Will Ted Bird follow Wayne Bews to 92.5 The Beat FM?

Wayne Bews gets to work next week in his new role as general manager of  92.5 The Beat FM and I wish him the best of luck.  This gentleman of gentlemen has a lifetime of radio experience and for more on that you can see the blog I filed on him here last October when he moved from TSN 690 to CTV Montreal as Regional Sales Manager.

I can honestly say that in my many years of covering the media, I have never met a finer human being in the business than Bews. He was the rock that kept THE TEAM 990/TSN 990/TSN 690 afloat despite having the odds stacked against him.  When Bell Media completed its takeover of  CJAD, Virgin Radio and CHOM FM, Bews was pointed towards CTV Montreal, with Martin Spaulding becoming the natural point man  to run the operation. But did they make a mistake by not keeping Bews on the radio side?

Wayne Bews (left) , shown here with Randy Tieman.

Bews and I will talk once he settles in at The Beat. He is still a Bell Media employee and therefore does not want to speculate in the many decisions he will have to make. At The Beat, he inherits a pretty good property. His predecessor Mark Dickie pulled off a gutsy move by switching the Q92 FM light rock format to more of a top 40 routine and flashier name as The Beat. The station has been competing directly with Virgin Radio. In fact, they pulled away the likes of Cat Spencer, Cousin Vinny and Nat Lauzon from Virgin. Cat and Sarah Bartok do a great morning show. Ditto for Vinny on the Drive and Lauzon on weekends.

Ted Bird

So what advice will I have for Bews when we sit down? Tops on my list would be to bring his old friend Ted Bird back on to mainstream radio. Bird, of course, walked away from the CHOM FM morning show a number of years ago. He resurfaced on  K103 FM until Bews hired him to join Elliott Price and Shaun Starr on the TSN 690 morning show. The moment the Bell Media takeover was in place, Bird's former employers (presumably Spaulding) gave him the axe.  He is now part of KIC Country 89.9 in Kahnawake, a station I can still not get on any of my dials. I am a huge Ted Bird fan. There are many of us in that boat. Can a place be found for him on The Beat?  Handling news and sports in the mornings would be a good fit.

Bews will be busy from the get go. He needs to hire new program and promotional directors. Will there be format changes? Only time will tell.

A classy event by a classy guy: Bews is in the news at CTV

Wayne Bews has only been the retail sales manager at CTV Montreal for three months, yet the former TSN 690 boss is already impressing everyone around him. 

 

The ageless Mutsumi Takahashi and Wayne Bews.

I enjoyed an extraordinary relationship with Wayne during his TSN 690 tenure. He was the sales manager at the old CKGM when they made the switch to all-sports radio and became THE TEAM 990. When his mentor, original program director and station manager Lee Hambleton passed away, Wayne stepped into his role while retaining his regular duties. It is very clear that had it not been for Wayne's leadership, THE TEAM 990 would not have survived long enough to win the rights to broadcast Montreal Canadiens games and stay alive after owners Bell Media announced their intenyt to close the operation down and replace the rechristened TSN 690 into RDS French-language radio.

The all-sports format has been a dream come true for arm-chair jocks such as I. Now that TSN 690 is secure and partnered with former Astral stations CJAD, Virgin Radio and CHOM, the future looks very bright. Bews was rewarded for his good work with the CTV Montreal appointment. Last week he showed what a classy and creative guy he is by organizing an unprecedented afternoon cocktail for the station’s main advertisers.  Not only were there drinks and hors d’oeuvres, but the event took place in the actual CTV Montreal studio.

 

Bews and Randy Tieman.

I thank Wayne for the invitation, wearing my Suburban Newspaper hat and my other one from the English Montreal School Board (EMSB). At the EMSB, we have enjoyed a solid partnership with CTV for years via joint promotions and advertisements.

Wayne has clearly earned the respect of his new bosses, for advertisers were ever so delighted to get a chance to mingle with senior CTV executives and a number of on air personalities. There was an endless lineup at the anchor desk to get a photo taken with Paul Karwatsky and Mutsumi Takahashi, two of the nicest people you'd want to meet.  Next was a trip to the makeup room in order to record your very own holiday greeting. I was enjoying the banter too much with individuals whom I normally do not get a chance to spend such extended time with.

News Director Jed Kahane,  Executive Producer  Barry Wilson,  Manager of  Creative Services/Marketing/Community Relations and Com Gerry Dixon and Promotions Boss Jason Devine were joined by Rob Lurie, Cindy Sherwin, Caroline van Vlaardingen, Randy Tieman, André Corbeil, Christine Long and Maya Johnson.

