Is it time to draft Justin Trudeau to lead...the Quebec Liberals?

So the much anticipated Léger marketing poll came out today and if the trend continues through election day, Pauline Marois will become our province's first  female premier.  Her party has 33 percent of the potential vote compared to 28 percent for the Coalition Avenir Québec and 27 percent for the Liberals.

Soon to be former Premier Charest?

The only consolation for those of us who do not wish to see this province governed by sovereignists is that  CAQ leader Francois Legault's rather impressive campaign so far  could ensure at the very least a Marois minority government or possibly a repeat of what happened in Quebec on May 2, 2011 when the NDP swept most of our province's seats in the federal election. Earlier in the week a National Post poll actually showed Premier Jean Charest and the Liberals out front with 35 percent of the vote.  Which, if any of these, are we to believe? I met with Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand the day the Post poll was published and he sounded like a man pretty confident of a Liberal victory.

Perhaps the best that can happen for the Liberals, barring a surprise victory, would be a minority PQ government. This way Marois will be unable to push through any of her hardline sovereignist or xenophobic proposals.  The life of her government will likely be about 18 months. During this time she will take a licking from Legault in the National Assembly while Charest resigns and his party looks for a new charismatic successor.

Premier Justin Trudeau?

And whom should that be?  Just as Charest was wrested from Ottawa and the Federal Conservative Party to breathe new life into the Liberals -and he certainly did that - there needs to be an effort to reel  in someone big who can slay the PQ in the next not so long off election (if they only score a minority). That man is Justin Trudeau. Sure he is the Federal Liberal  Member of Parliament for Papineau and right now being counted on to run for that party's leadership in the spring. It is a competition he should win handily. But Justin has reservations about the amount of time this job will take him away from his family. I think federalist Quebecers need him more. He'd be crowned Provincial Liberal leader in a heart beat, have a local MNA resign to give him a seat and give us all some hope.

The Charest Liberals are on the verge of their party's greatest loss ever, unless the polls are completely long. A minority government will give them precious little time to find a leader strong enough to bring them back in power. It is time to start the "Draft Justin" movement the moment Charest steps to the podium on Tuesday evening, September 4 and announced his formal resignation.

 Other Candidates

Okay, so if Justin  Trudeau refuses to enter provincial politics, who are the logical candidates to succeeed Charest?

• Raymond Bachand  (see the video above with his message to anglophones) turns 65 in October, but  he has the perfect profile to slay the sovereignist dragons. That is because he once was  on the sovereignist and saw the  light.
• Mario Dumont is reportedly happily out of politics and about to join the TVA Network. Now living with his family on the South Shore, I wonder whether the chance to lead the party he started out with (he was with the Young Liberals before bolting and starting the ADQ) would tempt him?
• Transport Minister Pierre Moreau, the MNA for Châteauguay, has handled a hot dossiers very well and there are many who say he has leadership potential.
• Justice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier, the MNA for St. Laurent, has to be considered, He is a veteran who left  provincial politics, but came back at the request of Charest, He has steered many important portfolios over the years and handles himself well with the press.
• Former Quebec Health Minister  Philippe Couillard. There are many who say he left provincial politics in 2008,  not only to try his luck in the private sector, but to patiently wait for the day when Charest resigns.
  
• Quebec City Mayor  Régis Labeaume is one popular guy with his constituents. Only 56  years of age and with charisma to spare, he would make a dynamic successor and a formidable opponent for Marois and Legault.
  

Mayor Regis Lebaume

Fantasia's short film festival a definite highlight

The Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal will wrap up proceedings on Friday, August 9 and by all accounts the 2012 edition has been pretty successful. I have been to the venue, Concordia University's downtown campus,  several times in the past week and there is indeed a lot of energy there. Clearly, the making Concordia the headquarters was a good move. The  Henry F. Hall building and the J.A. de Seve Cinema across the street are well suited to showcase the many dark feature and short films.

