If it’s a show you can’t depend on, why depend on it? The question is completely logical. We want to be the morning show Montrealers can depend on, which is why our absence for two hours yesterday morning, was desperately frustrating!
It was frustrating for us and for many of the viewers we heard from.
From our directors, to our producer, our microwave truck team, camera-people and on-air talent, we had worked hard to make yesterday’s show as special as every other we do. Granted, our shows don’t always go as smoothly as we would like but, believe it or not, many of the noticeable on-air difficulties are beyond our control. We sometimes find ourselves stranded in awkward, uncomfortable situations but, Camille, Jessica and I, just try to roll with the punches and keep moving forward.
As strange as it sounds to us and you, many key technological components of our show are routed through Calgary and Vancouver. Any oversights or glitches at those two locations have a huge impact on our show here in Montreal. Earlier in the week, another problem out west, meant we only had one of our two robotic studio cameras to work with, which explains why Jessica was at the desk with Camille and I. Not that we have a problem with Jess at the desk with us; on the contrary, she does an awesome job and, this week, went above and beyond, coming in to work, though drained, sniffling and coughing!
Yesterday's difficulties generated e-mails that travelled both far and wide, and high and low. It remains to be seen whether they'll lead to meaningful change for our show here in Montreal.
Yesterday was Pi Day and extraordinary math teacher Jean-Francois Deslandes showed up at the station bright and early, eager for his interview! Aidan Burrows, a student at Heritage Elementary and member of the Canadian Cup Stacking Team, was coming in to demonstrate cup stacking! Gary Masse of Expo Sante Manger brought in a variety of products for us to taste and talk about. We greeted them at the door with flimsy explanation and considerable embarassment.
The 8 to 9 o’clock hour we did get to air was a difficult one, technically, but, we keep moving forward. Today’s show was better and brought the promise of eventual, albeit elusive, perfection.
We’re looking forward to Sunday’s St-Patrick’s Day Parade and hope to see you there. We have direction in common with the parade.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
What You See...
Nice.
Last week, we had a brand new digital clock installed in our studio! I tweeted about it a few times on the morning we got it. Now when I do time checks, they’re to the minute! Too often, I can’t resist making the time check to the exact second, especially if we happen to be on the air as the minute changes. Now, I tend to say stuff like, “It’s coming up on 8:56, in 3-2-1; precisely 8:56, according to our new clock!” I imagine myself at home, checking all my clocks to make sure they, too, have just switched to the new minute!
Thanks to our technical crew, Alain, Ziad and Richard, for setting up the clock. It’s been very helpful and I no longer have to fumble, panicked, for my iphone to check the time right before we go on-air!
I’m hoping we’ll soon be able to have musical guests in-studio. I know when I was hosting “Focus Montreal”, the station’s interview show, having live musical performances was always a highlight, both for viewers and performers!
I’m having fun hosting Montreal’s new morning show. I know as a viewer, I enjoy seeing and learning about behind-the-scenes stuff, along with spontaneous, natural interaction. Whether I talk about their nail polish, or tendency to hog the dressing room until the last possible second before showtime, I often try to catch Jessica and Camille off-guard with the comments and questions I drop on them. They’ve been pretty cool customers, so far. I always urge them to do the same to me and some of our funniest moments have resulted from that spontaneous approach.
To me, there are many places to get information in the mornings, but I’m hoping what sets Global Montreal Morning News apart are the personalities of the people in front of the camera. Rest assured, whether Camille, Jessica and I are laughing, chatting, grimacing, riding high or falling flat, what you see is who we are.
Last week, we had a brand new digital clock installed in our studio! I tweeted about it a few times on the morning we got it. Now when I do time checks, they’re to the minute! Too often, I can’t resist making the time check to the exact second, especially if we happen to be on the air as the minute changes. Now, I tend to say stuff like, “It’s coming up on 8:56, in 3-2-1; precisely 8:56, according to our new clock!” I imagine myself at home, checking all my clocks to make sure they, too, have just switched to the new minute!
Thanks to our technical crew, Alain, Ziad and Richard, for setting up the clock. It’s been very helpful and I no longer have to fumble, panicked, for my iphone to check the time right before we go on-air!
I’m hoping we’ll soon be able to have musical guests in-studio. I know when I was hosting “Focus Montreal”, the station’s interview show, having live musical performances was always a highlight, both for viewers and performers!
 |
| Jessica bumps into us at a downtown bus shelter! |
I’m having fun hosting Montreal’s new morning show. I know as a viewer, I enjoy seeing and learning about behind-the-scenes stuff, along with spontaneous, natural interaction. Whether I talk about their nail polish, or tendency to hog the dressing room until the last possible second before showtime, I often try to catch Jessica and Camille off-guard with the comments and questions I drop on them. They’ve been pretty cool customers, so far. I always urge them to do the same to me and some of our funniest moments have resulted from that spontaneous approach.