I get my chance at the anchor desk.

 

I was happy to meet Spiro Krallis, the founder, owner and  president of sandwich chain Dagwoods. What a business he has built! Julien Hecht, the former GM of The Suburban and the voice of countless radio commercials, was doing the rounds. I recommended to Spiro that he consider a new round of advertisements with Julien raving about their special hot sauce. I also had compliments for Scott Reid, the marketing director for Scores Restaurants - another one of my favorites.

Bravo to Bews!

 

Wayne Bews heads to CTV Montreal

One of the really good guys on the local broadcast scene has landed on his feet.

When the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) formally ruled in favor of Bell Media acquiring CJAD, CHOM and Virgin Radio and some French properties, it was very clear that convergence with TSN 690 was coming.  Where did that leave the very loyal Wayne Bews, who as general manager of TSN 690 played a critical role in keeping that station afloat? Sure enough, CJAD's Martin Spalding was given a high profile role as  vice-president of operations and local sales for Quebec radio for Bell Media while Chris Bury added to his programming duties as the new "go to" guy for TSN.

Bews (right) and Mitch Melnick

Well,  Bews shared the news with friends today that  after 21 years he will be leaving the radio world, but remain with Bell Media as CTV Montreal's as Retail Sales Manager. "I begin this very exciting new challenge Monday," he said.

I will miss dealing with Bews. We were in touch on a very frequent basis over the past decade, for both my Suburban duties and special programs organized for the English Montreal School Board. He was always available to talk, pick my brains and share new information. When John Bartlett was hired as the new Habs play-by-play man, he made sure that I was among the first journalists to come down and meet him.

As convergence goes, I must say I really like what I see happening - especially between CJAD, TSN 690 and CTV  Montreal. Once TSN 690 moves into the same quarters as CJAD,  I think we really see a lot of new dynamics take shape. Conor McKenna is already settling in it appears as Rick Moffat's new morning backup for sports on CJAD.  Moffat will be part of the Als This Week program on TSN. CTV Montreal's Lori Graham is doing weather on CJAD's Aaron Rand Show.

I have no doubt that Bews, in his new post, will find a way to remain connected to the wonderful little radio he helped build - the original TEAM 990 now TSN 690.


 you personally in the near futu

CRTC would be wise to accept TSN 690 marriage with Astral threesome

Well the folks at Bell Media finally have it right. As part of their bid to acquire Astral Radio and in particular English stations CJAD, Virgin Radio and CHOM (herein referred to as the triplets), Bell Media is telling the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to grant them an exception to own four English language stations in the same market - the fourth being TSN Radio 690. Precedent has already been set most recently with Cogeco Radio operating four French stations in Montreal.

This is good business for Bell Media and sports fans. TSN 690 is reportedly not profitable. Moving them out of their Greene Avenue headquarters in Westmount would first and foremost save a monthly raincheque and create instant synergy by having them cohabitate with the triplets in their new digs on Papineau and Rene-Levesque. That address, by the way, is directly across the street from CTV and the local bureaus of TSN, RDS and The Globe andMail.

Utimately a lot more savings could be introduced by the sharing of human resources.

If TSN 690 and CJAD, for instance, are under the same roof there are great possibilities. Broadcasts of the Alouettes and Impact could be moved to TSN 690, except in cases of a schedule conflict with the Canadiens.

Abe Hefter

Rick Moffat, Abe Hefter and Chantal Desjardins of CJAD Sports could all be made available to TSN 690

Ted Bird could finally be reunited with his pal Terrry DiMonte. Bird is now part of the TSN 690 morningshow. But could easily pop in from across the hall. I would love to see TSN 690's Tony Marinaro doing a morning commentary on CJAD.

Freeway Frank of Virgin Radio is a huge sports fan. I am sure he would love some kind of role on TSN 690.A back and forth with him and Marinaro would also be grand.

Mitch Melnick talks a lot of entertainment on his drive home show. It would be nice to have him connect with Natasha Gargiulo of Virgin or his old friend Anne Shatilla, CJAD's Hollywood correspondent.

Mitch Melnick and Wayne Bews

One thing I hope Bell Media takes into consideration is the future of Wayne Bews, the general manager of TSN 690 who has allowed this station to thrive under challenging circumstances since day one. He should retain a prominent role in the operation and would work well with Martin Spalding, the boss of the triplets.

Show your support for Bell Media's CRTC request by logging on to savetsn690.ca.

