The presence of Dave Morissette on TVA Sports yesterday, during the post-game of the Stanley Cup final, provoked a strange feeling.
Many believed he had been fired by the station, yet he was back on screen, but in a very different role than the one he once held.
In reality, TVA Sports subtly dismissed him, leaving him only crumbs, only calling him to fill voids.
In the past, Dave Morissette was the leading figure of TVA Sports, recipient of Artis trophies and an essential face of the Quebec media landscape.
People from the regions found that he shone with his charisma, but people from Montreal found him too “settler”. Yes, the media world is ruthless and can bring unexpected turns.
The first slap came with her repositioning behind the scenes, giving way to Élizabeth Rancourt. Giving him the Saturday night post-game show was a constructive dismissal according to everyone, and seeing him reappear during the Stanley Cup final confirms that Morissette has become the replacement for TVA Sports.
This breaks the hearts of those close to him, especially since he was removed from his morning role at Rythme FM, a Cogeco network station, which sent him to play an extra on the airwaves of 98.5 FM on the show ” Even on weekends.”
The station’s press release attempted to disguise this decision by evoking a need to slow down to devote itself to other projects. But actually, we didn’t want him to be a headliner anymore.
“After a few months of getting up before the sun and balancing work-family-various projects, the friendly morning duo composed of Dave Morissette and Julie Houle decided to slow down.”
“Indeed, Dave and Julie are leaving the morning show to concentrate on other projects. Don’t worry! They both remain part of the Cogeco Media family.”
“Dave becomes a columnist at station 98.5 in the weekend show, Even le weekend in the company of Élisabeth Crête, and he will also come to visit the lunch girls, Marie-Eve Janvier and Patricia Paquin, on the rhythm waves to share his anecdotes and adventures.”
We wanted to have him as second host and that’s why we sent him to 98.5 FM to talk about “matantes” topics. Here are his latest capsules.
– Are you a good friend?
– I’m planning my vacation.
– “Pizza is good, it’s quick, it brings people together, it’s friendly”
– “Fishing is such a great memory.”
– Being in the present moment: the positive effects on health
Despite what Cogeco claims, this decision was probably not Morissette’s. The same thing at TVA Sports.
It was rather a disguised sidelining, suggesting an inevitable decline in his media status. The reasons for this drop are multiple, but the low ratings for the morning show certainly played a crucial role, as did his show on TVA Sports which failed to attract people.
In a media world where competition is fierce, stations often have to make difficult decisions to stay relevant.
For Morissette, this meant losing all his main roles to become the second of the second and speak on subjects which have no connection with his knowledge.
Dave Morissette’s trajectory from star to stand-in is a poignant story that highlights the fleeting nature of media popularity.
This abrupt and unexplained transition shows the unpredictable vagaries of the media world, where even the most beloved can see their star fade without warning.
Seeing Morissette yesterday on TVA Sports being cut by Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse without him being able to say a word, we said to ourselves that the world of media is truly merciless.
From the top of the mountain…to finding yourself at the bottom of the wheel.
Professional life can sometimes be so cruel…
