Marie-Claude Barrette breaks the silence on her brutal dismissal of VAT.
After months of silence, the host finally confided in the circumstances surrounding her stiff TVA dismissal in 2023, a decision which she described as inhuman and which has deeply marked her.
Invited in the program Le Club du Dimanche on the 98.5 FM waves, the host delivered a poignant testimony, where she returned with emotion on the way in which she was dismissed from the network after 14 years of loyal service.
“It was done in seven minutes, this announcement, after 14 years. I find it a little fast, anyway, like moment, “ She said, still visibly moved by the brutality of the situation.
If the news surprised the general public, Barrette admits that she had noticed certain clues suggesting her departure.
“There were still signals to remove oxygen from what I was doing on TVA. You know, when you no longer have a promotion … “
She tells how the promotion of her show was gradually withdrawn to her, until he was told without detour to the end of her career.
“At one point, I was written: listen, this promotion, now, will go to another show. I said to myself, ok, so we are erased quietly.
And at one point, you still have to meet you to tell you that it is so deleted that it is your turn to be erased. »»
However, what was most difficult for her is not so much the end of her show, but the way in which she was processed by the management of TVA.
She expected a dialogue, a certain recognition after so many years, but she was rather confronted with categorical rejection.
“What I found the most difficult is that this program was not replaced by another service show. There are not elsewhere service shows the morning of that caliber. »»
And when she asked if other opportunities within the network could be envisaged, the answer was brutal and without appeal.
“Am I still part of the VAT family?” Their answer was: absolutely not. »»
For poor Marie-Claude Barrette, these words had the effect of a real blow.
“This is what I found difficult, because it was for me a rejection, an abandonment. We can interpret it as we want, but also me. It was addressed to me, and I, that’s how I received it. »»
The shock was all the more difficult to take since Marie-Claude Barrette had invested body and soul in her work.
“I have always given my 110 %, I loved my job, and overnight, everything stopped. »»
She explains that she felt a deep injustice in the face of this sudden decision, particularly because of the total absence of recognition for her years of service.
This dismissal also created discomfort within her family, especially with her husband, Mario Dumont, who continues to work for VAT.
“I didn’t want it to get Mario, because I said to myself, it’s two different things. But it is sure that it shocked him. »»
She remembers a particularly striking moment, when she received the official announcement of her departure.
“I had 27 editions left, including 9 weeks. And I went to everyone talked about it while I was still on TVA.
I said to myself one day my parking card will no longer work. »»
Imagine. TVA forced him to keep his dismissal secret. Ignoble.
Despite the pain, she wanted to keep her head high and manage her departure with dignity. But today it was time for her to break the silence.
If her departure from VAT was a difficult period, Marie-Claude Barrette was able to rebound quickly by launching her picture Open your gamewhich is today one of the most popular in Quebec.
“When I was put at the door, I didn’t know what to do.
But I chose to transform this pain into strength, and to create a space where people could indulge in all authenticity. »»
Its success on digital platforms was a real nose to VAT, which is struggling to attract audiences.
“YouTube Canada contacted me, because there, I will become a personality to follow. They put lots of children on what I do. Because I bring new customers. »»
Marie-Claude Barrette is delighted today to be able to reach a varied audience and continue to do what she likes.
“Now, then in addition, my customers is very varied. Me, it’s fascinating. We are as many 25 -year -old people as 70 years. It’s really like a multi -generational alloy. »»
What TVA has failed to do, they who only have the matants and mononcles of Quebec as a audience.
Returning to his dismissal, Barrette underlines an important thing: the way of treating people.
“One way of saying goodbye to someone, it is preparing, it is planned, it looks in advance, it looks better. »»
She regrets the absence of empathy on the part of VAT and insists on the importance of respect in the workplace.
Despite everything, she refuses to be put down and remains optimistic about the future.
“I tell myself that everything happens for a reason. Today, I can speak freely, I can do the interviews I want, without being dictated what to say. »»
While TVA continues to sin financially, barrette is in full ascent and proves that it is far from overwhelmed. The success of Open your game is a brilliant response to those who thought they could erase it.
“It is also the day that there is a bus that returned to a daycare in Laval. It calmed me. I said to myself, it’s your drama, your little drama to you. »»
A reflection which testifies to his big heart and his ability to see further than the trials of the moment.
A heart that was trampled on by the Pierre-Karl Péladeau Empire.
Marie-Claude Barrette today embodies strength and determination.
-If TVA tried to erase it, she knew how to prove that her talent and humanity cannot be forgotten or replaced.
But beware.