The power of TSN 690's Tony Marinaro

For those who read my column and blog, you know what a big fan I have beeen of TSN Radio 690 (nee TSN 990, nee THE TEAM 990) from the day it first went on the air. I  was among those who expressed great dismay when word came down that  Bell Media planned to transform this  dream come true for local sports fans into an all French sports station. Fortunately that did not happen.

TSN 690 is a classy organization, starting right at the top with hard working general manager Wayne Bews. He wears a lot of hats in this organization and they are all a perfect fit.

While THE TEAM 990 carried the final years of the Montreal Expos and had the rights to the Montreal Impact and Montreal Juniors games, it was the seven year deal signed with the Montreal Canadiens prior to the 2011-2012 season which really put this station on the map.  Of course, the talent pool in the  main programming slots has also been strong. Elliott Price, Ted Bird and Shaun Starr in the mornings; Tony Marinaro's Montreal Forum 10 a.m. to Noon; the Intermission with Marinaro and, until recently Randy Tieman; veteran Mitch Melnick with the Drive Home from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and a cast of many others. John Bartlett and Sergio Momesso, of course do a masterful job calling the Habs games.

The morning show, particularly with the addition of  Bird, is fantastic radio. This trio has great chemistry and they have a lot of fun on the air, bringing all listeners along for the ride. Melnick is simply the best in the business: smooth, experienced and respected.

Tony Marinaro

Marinaro is ball of fire, never afraid to express his feelings.  I was recently looked at his Twitter numbers (close to 20,000 as of this writing). His following rivals some professional athletes.  As part of my own campaign to get to 1,000 followers, I shared this with Bews. He in turn discussed it with Tony, who invited me to co-host his February 7 show and promote my mikecohencsl Twitter handle. While I did not quite get to 1,000 during my two hours on the air, Tony  did indeed bring me from 793 when I woke up that day to 927 when  I called it a night.

The two hours with Tony just flew by. He was ably assisted by producer Amanda Stein and intern Jiancarlo Aimone. Simon Tsalikis, host of the Habs This Week, has been one of the personalities filling Tieman's vacant slot. Tsalikis is a real estate agent by day, covering Laval, the West Island and other territories. I stepped out of the studio for him to join Marinaro.

Jiancarlo Aimone

Marinaro started off the show with an excellent analysis of the previous evening's 2-1 Boston Bruins win over the Canadiens. Without even looking at a single note, he covered all of the bases and naturally got the tongues wagging of listeners who immediately began to Tweet, email and call in. Tony also works the Habs post game show with Conor McKenna and Mitch Melnick. He knows his hockey and I must say is quite addictive to listen to.  Last year, with the big Pierre Gauthier mess, he was the "go to"  guy. Even the francophone media tuned in to see what scoops he broke. Perfectly bilingual, Tony has appeared on the popular RDS TV show Anti Chambre. It has been a while since they put him on the air, which is a real shame. Hopefully they will wake up and give him a call as it is nice to have someone other than PJ Stock representing the anglo media. Plus, when he is on their ratings go up from the English side.

Amanda Stein

Marinaro brings on a number of special guests. This includes basketball analyst  Peter Yannopoulos. When he came on the show I asked him about pro basketball in Montreal and how much I enjoyed the days when the Montreal Matrix/Royal played at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau. Well excuse my ignorance, but I was completely unaware that a team called the Montreal Jazz from the National Basketball League of Canada started up here a few months ago, at the same home as the Matrix/Royal. They were originally supposed to play in Laval, but Yannopoulos explained how the league had to take the franchise over. Dubbed the Jazz, they were relocated to Montreal and new owners are now being sought.

Tony had a writer covering the Buffalo Sabres on, to set up that night's Habs encounter, took some more calls and before you knew it noon struck. I appreciate his support of my Twitter campaign. Radio is magic when it comes to attracting followers, especially with listeners able to sign on instantly with smartphone in hand. I will never reach his level, but getting past the 1,000 mark will indeed be a milestone.

For those of you who did not listen to the show and would like to do so, thanks to chief engineer Chris Robitaille here it is in four clips. Just right click on the segment you want to hear. 

Oh yes, and do not forget to please follow me on Twitter @mikecohencsl.

TEAM 990 throws a terrific 10th birthday bash; awaits Habs news

Photos: Mitch Melnick and Wayne Bews; Robin Burns and Annakin Slayd; Paul Massie and Steve Traynor; TEAM 990 sales rep Elizabeth Farnesi, Ron Francis and son Rod Francis.