Mark Hamill

Among the 150 plus  feature film lineup, Fantasia  presented the international premiere of Kern Saxton’s hotly anticipated crime thriller Sushi Girl,  featuring Mark Hamill  in a startlingly sinister lead. Hamill’s portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the originating Star Wars  trilogy is one of the most iconic performances in Fantastic Film history and remains among the most beloved screen characters in the annals of pop culture. Hamill was actually in Montreal for the  Fantasia launch 

The popular “Documentaries From the Edge” section returned to Fantasia’s 2012 lineup, larger and more compelling than ever. WE ARE LEGION: THE STORY OF THE HACKTIVISTS (Quebec Premiere)  was part of this group, tracing the history of hacktivism and explores the motives and missions of Anonymous, veritable superheroes of digital activism who’ve taken on everything from oppressive dictatorships to Pay Pal and the C urch of Scientology and have recently been making significant headlines in Quebec.   There was also the world premiere of  MY AMITYVILLE HORROR. For the first time in 35 years, Daniel Lutz recounteds  his version of the infamous Amityville haunting that terrified his family in 1975, when he was only eight years old. 

I particularly enjoyed the Seduction Fertile presentation of short films on August 4 (exept for the fact the young man running the box office the previous Tuesday was telling everyone admission was free when in fact it was $10). The de Seve Cinema was packed as 12 locally shot films were screened: Chevelure de la vie; Être humain; Evil James Bond vs. Jaws; Un film avec Jean-Paul Belmondo, Une nuit avec toi; Parparmane; Phase; Une porte sur Élise; Score; Sonya; Tale; and Tengri. We can go see a full length movie at the theatre or watch one on TV pretty much anytime we want. Such is not the case with shorts. To see an even dozen over a two hour period is interesting. Most of them are in French, but if you are living in Quebec you should be able to understand the language well enough to sit through a movie.

Guillaume Cyr

Quebec actor Guillaume Cyr appeared in two of the shorts: Une nuit avec toi and Score. In the former, he plays a swimming pool cleaner who gets a little bit friendly with a girl, thinking that because both she and he are on the heavy side she'd be interested in some intimate relations; in the latter, he and his girlfriend go to a laundromat where they air all of their dirty laundry. Paperman showcases a man and his cat, both depressed. He works at the entrance of a very empty La Ronde parking lot, lives alone. His mother has just died of cancer, putting both and he and the white kitty in bad emotional shape. The only customer in the La Ronde parking lot, a gal in a van who delivers singing telegrams, comes to the rescue. Well it seems that way at least. Être humain is a poor knockoff of the Dawn of the Dead series. Evil James Bond vs. Jaws is a clever two minute mashup of Agent 007 doing the work of the killer shark on the beach. Tale is a dark version of Little Red Riding Hood, directed by Ragnar Keil and starring Alexandra Cohen.  It definitely ranks as one of the better shorts in the festival.

Ragnar Keil

Fantasia is indeed a well oiled machine. One just has to look at their program book - all 398 pages. Wow! It took me a few days to read it.

Mitch Davis, Fantasia's co-festival director and co-director of international programming, promised filmgoers an opportunity  to be "electrified, challenged and inspired by some of the most individualistic and imaginative filmmaking you will encounter anywhere this year." On that front, Fantasia has delivered.

You can read a lot more at Fantasiafest.com.

       
     

Wicked at the Place des Arts: Absolutely Spectacular

It is highly unlikely that Montrealers have ever been exposed to a musical as spectacular as the Tony Award winning Wicked, which will grace the stage of the Place des Arts until August 26.  Evenko chose wisely following last summer’s Lion King blockbuster. Thanks to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra finding its own home, the PDA became more available. Rather than bringing in a show for six days, as has been the case here for the past few decades, we can now experience our own taste of Broadway for a bit of an extended period.

Evenko Vice-President and General Manager Jacques Aubé recently shared his strategy with me on this and other projects. Here is my video interview with him.

I attended the formal opening of Wicked on August 2. It was the second time I saw the musical, the first being five years ago in Chicago. This untold story of the witches of Oz has it all: comedy, drama, great music and superb dance numbers.

Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace. The plot is set mostly prior to Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, and also includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

I am always amazed how the PDA can transform itself. In this case, the set was equally impressive to one  I saw in Chicago---a place where Wicked had a very extended run.

Christina Dwyer as Elphaba

Actresses Christina Dwyer and Jeanna De Waal were extraordinary as Elphaba and Glinda while kind words must be reserved for Michael Wartella (Boq), Marilyn Caskey (Madame Morrible), Billy Harrigan Tighe (Fiyero) and Paul Kreppel (The Wizard).

I spoke to a number of people at the show who had never seen Wicked before. They had no idea what to expect. Did it exceed their expectations? The answer was “yes” in every case. Personally, I’d go back and see the show a few more times this month. You cannot grow tired of the script or the music.

Concession stands at intermission were lined up knee deep, with folks snatching up souvenir programs, t-shirts, towels and other Wicked stuff. At a pre-event VIP cocktail, the theme was naturally a Wicked “green.” The green cupcakes were delicious. Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo and his beautiful wife were among those spotted.

If you have not made plans to buy tickets yet, check out this day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats.. Two and one-half hours prior to each performance, people who present themselves at the Place des Arts box office will have their names placed in a lottery drum. Thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only.  This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person.  Lottery participants must have a valid photo ID when submitting their entry form, if chosen, when purchasing tickets.

Wicked,  with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman ( My So Called Life,   Once And Again  and  thirtysomething) is based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire.

It is the winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy  and three Tonys.  After seeing Wicked in Chicago, I requested and was granted an exclusive interview with  Academy, Tony and Grammy award-winning  songwriter Stephen Schwartz, who told me how he wound up turning the 1995 novel into a spectacular musical.  There is no better time than the present to share his comments. A friend of Schwartz had read the book and told him about it. Schwartz subsequently got a copy and was immediately convinced that he could make music out of this untold story of the Witches of Oz.

Stephen Schwartz

 “I was on a snorkeling trip in Hawaii with some friends,” Schwartz recalled. “One of them was folksinger Holly Near. On the boat Holly happened to say that she was reading this book called Wicked. She both described and recommended it to me just to read. I was immediately seized with enthusiasm. The next day I got the book and called my representative indicating that someone must have the rights to this. I urged him to find out whom.”

As Schwartz explained, he got very lucky. Universal Pictures had the rights and Schwartz arranged a meeting with studio head Marc Platt, who would end up producing the stage production.

“Marc was not adverse to the idea of turning the book into a stage musical,” he said. “But it still took me about a year to get the rights and for Universal to abandon the idea of making it into a dramatic film. I then met with Gregory Maguire, the author of Wicked, just to make sure he was amenable to Universal abandoning the film project. He was on board as well.”

Schwartz had  indicated to me at the time that if Wicked ever came to Mointreal he would try and be  here. Thus far, his officials have indicated no such visit is planned. I still hold out hope of meeting this musical genius in person. 

 For ticket information, contact  the Place des Arts box office  at (514) 842-2112,   1-866-842-2112 or via www.evenko.ca.

Will Le Bifthèque rise from the ashes in Montreal?

RESTAURANT RAP

Judging by the reaction to my last two columns, it is pretty clear that readers of The Suburban like to be kept up to date on the local restaurant scene. Which dining establishments have closed? What kind of new developments can we expect? What particular restaurants would readers like to see here?

Michael Seltzer

Le Bifthèque: In my July 18 column I lamented about the closure of Le Bifthèque on Cote de Liesse in St. Laurent and the other restaurants across Quebec and Canada which carried the same name. Well, numerous sources have since told me that original owner Michael Seltzer has purchased the name and property from the trustees handling the bankruptcy. The owners of Madisons New York Bar and Grill were the last to run the popular steakhouse, but shut down operations more than a year ago. Seltzer is currently the co-owner of Gamaroff’s Bar and Grill in Hallandale, Florida.