The brutal dismissal of Marie-Claude Barrette by TVA has not only marked the host, he also highlighted questionable management on the part of the network, which sacrificed a popular animator, capable of generating listening codes solid and enormous advertising revenues.
Today, with the resounding success of his broom Open your gameVAT is faced with the evidence of a major strategic error.
Indeed, Marie-Claude Barrette was not only a legendary figure of the chain, she was a real locomotive which attracted a faithful audience.
With frank, touching and sincere interviews, she brought rare authenticity on Quebec television.
By thanking it so expeditiously, TVA pulled in the foot, losing not only a precious animator, but also the opportunity to reinvent herself in a changing market.
The meteoric ascent of the Broomo Open your game Proves that the Quebec public is always eager for quality content, but on modern platforms.
VAT, which is struggling to adapt to digital transformation, could have seized this opportunity by collaborating with Barrette to develop an innovative Balado project in its colors.
Rather than investing in this new media era, TVA has chosen to put its resources in TVA Sports, a choice that is increasingly catastrophic.
With losses that accumulate – more than $ 300 million since 2011 – and free fall audiences, TVA Sports has become a financial chasm, unable to compete with giants like RDS and streaming platforms.
Meanwhile, Marie-Claude Barrette, without the means of VAT, was able to build a successful product, proving that it understood the media trends better than chain leaders.
It is now obvious that the network has committed a professional fault by letting it leave without considering new avenues.
The passage of Marie-Claude Barrette in the weekend club highlighted an obvious discomfort on the set.
Dave Morissette, columnist in the show, was in a particularly uncomfortable position.
Formerly chief of the antenna of TVA Sports, he also saw his reduced role in some sporadic appearances, mainly during the after-match on Saturday evening.
One could feel that he would have liked to say more, to express his indignation in the way in which his former colleague was treated, but his current position prevented him.
Morissette seemed really affected when Marie-Claude Barrette revealed the unthinkable.
The revelation that really touched Morissette is when she revealed the last question she asked the bosses “
“Am I still part of the big family?” Absolutely not. »»
This declaration had to resonate particularly at Morissette, who saw a similar situation, remaining a TVA Sports employee, but to a reduced role in the bare minimum.
The fleeing gaze of Morissette, his tense body language, and his prudent interventions testified to obvious pressure.
It is clear that he too feels the fragility of his job and the precariousness of his situation within a network in difficulty.
TVA seems to cling to an outdated vision of television, ignoring the new realities of the media market.
The dismissal of Marie-Claude Barrette illustrates this blatant disconnection. Instead of capitalizing on his immense talent and his ability to touch Quebecers, they preferred to get rid of them in a cold and impersonal way.
A decision that is expensive today while TVA continues to sink.
The contrast is striking: on the one hand, a woman who succeeds in imposing herself in the world of broom with modest means and a human approach; On the other, a network loss of speed, unable to modernize and meet the expectations of the public.
By refusing to recognize the value of Marie-Claude Barrette, TVA made a strategic error that will cost her dearly.
While TVA is desperately tried to straighten TVA Sports, which continues to swallow millions of dollars without return on investment, Marie-Claude Barrette builds her media empire on the web, attracting a new generation of spectators and loyal to her historic audience.
For VAT leaders, it is too late to go back, but a lesson is essential: talents are not replaced as easily as it is believed.
And when we lose them, we risk seeing them shine elsewhere, under a light that we no longer control.
Marie-Claude Barrette did not hide her frustration when she approached her dismissal of VAT, but a special reflection caught attention:
“I know there was someone who didn’t love me”she dropped as the last arrow. A sense of meaning that raises many questions.
Who, in the senior TVA management, could be this person who did not see Marie-Claude Barrette in his soup?
Did she speak of Pierre Karl Péladeau, the big boss of Quebec, or rather of an intermediate framework which had his own preferences and a different vision for morning programming?
She proclaims that she was too old.
“It’s of value, but when your face does not come back to someone, it becomes complicated,” She added, suggesting that her age, public image and authentic personality perhaps did not frame with the new objectives of the chain.
This is not the first time that controversial decisions have been made within VAT. We remember that several striking figures have been dismissed over the years under the pretext of strategic changes, but in the case of Marie-Claude Barrette, the situation seems more personal than organization.
The question remains: who, within VAT, judged that the host, recognized for her authenticity and proximity to the public, no longer corresponded to the image of the chain?
Internal quarrel, prejudices about his age, incompatibility of personality … The tank comes out of the bag!
Who, within the company, made this inhuman decision?
Marie-Claude Barrette has too much class to reveal it.
No matter, she flew … while TVA flows …
