[ENTREVUE EXPRESS]
WHO :
Nicolas St-Pierre is a playbook for the Ottawa Senators in hockey and Atlético Ottawa in soccer, and president of Intersport Productions, which manages, among other things, negotiations for broadcasting rights for sports matches in French. A man of many talents, he was also, until December 12, for 16 years, the host of the show In the locker room on Unique FM, the only program dealing with sports news in French in the national capital.
THE CONTEXT:
For budgetary reasons, Ottawa radio suddenly decided to remove the historic show from its programming schedule, despite its uniqueness and popularity.
THE ISSUE:
Nicolas St-Pierre gives his reaction to this unexpected news, looks back on his sixteen years at the helm of the program and shares his point of view on the situation of sports coverage in French in Ontario.
« What was your reaction to the sudden announcement that your sports show on Unique FM was stopping?
I had hosted the show for sixteen years. Sixteen years old! It was a shock, although we always expected that it could happen, we lived with a sword of Damocles knowing that there were economic realities that had become more complicated. I didn’t expect it to come to this, maybe there would be a reconfiguration at the end of the season, but at this point… I was just taken aback. I found myself a little surprised and stunned by the decision.
Had you had discussions with management that the show might not be renewed?
The speech I had last summer was that we kept the the state in which. Then we were told that we were moving forward, that this was the show we wanted to capitalize on. For me, it was completely done, there was not necessarily reason to worry about the future of things in the months of broadcast.
With experience, I expected a reconsideration at the end of each season, something we did on a recurring basis, but there was no sign that told me that the ax was going to fall at that moment- here.
You’ve been on the air for sixteen years, that’s not common…
This is something I can be proud of. Sixteen years in the media landscape, especially broadcast, there aren’t many. Right there, to still be on the air after all this time, it was nice to be able to move forward and extend it because, without talking about a record, it’s still a big feat which also brought back a lot of credibility to the show.
Do you have memories that come back, incredible moments?
One of the most incredible moments was when COVID hit. We found ourselves overnight with nothing. The decision was made pretty quickly to stop and wait. Two days later, I said we wouldn’t do that. I went back to the general manager. I said we were going to do a sports show like that. There are a lot of people who helped me with this, including Alex Saint-Jean, who became a researcher for us. We have been able, during all this time, to offer a sports radio program without sports.
Also during that period, one of the beautiful interviews I had was with Georges Saint-Pierre, who had been generous. It was a great experience, seriously, this conversation. There are others too, Mr. Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the National Hockey League, who came for a tour. There are so many quality guests we had and great personalities.
More generally, coverage of sports in French is decreasing in Ontario. We saw this in particular at Law with a reduction in staff and at - in Toronto, which did not replace the departure of its sports journalist. Does this worry you?
Small clarification, Le Droit has changed its team, but there are still two sports journalists who are now on this, including Zachary Mercier, who was one of our collaborators. But with the departure of Marc Brassard, Sylvain Saint-Laurent, among others, there was a reconfiguration of the way they cover the sport.
To return to the initial question, there is certainly nothing to be happy about in the world of media at the moment because we are going through a great upheaval. Unfortunately, in a minority state in Ontario, we feel that the priority is not necessarily on French-language coverage.
So yes, it worries me on a certain level, but what pleases me a little or what calms my level of concern is that even in facing that, this speech was still similar sixteen years ago, when I arrived.
What are the reasons for hope that the situation will improve?
The flame is still there. There is always that spark that makes you believe that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. It takes diehards, it takes great craftsmen, people who believe in it, you and many others besides. We must not give up. I have the impression that there won’t be hundreds who want to pick up after us. It’s up to us to set an example, to be there on the front line, it’s important.
We can be worried, but I also see a lot of positives, hoping that the people who are there don’t abandon the boat, because it’s important to have succession, to cultivate this flame.
It is up to us, the ones most responsible, to use a very popular expression, “our bruised arms which hold the torch”. We hold it high to you then we will pass it on to the next generation.
What are the solutions to traditional media which abandon sport for budgetary reasons?
There is strength in unity. You are going to have several platforms that are going to be owned or processed by one entity. You will have a concentration of positions. It will take people who will be much more multidisciplinary. And even if I go back to 25-30 years ago, we were saying the same thing.
The important thing now for new craftsmen is to have several strings to their bow. This will not be the business of a written journalist or an electronic journalist. The people who are going to come will have to do everything and everything on their own. Unfortunately, there will perhaps be several called, but not many elected to fill these positions, but I think that the best will always rise to the surface.
Finally, what’s next for you?
I am still a describer for the Ottawa Senators, Atlético d’Ottawa. We will see if there is another branch which will welcome Atlético. I have not yet had a discussion with Unique FM. But for now, I’ll stick with the description of the Senators.
What’s next for the show, I don’t know, but I wish there was one, because it’s a service that we have to fulfill. With all the sports that we find in the capital now, and in Ontario, I think we have enough to fill not only one show, but an entire station. There is potential. It will be to know how we are going to deliver it and on which platform we are going to end up. »
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