Burger Bar Cresent: Morrie Baker, who cut his teeth in the business by operating two Ben and Jerry’s locales, has made a success of Burger Bar Crescent. Is expansion in the cards? Will we see Burger Bar Taschereau, Burger Bar Des Sources or Burger Bar Laval?

Krispy Kreme: The Greater Montreal area has only one Krispy Kreme donut shop in South Shore Greenfield Park. There were short lived experiences in Laval and at Marché Central, but I continue to receive calls from readers who wish to bring back at least one to central Montreal. I would not hold my breath on this one.

Dennys: Reader  Frances Legault is a big fan of the Denny’s Restaurant chain.  “Every year I go to Toronto and always stop in Kingston on the way to and from and go to Denny's,” she says. “A few years ago, I asked them if they thought they would be opening in Quebec, and the answer was they had no plans to do so. The closest Denny`s to Montreal is in Cornwall.”

Arby’s: I got this email from a reader named Charles. He wants Arby’s locations in Montreal, praising their curly fries, shaved beef burgers and  great sauces.  Well Charles, I just had some Arby’s roast beef in Maine and loved it. They did give it a try in Montreal many years ago and the experiment failed.

Friendly’s:  On July 25 I suggested Friendly’s set up here. Beaconsfield travel guru Stephen Pickford notes that the 76 year old  chain is under bankruptcy protection and currently shutting down franchises across the States.

More Appetizers: Just back from my holiday in Maine and New Hampshire, one chain that would be a good fit here is Chicago Uno. There were also a lot of Cold Stone Creamery locales. We have about half a dozen cohabitating with Tim Horton franchises...Reader Rosemary Warren discovered Great Harvest Bread across from what used to be the Greyhound bus terminal in Burlington, Vermont...I received lots of suggestions for TheCheescake Factory. We already have somewhat of a clone of that chain – Elixor in Laval and on the West Island... Some more to consider, include Gus’ Redshots, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Olive Garden, Applebees, Swiss Chalet, Fuddruckers, Johnny Rockets, IHOP,  The Outback, Ponderosa and The Works Burgers from Ottawa. Red Lobster left town well more than a decade ago for reasons I still do not understand, yet it continues to thrive elsewhere in Canada, including Ottawa and Toronto.

Great Harvest Bread across from what used to be the Greyhound bus terminal in Burlington, Vermont...I received lots of suggestions for the Cheescake Factory. We already have somewhat of a clone of that chain – Elixor in Laval and on the West Island... Some more to consider, include Gus’ Redshots, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Olive Garden, Applebees, Swiss Chalet, Fuddruckers, Johnny Rockets, IHOP,  The Outback, Ponderosa and The Works Burgers from Ottawa. Red Lobster left town well more than a decade ago for reasons I still do not understand, yet it continues to thrive elsewhere in Canada, including Ottawa and Toronto...

The tale of three restaurants: one a classic and two new kids on the block

The July 25th edition of The Suburban is all about restaurants. Here are  three I focused on.

Chalet BBQ resists the temptation of expansion

Chalet Bar-B-Q Rôtisserie (www.chaletbbq.com) is one of those restaurants that I can recall my parents taking me to from the time I was very young. There were also the late night snacks with my friends after an evening downtown.

At that time there were locations on Decarie (corner of Vezina) and the original on Sherbrooke Street West in NDG. The Decarie locale closed more than a decade ago, but Sherbooke Street West is still going strong.  I still go there often for lunch and  for takeout orders. Last week I went where very few customers have had the opportunity to experience: deep into the busy kitchen. Since the selection is fairly standard--- chicken, French fries, cole slaw, sauce and a bun – the chefs are in repetitive motions all day long.  Service is lightning fast.

 In two years Chalet will celebrate its 70^th anniversary. Marcel Mauron was the original owner and today his daughter Louise McConnell oversees the spacious venue, which opened its doors in August 1944 and continues to serve some of the best charcoal barbequed chicken in the world.

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Chickens on the rottiserie.

