Steve Kowch: CFRB to CJAD
Mike Bendixen: CJAD to CFRB
Who knows why people in commercial radio make their decisions anymore. But as if to emphasize the point that Montreal’s CJAD and Toronto’s CFRB talk radio stations are completely interchangeable in the eyes of Astral Media, the two stations have switched program directors.
Last week, after having to make painful cuts in staff to CFRB radio personalities, program director Steve Kowch learned that he too would be one of the casualties. CJAD program director Mike Bendixen, who himself just had to make painful cuts, was immediately sent to Toronto to replace him.
Now we learn that Kowch has accepted a six-month contract to be program director at CJAD after mulling it over for a bit.
The timing suggests that this is a demotion for Kowch and a promotion for Bendixen (no doubt reflecting how Astral feels about the Toronto and Montreal anglophone markets), but I’m sure Astral will find some positive way to spin all this that doesn’t make anyone look bad, assuming they even bother to issue a press release at all.
Kowch’s Twitter post says he’ll meet the staff on Friday and start his new job on Tuesday (after Labour Day).
Feel free to include a comment below about how middle managers always seem to land on their feet.
Kowch is a Montreal native, I believe this is his third tour of duty at CJAD? Newspaperman before that.
Steve Kowch screwed up here in Montreal , then moved to Toronto , screwed up there and now is back here . What’s next ??
Holder is now glad he’s not around to work for Kowch once again….
Who is he goin’ to hire now – Get your CV’s ready – Even L&O have a chance to ride again.
I wonder if they will still be running Steve Kowch’s weight loss commercials on CFRB?
As for the demotion Kowch does get to live in Montreal so there’s a bonus.
Perhaps the staff will at the stations will prefer working without the hatch man who tossed their friends/
What programming is left to direct? I just love it when corporations go on being binges get too big and lose touch with reality. CHOM, CJAD where great local, in a way quaint feeling radio stations. Easy to listen to and you felt like the on air staff was simply someone like your neighbour, easy and accessible. The Gazette was the same with a good local feeling. It spoke to Montreal by Montrealers. Now the corporations cut here, tweak there to meet the bottom line. It has a vulgar feeling to it that turns my stomach and has turned me off. I used to care, really I did. I have become an online “snippets” reader and only listen to the radio in the morning at home for about 5 minutes for a quick news update before heading out. I no longer spread out my newspaper on the floor with a cup of coffee on a lazy Saturday and I no longer have background music from the radio playing. Thank you to the “Titans” for changing my habits.
A six-month contract? Who in their right mind would agree to that? Then again, gotta pay the bills huh Steve?
Further to my 6 month contract comment….a little bird I ran into tonight says Mike Bendixen is the one who only wanted 6 months. Apparently he is not sure he wants to live in Hog Town (who does?).
The answer IS VERY SIMPLE HERE FOLKS , they “swaped/ traded ” places for 6 months until things ” cool, calm down ” in each city . Both cities made dumb decisions recently and people are pretty pissed , so why not hide out in another town for 6 months until things cool off.
i know my comment is a bit late but with all the changes at cjad, i cannot beleive that they kept Tatiana Londono and Jennofer Campbell on as Tommy’s Fridays guests. Who cares what they have to say? A self absorbed obnoxious real estate agent and a social climbing entertainment reporter? Give me a break…..if that’s the quality of thier programming they have bigger probem son the horizons!
Hey, they fit right in with that obnoxious, self centred twit Tommy
Hummm.
I’m still waiting to comment on the changes at CJAD so I am forcing myself to listen a weee bit to daytime CJAD under the following conditions: THAT I forgot to change the station from SOL overnight, THAT I am too lazy to change the station if it is on CJAD, THAT It is someone I have never heard before or THAT I want to see if they are still doing those crappy 1/2 hour topics.
MEANWHILE, isn’t Steve Kowch the guy that brought us DR.LAURA in the afternoons and RICKY CYR as well as LAURIE AND OLGA?
About LAURIE and OLGA, I have to say that when they started out, I could not stand the 2 cackling hens, but over time, I did grow to enjoy their offbeat style , infectious laugh and comments from THE THRONE.
this DAN guy on the weekend is nothing special.
And what’s with all these people called DAN on air now at CJAD.
Does SOL know he may have to change his name to DAN to stay on the air?
Jacques In Laprairie
I’m very upset that you only provide news every hour, on the weekend. And that it’s the Canadian Press late at night, and not your newsreporters. I would like news every 1/2 hour which I used to enjoy.
Also, there is too much music on talkradio. It’s suppose to be talk not a lot of music. There are other stations that have music. We do not need more music. Thanks, for taking my opinion.
More and more people are switching to AM640 in the morning to listen to Johm Oakley!
Bill Carroll was demoted from his morning show. His rating were sinking fast! He was starting to get boring, and sounding like a broken record.
John Moore will last a little while, he will never beat Oakley in the ratings in the morning spot.
Well there goes the radiohood.I have been a long-time CJAD listener,and in the past I have switched-off my radio because of the programming changes.Listening to rebroadcastes at night,is not as interesting as live talk radio,as Sol says it.I’ve been listing to CJAD since my parents started,me, and I actutlly aspired to be a radio anouncer myself.But as I’ve seen,my friend, a radio host, now in NYC,made me close my radio overnight at work were i used to enjoy CJAD.But I still listen in the am to Andrew and the gang.I wonder what J Arther Dupont would have to say about the state of am radio in Monteral today if he were alive?.
I had to switch to CBC after all the changes an I am loving it. Commercial free and lots of info and good interviews plus a lot of cfrb voices.