Elliott Price (file photo, obviously)
Two and a half months after being shown the door by TSN Radio 690, Elliott Price announced Monday he’s getting back on the airwaves, though in a much less high-profile gig: A two-hour Sunday night show on multilingual station CFMB 1280 AM.
Price is Right – Sunday's 10 to midnight 1280 CFMB Montreal – Advertising available at expos1957@gmail.com Feb 14 pic.twitter.com/G8BWGQjBfU
— Elliott Price (@ElliottFPrice) February 2, 2016
“That’s what’s available,” Price told me about the timeslot. “I was looking around for airtime and there were other options that didn’t fit what I wanted to do, so this is what we’re going to do.”
This isn’t a new job that Price has been hired for, it’s time that he’s brokered on the radio. This means if he wants to get paid, he needs to sell his own advertising. It’s something he hasn’t handled before, he said, but he’s been talking to a few potential advertisers and he’s confident he’ll be able to sell the show.
“I’m confident because it’s affordable,” he said, in a somewhat self-effacing manner. Ad rates for Price is Right won’t be nearly as high as those for the TSN morning show.
The new show, which begins on Valentine’s Day, will be mainly Price talking about sports. It’ll start with a rant from Price, and follow with interviews and other talk. He’s roped in Grant Robinson, a former TSN 690 intern and co-host of The Sports Grind on CJLO, to join him so he’ll have someone to interact with regularly.
“I have a lot to say and I’ve bottled it up for two months,” Price said.
There will also be a podcast, whose schedule isn’t set in stone but will be “more than once a week” as Price’s schedule allows and as there’s enough material to talk about. The plan is to put the best of the podcast on the show and vice-versa.
“We can branch out, we can do more, but I think our basic focus should be sports,” Price said about the shows’ content.
Price didn’t want to talk about what happened at TSN Radio. I suspect that might be because it’s only been two and a half months and they’re probably still paying him some severance. But he did say that after the time off “it’s time to get off my ass and get back to work.” He’s been a guest on City TV’s Sportsnet Central Montreal, but that’s not permanent nor enough to pay the bills.
“What do I do? I watch sports, and I talk about them and right now it’s just my son listening to me. He’s a fine audience but he only pays me so much.”
The shift to another station, whose programming is mainly not in English, will be a change for Price. But so will the schedule, after so much time hosting morning shows.
“I still get up early but not as early, think more 6 and less middle of the night,” he said. “Now if we can retrain the pets we’ll be so happy. They’re still on the 4 am shift.”
UPDATE (Feb. 17): Price’s podcasts, including highlights from the Sunday show, are posted here. On Sunday’s first show, Price addresses his dismissal from TSN 690:
How is it possible that an all-sports radio station in my home town exists and I don’t work there? Just so you know, I never embarrassed the brand, was not let go for something I said or did or as far as I know didn’t do. I showed up for work every day — okay, 99 per cent of the time — on time. I missed one day of work in 36 years. Hey, I’m a numbers guy. And while I believe you have to offer something in my business to get something back, it’s their money. They get to decide who to spend it on, and you get to decide if that’s good enough for you.
Price also listed a series of local sponsors who jumped on board with the new show.
Price is Right’s intro is voiced by Jim Connell.
It’s too bad Mr. Price can’t work at most Montreal English stations as 4 of them are owned by Bell Media.
Congrats Elliot … love the Price is Right title … I know a lot of people who broker their shows and make good money. The trick to success is PROMOTE! PROMOTE! PROMOTE! Sometimes I feel like a whore but at the end of the day if I didn’t promote my On The Kowch Blog on kowchmedia (did I just do that) who will. There is no shame in promoting your show on social media, internet forums and anywhere else. Let your fans and followers know what is coming up on the show going into the weekend EVERY WEEK! And on Monday talk about the show you had Sunday night.
You should also push to have promos on the radio station to draw attention to the Sunday night show.
Create a Price is Right website and post highlights of the show.
Cross promotion on your Facebook page (I clicked LIKE when I got your FB notice), Twitter and especially on your soon to be launched podcast is important. Pull clips from the show and use them on social media to promote the show.
Oh … and good luck!
What is up with CFMB’s web site? The “watch out for our new web site coming soon” has been up for months. No way to find out what changes have been made under the new management. Pretty lame.
I`m happy to hear that Elliot will be on the air again as he was my favourite TEAM 990/TSN 690 “personality”.
Assuming Bell Media congedie-ded him for monetary reasons, however, implies that he could have stayed on at a lower¸salary if he so wanted.
Having said that, as a BCE shareholder, I would have prefered it had the CEO had cut his salary instead.
He could have come back as an intern, I suppose, but I don’t think that’s realistic.
I don’t think he’d agree, but executive compensation did go down because Bell Media fired several top executives.
And Bell keep trying to raise my rates!
Good for Elliot. I am happy for him and I hope he ends up with more air time. Hopefully the weekday morning slot. He can easily take listeners from 690!
Well, thus far I’ve noticed a degrading in the audio quality. They’re no longer in Westmount and I assume they’re not using the same on-air equipment.
Another thing, they’re simulcasting The Jewel programming several weekday evenings which is in clear violation of their license conditions.
As for Elliott Price – good job! Ted Tevan brokered his show on CKGM until his passing. I’m sure he’ll do just fine.
Which license conditions?
Between 6am-midnight, they’re not allowed any English or French programs. While the music doesn’t count, the fact that the announcers are doing the show in English can get them in trouble.
That condition is not listed in their latest licence renewal, or the previous one, and it’s not part of the radio regulations (which say an ethnic station must be 60% ethnic and 50% third-language at a minimum).
As far as I know, CFMB is still on York Avenue in Westmount.
I’m very happy to see Elliot bounce back. You were a great sports guy when we worked together on CJAD and have only gotten better over the years. Best of luck!
I agree. Happy to see Price back on the radio.
Was not happy when they laid him off. The morning show is boring now.
Good luck and Bonne chance. I had a similar radio slot as you, back in 2003, from 12-2 am. In 2000 I was there when everyone shifted from CFCF to CFMB. Hey, it’s a gig ,and you’ll jump back when it’s time to a major.
I hope he’s smart enough not to move forward with “price is right”, because, well, that US based TV show might get ever so slightly upset… :) Plus it’s the most un-humble show title possible, when you think about it. If Price is right, then perhaps none of us need to add an opinion.
Oy, the haters come out!
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