The studios and offices of CJPX 99.5 Montreal, at Jean-Drapeau Park
Radio Classique fait peau neuve. The classical music stations in Montreal and Quebec City have a new owner in Gregory Charles, a new logo, a new website and a new slate of on-air hosts. But as Charles explains, the music is the same and the new group wants to maintain the same passion.
The station’s schedule is posted, but contained a mysterious omission of 6-9am Monday to Thursday. Today we learn through the Journal de Montréal that Charles is putting a big-name hire into that slot: Former Radio-Canada anchor Bernard Derome. He starts on Monday, and will be joined by collaborators who will offer local news updates (the station had promised three minutes of national and international news and one minute of local news each hour during the morning show).
Derome seems to be a pretty good fit for the station, and a great get. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this hire is that the retired 71-year-old would be willing to get up four days a week and be in a studio for 6am.
Other hosts on the schedule are mainly people who were at the station before:
- Béatrice Zacharie (in Quebec City), 9am to noon and 1-3pm weekdays
- Jasmin Hains (in Quebec City), 3-6pm Monday to Thursday and 6-9am Fridays
- Marie-Ève Lamonde, 3-5pm Fridays
- François Paré, 6-10am weekends
- Marc Hervieux, 10am to 2pm weekends
Plus Charles himself, hosting from noon to 1pm weekdays, repeating at 5am.
Names we no longer see include Raymond Desmarteau, Chantal Lavoie, Julie Bélanger, Karen Hader and the Coalliers — Jean-Pierre, Marc-André and Claude-Michel. (Claude-Michel Coallier is still on the ad sales team.)
UPDATE: La Presse stories on Derome and other changes at Radio Classique.
UPDATE (Jan. 24, 2016): Derome, Charles and Hervieux were interviewed on Tout le monde en parle, in part about Radio Classique.
The music will be the same? That’s kind of a shame – I’m a classical music lover, and I was hoping that with this re-launch, the station would play more actual classical music and less accordion music.
Wow ! There ain`t no bigger name than Derome in the french market when it comes to credibility. Do not know whether it will make for an easy listening radio show but for the classical fans it seems to be a great new option for the morning drive.