public broadcaster, as it announced last April.
This amount could very well be canceled with the change of government.
“Are the 42 million going to be there? I don’t have a crystal ball,” says Luce Julien, who says she doesn’t want to play politics or predict anything.
Sébastien Perron nevertheless assures that the changes to ICI RDI’s programming are in no way linked to cutbacks.
Last week, the director of the French-speaking radio and audio sector at -, Caroline Jamet, left her position to move to the private sector and become president of Cogeco Media. The company, which notably owns stations 98.5 in Montreal and FM93 in Quebec, has been without a president since the dismissal of Caroline Paquet last summer and the aborted announcement of a new president, Martin Spalding.
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