Radio host Paul Arcand presents the latest edition of his morning show on Friday morning Since you have to get up on the airwaves of 98.5 FM in Montreal, ending a 34-year career on the morning show, including 20 years at 98.5.
The offices of the Montreal station were rearranged for the duration of this special broadcast, because many people wanted to come and spend one last moment of radio with the “king of the airwaves”.
Current and former collaborators and members of the public took turns at the microphone to talk about their experiences with Paul Arcand. Some thanked him for helping them progress in their journey, while others outright admitted to being terrified at the idea of speaking alongside him.
From the first minutes of the show, around 5:30 a.m., Paul Arcand wanted to make things clear: “I haven’t changed my mind, it’s the last one,” he said. he decided.
But the departure will not be smooth, he admitted later, when he took a long moment to address his listeners.
“Am I going to be bored?” Obviously I’m going to be bored. I’m going to miss doing radio, that’s for sure, being there every morning, having this routine, having this direct, privileged contact with listeners,” he said. .
Beyond the countless interviews with politicians and public figures, Paul Arcand is especially proud of having given a voice to people who do not have one, of having helped newcomers learn French and of having entered in the daily lives of listeners.
“I am everywhere in your life. I am in your living room, in your car, in your trials, and in the moments of life that have been wonderful memories for you. I feel like a member of your family. You told me, you wrote it to me, and it touches me — really. »
Paul Arcand also thanked his team, as well as the members of his family, recognizing that it is not always easy to be “the son of” or “the spouse of”.
Information…and humor
Despite the seriousness we know about him in interviews and in the preparation of his show, many collaborators have highlighted Paul Arcand’s sense of humor, especially off the air.
He himself was humorous from the first minutes of his latest show, of course making a nod to current events.
“I would like to ask the Montreal fire department to let us finish the show. We respect the capacity rules, we have no marquee, so please, everything is under control and everything is happening according to the rules,” he mentioned, referring to a subject that marked his last week of entertainment, namely the closure of the terraces of certain restaurants during the weekend of the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
More seriously, he added: “Quite honestly, I don’t like it […] the kind of avalanche of tenderness and affection”, he admitted, admitting that he would have preferred a normal show, with “a good interview that brews”.
Even if he leaves daily entertainment, Paul Arcand is not completely retiring.
From next fall, he will collaborate with the daily The Presswhile continuing to offer its famous press review in the form of a podcast available on the 98.5 digital platforms.
It is the journalist and host Patrick Lagacé who will replace him at the helm of the 98.5 morning show at the start of the fall term. The show will be renamed Bored in the morning.