David T. (like Mr. T.) has managed the locale for the past decade, working under GM Danny Colantonio (a 24 year veteran of the place). David told me that meetings have already taken place to determine how best to celebrate birthday number 70. However, it will not include expansion. “We always have people coming in asking to get a franchise, from here in Montreal and places as far away as Toronto,Vancouver and Florida. Our answer will never change. We will maintain one single location.”

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Veteran server Diane.

When I sat down for my quarter chicken, fries, sauce, coleslaw and a cola with David, waitresses passed by and shares their extraordinary years of service. Lucia recently retired after 56 years on the job. Mariette is still there, with 54 years under her belt. One server told me how she vacated her post 25 years ago, recently returned and found most of the same staff still there. This place is always packed, has an extremely busy takeout counter and as many as eight delivery cars out on the road at a time. “We order close to 3,000 chickens a week,” David said, showing me the vintage custom built brick ovens ovens working full speed ahead while chef Kaji peeled fresh red Manitoba potatoes for the fries. 

Pizza U  offers original concept

I recently came upon a most original pizza restaurant concept  right here in downtown  Montreal. Pizza U is located at 2150 Mackay, just below Sherbrooke and a few doors down from Concordia University. Owner Sherif Tadros only opened the spot in May and he is already talking about expanding to other  locales in this city and franchising globally.

The format is similar to Subways, except with main course and dessert pizzas substituted for sandwiches. Here you choose your dough from among three flavors (Italian, whole wheat or multi-grain), pick one of five sauces and select from a wide array of 40 meat and/or vegetable toppings. Finish things off by  looking at the five cheese types and then watch it be prepared in a state of the art machine in  a mere two minutes. Each “Imagination” and “Specialty”  pizza is only $9, regardless of the number of toppings. The one I tasted was sensational and save room for dessert, made on the same choices of dough and in the oven. Imagine nutella chocolate sauce covered with baked marshmallows and small slices of bananas! This one is called the Camp Fire.

Tadros is a former director of operations in Quebec for Pizza Hut, so he knows the business well. He recently returned to Quebec after working overseas for several years. He had seen a similar pizza concept in the United States and upon checking confirmed that nothing remotely close existed in Canada. Several months were devoted to branding and creation. Launching next to a busy university was a strategic choice. The venue itself has about 18 seats, a large flat screen TV and a young hip staff. CEGEP student Riva Bruck was so sold on the concept she gave up another summer job to work here.

Sherif Tadros

“I can see already that customers like the option of building their own pizza,” said Tadros, noting that he is currently working on a gluten free crust.

Tadros could have found work easily in the local restaurant industry, but he says this dream of his was too much to pass up. He even has his two young children providing advice. “My daughter came up with the idea for the marshmallows on the Camp Fire dessert pizza,” he said. “This was a chance for me to go out and do something on my own so, I jumped at it.”

I tried the meat market pizza on Italian dough, containing tomato sauce, bacon, ham, Italian sausage  and  cheddar and mozzarella cheese (I skipped the pepperoni). The server wears plastic gloves, garnishes the dough with sauce,   mixes the chosen ingredients in a bowl and then neatly spreads them out. The pizza pie goes into the oven, comes out piping hot, is cut into four pieces and placed in a pizza box whether you eat there or take it home.

“The customers get to see us prepare their pizza fresh,” Tadros says. “It is not a frozen product. And they get to pick whatever they want. That is a lot different than selecting from a menu and waiting for the waiter to return or having a pre-made slice heated up at a food court.”

Tadros says he is using Subways as an example for how far he can grow one day. “We will do it step by step,” he says.

 “Today, pizza continues to be the second most popular food item nationally, next to burgers, creating demand for a gourmet, individualized and fast-serve pizza restaurant chain that provides a new level of healthy choices, value and convenience for lunch and dinner consumers,” says Tadros,  emphasizing that in 2009 Canadian pizza sales topped $4 million.  “Our target market includes individuals and families of all ages. Pizza is a universally familiar and widely accepted product that appeals to a worldwide audience. Our demographic profile are males and females aged four to 90, boomers, health-conscious individuals, vegetarians, families with small children and office catering managers or administrators.”

