PJ Stock
James Mennie has the story for The Gazette that P.J. Stock, formerly of the Team 990 and best known as a Hockey Night in Canada analyst, is going to be a morning man at CHOM.
Kind of.
The first news about Stock going to CHOM came from Pat Hickey back in December, when Stock left The Team 990 because of what was apparently more work and travel than he could handle (he left his regular TV segment on the CBMT newscast for the same reason). Back then, the idea was to do a five-minute phone-in once a day.
But the departure of Ted Bird changed that. So instead, Stock tells Mennie, he’ll be on for two hours a day (7am to 9am) Monday to Thursday.
The irony is that Bird was instrumental in getting Stock onto CHOM in the first place, convincing both sides that it was a good idea. Obviously, it wasn’t supposed to be as a replacement.
Still, Bird was gracious in an email to me about Stock joining his former morning team:
To his credit, PJ called me this past weekend to make sure that I was through at CHOM and that he wasn’t undermining me in any way. He’s a class act and a decent and funny guy, and he’ll do well as long as they let him be himself and don’t try to recreate him as something he’s not, which is what programmers who’ve never sat in the chair and don’t understand or appreciate the craft have a habit of doing.
The big question is what CHOM is going to do with Stock. Is he going to talk about hockey or music? I’ve heard a couple of people complain that CHOM already talks too much about the game, and this certainly won’t change that. Will he join in the usual cliché morning show banter? Will it be “Chantal, Bad Pete and PJ”? Or will he be more of a supporting cast member and less of a star?
What is clear is that if Stock has two hours four mornings a week to sit in a studio on Fort St. while rock music is playing, then he would have had more than enough time for hockey analysis at CKGM 990 on Greene Ave. So it’s not just a question of having too much work.
I couldn’t reach Stock for comment, so you’ll just have to fill in the blanks there with your imagination.
Mennie says Stock’s first shift will be Feb. 1. Stock repeated that on the CHOM morning show the next day, but Pete Marier kept saying Feb. 2. Feb. 1, notably, is the day after Stock’s contract at CKGM expires. UPDATE: Astral’s press release, which I assume to be a definitive word on the subject, says Stock begins Feb. 3.
UPDATE: Listen to Stock’s phone-in on Thursday’s CHOM morning show (MP3). Stock will take over the CHOM “sports department”, which sounds like it will still be Chantal and Bad Pete but that Stock will do the morning sports news currently being done by CJAD’s Abe Hefter.
Money always talks. PJ is a great guy. At times he is an acquired taste, left to his own devices he can be funny at times. I hope it works for him. CHOM is just too “cranola”, time to bring in new music already. Ted had a unique wry sense of humor. The Montreal listening landscape will miss that.
Are we gonna have another bad pun for his segment? Stock Talk, Stock Exchange, how many more pun can you do with his name?
PJ Party?
Chantal, Bad Pete and the Stocker.
rock stock
the pj dj
Isn’t there a truism that where you have doubt about the reason for an event, simply “follow the money”? I’m sure there’ll be the standard stuff like “well, it’s just a couple of hours early in the morning and Fridays off so I’ll have much more time to spend with the family” but I’m guessing the truism will most apply, albeit unsaid.
Seeing as it’s only two hours a day for four days a week maybe he’ll do it from the comfort of his home rather than travel from the West Island to downtown each morning, similar to the “Studio West” set-up that Kevin and Trudy had on CJAD.
For that he’d have to actually setup a home studio. But hey, anything’s possible.
You might as well start asking Ted Bird for comments on every single story you write. You like him. We get it. ~
You don’t think it makes sense to get Ted Bird’s comments on the guy who’s been hired to replace him?
No, you’re right insofar as this specific story begs for a quote by him, but even you must admit there’s been an unusual amount of friendly posts about him, a Montrealer who has done no more for the city than hundreds, if not thousands, of voiceless others who don’t have a corporate soapbox on which to share their bosses (shaped) message.
This is your blog, you can write what you want, but part of your success is that you’re a well grounded writer. However, this Bird obsession makes you seem like a star-struck teenager for someone who was just doing what Astral and Virgin told them to do (and his Twitter makes me cringe at how bad it is) instead of the writer we’ve come to know who takes the time to find depth in difficult topics and issues.
I would think Astral Media wouldn’t be too happy about my constant bitching about them. I write about local media, which includes local radio. I don’t take “the time to find depth in difficult topics an issues.” I think you might be confusing me with some more serious blogger.
I have no comment on the guy who says I comment too much on this website.
Can I ask Mr.Bird for his comment on his no comment?
Chom STOCK has gone down drastically since they aquired him. I know a LOT of CHOM listeners and I cannot find one who doesn’t say “I can’t stand him”
Please….do your listeners a favor and dump him, he sucks.
Dead air is better than listening to this guy.
Feb 9,2010
Wow, PJ Stock. This is what CHOM had in mind as the replacement for Ted Bird. My God. Ted is/was far more entertaining, far more intelligent, knowledgable, and a way better broadcaster. Listening to PJ Stock is like listening to a used hockey bag. I’m done with CHOM. What a sad demise.
Being an avid CHOM listener for over 30 years, I have been there with all the changes. Actually I was getting tired of the CLASSICS time to hear some new alternative music. I loved Ted Birds comments so sorry he has left. As for PJ well…. tell him to articulate when he talks… man take the mashed potatoes out of you mouth!!!!
I don’t get PJ Stock. Am I missing something here? He repeats the same jokes consistently and most of my friends agree he’s terrible on Hockey Night in Canada as well. He sounds really immature and just tries very hard to be some sort of fun cool guy. Sorry PJ – it’s not working!!
I agree with Christine. Someone once introduced me to Pj Stock. I thought he was kind but I now know he’s raising his stake from what I hear in several ways. He has his role and has people believing it. For now I have a different morning drive routine.. Cause that’s old….
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