The saga of Élizabeth Rancourt at TVA Sports is a real soap opera, but unfortunately for her, it is not a success story.
With the departure of Dave Morissette, an emblematic figure of the Quebec sports landscape, who practically disappeared from TVA Sports overnight, TVA Sports found itself in a delicate transition period.
We had counted on Rancourt to fill the void left by Morissette, but the results did not live up to expectations.
When TVA Sports decided to reduce Morissette’s airtime and give her only the Saturday night post-games, many wondered if the promotion of Élizabeth Rancourt would be enough to maintain ratings.
Unfortunately, the numbers spoke for themselves, and they did not support this decision.
Not only were the ratings not boosted by Rancourt’s presence, but they have even continued to fall since Morissette’s departure.
And when Louis Jean, another important face of TVA Sports, was fired last year, the situation also deteriorated.
The gamble on Rancourt to replace both Morissette and Jean proved to be a resounding failure.
It’s hard to say exactly what went wrong in this dynamic. Maybe audiences didn’t connect with Rancourt’s style or personality, or maybe it was simply impossible to replace such legendary figures as Morissette and Jean in such a short time.
We could also ask the following question: is Quebec too “macho” to have such a dominant female presence in a sports channel?
Regardless, this situation must have been a real relief for Morissette, who probably watched the situation from afar with a small smirk.
Sometimes a person’s true value is only revealed when they are no longer there to replace them. And in the case of Dave Morissette, it seems his absence left a void that no one has been able to successfully fill.
This is a great revenge for Morissette, a man who made history with his number of Artis trophies, which proves his marketing and popular value among the Quebec population.
When TVA Sports showed him the exit door, it was an unprecedented shock, he who thought he was untouchable because he was the number one figure on the station.
After all, Dave Morissette was the highest paid by far with Jean-Charles Lajoie. In the end, was it his salary that was the problem?
His fall may have been tragic, but it also revealed his true impact and the importance he had in the media landscape. His absence left a void that was difficult to fill, showing that no one could really replace him, not even Élizabeth Rancourt.
The truth is that TVA Sports never recovered from the departure of the host. The station is flowing a little more every day since Morissette left.
Sometimes in life you have to admit your mistakes. TVA Sports executives never apologized to Dave for his constructive dismissal.
It’s about time…