A website at www.pizza-u.ca is still in development. They are on Facebook and Twitter. 

Here is my interview with Sherif Tadros as he demonstrates the preparation of a pizza from start to finish.

Resto Capucine

East End restaurant to add downtown location

Following two years of operation on the campus of CEGEP Marie-Victorin, on the border of Montreal North and Rivieres des Prairies (7000 boul.  Maurice Duplessis), Resto Capucine (www.restocapucine) is about to move into expansion mode.

Chef-owner Mario Di Molfetta, who also  has a catering division,  says that a late October opening is set for a countertop operation on downtown Bleury Street near de la Gauchetiere. “There will be about 25 tables and chairs, but no servers,” he noted, in contrast to the 85-seat East End locale.

Mario Di Molfetta

Di Molfetta, a resident of Anjou, is a busy man. He also runs his own  construction company called Le Groupe Exclusif. Marjorie- R Jodoin runs the restaurant, which is opened seven days a week from 7 a.m. often until  past midnight.

I met Mario a few months ago at the Montreal launch for Citytv. He was catering the event. It was the very unique lamb kebob skewers which caught my attention.. My friend Nick and I stopped by the CEGEP last week. The restaurant was a beehive of activity, with students, staff, those using the sports facilities and locals, enjoying the fine cuisine.

Everything is homemade at Resto Capucine. There are four new special dishes every week – pasta, meat, fish and   vegetarian. “We have had over 200 different selections since we opened,” explained Jodoin.

The regular menu contains other items of these kinds, as well as sandwiches, salads, juices and extraordinary cakes, danish and breads.

Why did Di Molfetta decide to open inside the confines of a CEGEP? “I always wanted to get into the restaurant business,” he said, “but I was a little scared with nine out of 10 going broke. I thought this was a safe place to start and I was right. Now we are expanding.”

Jodoin laments that the student strike hit business hard last spring. “We are looking forward to having them back,” she said.

I had the zucchini flower appetizer, crunchy on the outside with melted cheese inside. Nick started with a salad. For my main course, the fettucini was superb while Nick gave a thumbs up to his chicken sandwich. We both dove into the chocolate mousse cake for dessert.

In between some major construction jobs, Di Molfetta confessed that he is living a dream. “From the age of 10 I have been interested in the food business,”  said the father of three. “I owned my own bakery and then went to Lasalle College and earned my DEC in restaurant management.”

Here Di Molfetta, a 1986 graduate of Laurier Macdonald High School in St. Leonard, tells me how it all began.

 

Next Call with Sol: return of Boxenbaum

There are still a lot of Montreal radio listeners who miss hearing Sol Boxenbaum on the air. His early morning talkshow known as Last Call with Sol  on CJAD did have a loyal following.  The  show was cancelled and replaced with a syndicated program. Sol tried his hand on a new internet radio station, but the outfit was not very successful. Now we hear that he is back online, meaning anyone with access to the world wide web can tune in.

Sol Boxenbaum

Sol's new show is on www.thepulseradio.com weeknights from midnight to 2 a.m. You can listen in while you burn the midnight oil. Last Call With Sol Internet edition features music, mostly from the 60's and talk. "I imagine in the beginning there will be more music than talk, but eventually I hope to hear from some of my former listeners," he says. " The station is in the United Kingdom and all the intellectual property of my program belongs to me."

Once Sol works out some technical specifications, he will begin transferring files  to  www.lastcallwithsol.com so listeners can hear older shows whenever they wish.

TSN Radio 990 on life support - what a terrible shame!

A few weeks ago I had lunch with TSN Radio 990 General Manager Wayne Bews and Canadiens play by play man John Bartlett. I shared with Wayne some information a good source had shared with me: that Bell Media, the parent owners of TSN Radio 990, was seriously considering a switch in formats from English to French in terms of its local all-sports property in order to comply with CRTC regulations.