I had a great time last week at THE TEAM 990’s 10th anniversary party held at the Paul Stevens Dinner Club in Pointe Claire. Paul Massie and Steve Traynor (as in Paul Stevens) were terrific hosts, offering an open bar, serving up tantalizing hor d’oeuvres and a delicious buffet featuring roast beef, chicken, shrimp, mashed potatoes, rice and vegetables. There was live music by the Shane Murphy Band and comic relief from stand up comics Scott Faulconbridge and Mike Patterson.

TEAM 990 general manager Wayne Bews assembled a VIP guest list of about 200 people, inviting them to come by during a live broadcast of the Mitch Melnick drive home show from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Melnick signed off at 7 p.m. as the Shane Murphy Band took to the stage. After 8 p.m. the general public was invited in.

I have been a loyal listener of THE TEAM 990 since they first went on the air, with Melnick and the late Ted Blackman hosting the morning show. They were part of a national network, set up by CHUM Radio, which did not last very long. THE TEAM, though, survived. Initially they had broadcast rights to the Expos. When they left town for Ottawa, some people in the industry predicted an imminent death. But THE TEAM 990 was rejuvenated five years ago when Bews took charge of the operation. The station has a solid morning show with Elliott Price, Shaun Starr and Denis Casavant; Tony Marinaro is probably the best hockey analyst in town and a joy to listen to; old pro Randy Tieman turned out to be the perfect fit for radio when PJ Stock quit; Melnick is the king of sports talk radio and always includes a steady diet of rock ‘n roll as well; Rod Francis, Melnick’s producer, has great knowledge of sports and politics; Paramount Financial Services boss Lorne Rubin contributes an entertaining market minute weekdays at 4:45 p.m. sprinkled with sports notes; contributors Stephen Brunt of The Globe and Mail and TSN’s Pierre McGuire represent “must listen to” radio when their bits come up; Connor McKenna is a rising star as are a few others.

Photos: Peter Dalla Riva and Andie Bennett; NHL referee Dave Jackson and The Gazette's Pat Hickey

Melnick gave Andie Bennett the opportunity to blossom into a solid sportscaster and she did so in spades, catching the attention of CBC Radio One Daybreak which hired her last winter. At THE TEAM 990 producers became on air personalities. Besides Starr and Francis, there is Shaun Campbell, Mitch Gallo and Amanda Stein. THE TEAM 990 is the home of the Impact soccer broadcasts, with Brian Wilde and Noel Butler. Part-time hosts include Matthew Ross, Nick Murdocco and Gary Whittaker. Jessica Rusnak handles announcing and sales while Dino Ceresa works on sales and promotions. Elizabeth Farnesi and Karen Bryant-Pepper have worked there in sales since day one. Scott Saxon is the creative director, responsible for the on air commercials. Chris Robitaille oversees engineering while Bernice Davies (traffic) and Len Joseph (accounting) are also originals. A couple of new sales reps were hired recently, Ken Doran and Sheldon Novack, both with solid radio experience. Sounds like some foreshadowing for a big Habs sales campaign.

According to the buzz in the room, the Canadiens will announce very soon that they are shifting English hockey broadcasts to THE TEAM 990. THE TEAM is under the large umbrella of Bell Media, which of course also owns CTV and TSN. Bell has a minority interest in the Canadiens. The Habs play out of the “Bell Centre,” so despite the fact CJAD is owned by media giant Astral it appears as if this time the odds were stacked in THE TEAM’s favor. We will also have to watch and see if they change their name to TSN Radio, as rumoured.

Look for Elliott Price to handle the play-by-play and either Chris Nilan or Sergio Momesso to do colour commentary. Nilan , the former Habs enforcer, has enjoyed a lot of air time on Melnick’s show the last few months. He told me when we sat down in March that he had applied for the job with CJAD last summer, but lost out to Momesso who did a great job with play by play man Rick Moffat.

Back to the 10th anniversary party: everyone had a blast. The atmosphere was perfect for folks to chat and network. Among those I spotted were rapper Annakin (Andrew Farrar) Slayd and his brother Jay (manager of Maclean’s Pub), The Gazette’s Pat Hickey and Randy Phillips, Andie Bennett, football legend Peter Dalla Riva, Robert Vairo of the Montreal TV-Radio School, former NHLer Robin Burns, NHL referee Dave Jackson, Stephen Brunt and a host of others.

I told Brunt how much I thoroughly enjoy his contributions to the Melnick show at 4:25 p.m. weekdays. He will soon be taking the summer off from the program. One of this country’s great sports writers. If you want to see his brilliance on electronic media, check out this video essay he did for CTV at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
















Photos: Dwight Walton, Shaun Starr and hockey writer/ CTV web reporter Arpon Basu;The Shane Murphy Band. (all photos taken by the author)