Barry Wilson said he wasn’t ready to retire when he was laid off in November. And on Friday he showed it by launching a YouTube version of his Postscript political opinion series.
The first video, which tackles the same subjects he did weekly on CTV Montreal, albeit shot at home and illustrated with still photos instead of video, is well produced, thanks mainly to Dave Maynard, former chief director and operations manager at CFCF.
Wilson has also launched a website and Facebook page for his new venture.
“I think the English speaking community of Quebec needs as many voices as it can get and I’m so happy to be part of the dialogue,” he explains on the website. “Quebec politics never ceases to surprise me. It is never boring. And the challenges it presents to our community are sometimes formidable. I hope my voice can continue to be part of the conversation because as I have said so many times, ‘This is our home’.”
What happens now is a good question. Can this gain a large enough audience to be viable economically? Will someone take notice and offer him a paying gig out of it? Or will it just be a side project that keeps his name in the conversation, perhaps supplemented by some freelance work that can keep the money flowing?
“This is more of a sideline than anything,” Wilson tells me. “I realized after I had been laid off that Postscript was more popular than I had even believed. It really struck a nerve with a lot of people. Bringing back an online version was Dave’s idea and we will see how it goes. Not expecting to make money with this. But it’s nice to know that (there) can be life after corporate media. It’s nice to have another voice out there for English-speaking Quebecer, especially in an election year.”
Wilson’s new Postscript, like its TV incarnation, is planned to be published every Friday, and he says he’ll try to keep to that schedule. In the meantime, he says he’s “still open to other opportunities.”
Welcome Back Barry! We missed you! So glad to hear and see you again. I hope your new venture will continue to enlighten us and keep us up-to-date on everything every anglo living in la belle province should know. Good luck and I’ll be watching!
Yaye Barry is back! Thank you for keeping on track for us.
Too bad. It’s really sad that he just disappeared with not so much as a by-your-leave—from CTV. We get that times are tough. But why pull quite frankly one of the most interesting parts of the news off the air with no warning and no apologies?
Pathetic. Good luck, Barry!
Welcome Back ,Mr. Barry Wilson
Very smooth production on the video – well done.
Always enjoyed seeing Barry when I was visiting Beaconsfield from Peterborough.
It’s all about the likes , views & shares moving forward. Regardless of what the numbers are for this, Wilson has left an indulable mark on the Montréal media landscape There are few remaining who will leave such a legacy when their numbers inevitably come up.
Technically, and packaging wise, it’s very well done. Considering that less resources are probably being used. I would even say it’s better than what was presented on CFCF-DT 12.1
I would watch it. But Mr Wilson’s usual left of centre POV kinda turns me off. I would prefer a even balance. That out of nowhere comment on Trump (Idiot in Chief) was just pandering to the political left. Not okay. If you have something negative to say, back it up please. Don’t just add to the noise. We are all sick and tired of the noise. And its feeding a distrust in the media.
Hats off to a very nice little package. And, I hope it works out for you.
The biggest problem facing Canadian media is that there is no representation of the right. Barry best be de-CTVing himself if fostering a digital audience is to be achieved.
Welcome Back!
Welcome back
On the mark as usual Mr. Wilson. I missed seeingyou on ctv news Montreal. Glad I found you on ad YouTube.