Bews claimed this was the first he had heard of such a thing and pretty much dismissed such speculation. I decided not to run with it, certainly hoping that such a thing could never come true. From the time the station first went on the air over 11 years ago as THE TEAM 990 and then switched to TSN Radio 990 last summer - to go along with their acquisition of Montreal Canadiens broadcast rights - I have been an avid listener of the  station. And why not? This was any sports fan's dream - jock talk 24/7.

This was a vintage year for the station, which is on the verge of becoming TSN Radio 690 in order to to get a better signal out there. While the Habs had a lousy season on the ice, it was certainly not without a lot of controversy and that made for great radio. The station's coverage of the Habs was outstanding.

When Bell Media announced a few months ago that it was purchasing all of Astral Radio, a problem surfaced in Montreal. The dreaded CRTC does not permit any one company to operate four stations of the same language in the same market. They do allow exceptions on occasion and this seemed to be a good  candidate for that. But no, the CRTC delivered a slap to the face of all anglos when it declined the request. Suddenly Bell Media had a choice to make. It could not keep TSN Radio 990, CJAD, CHOM and Virgin Radio. I would have thought that CHOM would have been put up for sale, but in a shocking decision Bell Media announced that it has applied to the CRTC to convert TSN Radio 990 in Montreal to a francophone station, RDS 990 - soon to be RDS 690.

So now we sit and wait. TSN Radio 990 is like a dying patient on life support. We have no idea how long it will survive. Unless the CRTC shows some spine and turns down this application(remember, Bell Media asked for the switch to 690 to improve its reach to anglo Quebec), TSN Radio could depart us in early 2013. What an absolute shame! Throughout the day I have been bombarded with phone calls and emails from irate listeners. The Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM) ratings may not fully show this, but TSN Radio has a cult following among avid sports fans in this city - English and French.

Tony Marinaro

The morning show just added Ted Bird to the team of Elliott Price and Shaun Starr. This program is hilarious and full of information. What can one say about Tony Marinaro? He is, in my opinion, the star sports talk show host in the city. Provocative and knowledgeable, hockey fans hang on his every word during the season. He is consistently breaking stories and never backs off from telling the story like it is. CTV's Randy Tieman always loved radio and it shows. His Intermission hour with Marinaro is full of pep and his afternoon program always features great guests. Mitch Melnick is already a legend in this town. His four hour drive home show is not  just about sports, but life in this city. He has got a style that cannot be replicated by anyone. A diversified array of talent, from Dave Kaufman to Matthew Ross and Noel Butler dot the evening and weekend schedules.

So what happens to all of these people? The next six months will no doubt be audition time, with CJAD/CHOM/Virgin GM Martin Spalding playing the role of casting director.

Rick Moffat: Return to Habs?

You can pretty well bet on Bird being reunited with Terry DiMonte on the CHOM morning show--- but please make them a trio with the wonderful Heather B.  Melnick has had two previous incarnations with CJAD and I cannot imagine them not finding a spot for him. Marinaro is perfectly bilingual. If CJAD does not grab him, he could more than hold his own on RDS Radio 690. Does Rick Moffat resume play by play duties when the Habs return to CJAD or can he and Bartlett partner on the broadcasts? Adding Noel Butler to the Impact broadcasts also should be automatic.

Elliott Price is also a former CJAD man. Starr has developed into a "star. Tieman adds experience and likability.

Spalding will no doubt be huddling with his CJAD program director Chris Bury in the coming months.

For sports fans, the best compromise we can hope for is CJAD signifcantly boosting its sports content.  If it does not, AM 600 -the new anglo station owned by Paul Tietolman and friends - will be ready for start up possibly by next spring. They certainly would be in the market for many of the personalities being cut loose by TSN Radio 990.  Steve Kowch, the former program boss at CJAD, is moving back to Montreal this summer to oversee the operation. Tietolman already received CRTC approval to begin airing a French talk radio station at AM 940. As for AM 600, it is just a matter of time before it gets the final green light.