To me, there are many places to get information in the mornings, but I’m hoping what sets Global Montreal Morning News apart are the personalities of the people in front of the camera. Rest assured, whether Camille, Jessica and I are laughing, chatting, grimacing, riding high or falling flat, what you see is who we are.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Hey Nineteen
I’m delighted to say, our brand new Global Montreal morning show show is doing considerably better technically these days. My co-hosts, Camille and Jessica, are both pros and determined to offer viewers the best product we possibly can.
We roll with the ever-dwindling problems and keep moving forward! Today, we wrapped up our nineteenth show!
Credit to Julie and Jim, our stalwart Mosart directors, for keeping our heading true while faithfully steering us through the rough patches! We all hope the waters are calmer from here on out.
I’ve already had the opportunity to interview some interesting guests on our new show, including microbiologist Dr. Matthew Oughton talking about the importance of hand-washing, multi-Olympian Doug Yeats discussing the IOC decision to drop wrestling from the games, CHUM cardiologist Dr. George Honos talking about boomers’ lifestyle choices and, from McGill University’s Office of Science and Society, Dr. Ariel Fenster on the chemistry of love.
More great guests are inevitable!
Our columnists are terrific, passionate people. Jay Walker talks music, while Eric Cohen covers movies! Pearle Nerenberg and Vanessa Perrone are both highly-qualified nutritionists who’ve already offered me and our viewers a generous helping of dietary enlightenment! Pearle put a yummy oatmeal muffin recipe up on our website and Vanessa made sure I understood that while hot cereals are good for you, heating-up my favorite sugary cereals doesn’t qualify! Apparently, hot cereal is powerful stuff; Linda Staal, mother to Marc, Eric, Jordan and Jared, told me on the show today the secret to raising four professional hockey players was oatmeal!
Who knew?
Susan made Pearle’s muffin recipe and it is yummy!
We’ve been giving away some cool prizes, including all-inclusive sun vacations and, along with 92.5 The Beat, tickets to the Grammys!
Jessica Laventure really is an adventure! The self-confessed weather geek persuaded the morning show team to post our version of the Harlem Shake. It’s out there and it’s out there, if you know what I mean!
I’m looking forward to show twenty! I was hoping to have fun on our new show and, I must say, nineteen shows in, so far so good!
We roll with the ever-dwindling problems and keep moving forward! Today, we wrapped up our nineteenth show!
Credit to Julie and Jim, our stalwart Mosart directors, for keeping our heading true while faithfully steering us through the rough patches! We all hope the waters are calmer from here on out.
I’ve already had the opportunity to interview some interesting guests on our new show, including microbiologist Dr. Matthew Oughton talking about the importance of hand-washing, multi-Olympian Doug Yeats discussing the IOC decision to drop wrestling from the games, CHUM cardiologist Dr. George Honos talking about boomers’ lifestyle choices and, from McGill University’s Office of Science and Society, Dr. Ariel Fenster on the chemistry of love.
More great guests are inevitable!
Our columnists are terrific, passionate people. Jay Walker talks music, while Eric Cohen covers movies! Pearle Nerenberg and Vanessa Perrone are both highly-qualified nutritionists who’ve already offered me and our viewers a generous helping of dietary enlightenment! Pearle put a yummy oatmeal muffin recipe up on our website and Vanessa made sure I understood that while hot cereals are good for you, heating-up my favorite sugary cereals doesn’t qualify! Apparently, hot cereal is powerful stuff; Linda Staal, mother to Marc, Eric, Jordan and Jared, told me on the show today the secret to raising four professional hockey players was oatmeal!
Who knew?
Susan made Pearle’s muffin recipe and it is yummy!
We’ve been giving away some cool prizes, including all-inclusive sun vacations and, along with 92.5 The Beat, tickets to the Grammys!
Jessica Laventure really is an adventure! The self-confessed weather geek persuaded the morning show team to post our version of the Harlem Shake. It’s out there and it’s out there, if you know what I mean!
I’m looking forward to show twenty! I was hoping to have fun on our new show and, I must say, nineteen shows in, so far so good!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Low-Flying Birds
Perfection’s the goal and we hear the path to the goal is straight ahead, so we keep moving forward.
Our Mosart news automation system is a massive challenge and our Mosart directors, Jim and Julie, are the only ones in class who pay attention; thank goodness! They are Cirque du Soleil-worthy jugglers of terribly technical tasks!
On yesterday’s show, we said good-bye to Mike and Annie, two Mosart masters who flew back to Vancouver, leaving Jim and Julie to fend for themselves. Jim and Julie have been shoved from the nest and yet, thanks to their tireless and devoted flapping, they’re somehow keeping the entire morning show afloat!
Every little thing our robotic cameras do must be coded. Every time our microphones are turned on or off, it must be coded . Whether it’s a two-shot or a single, each and every camera shot must be coded and every time the camera shot is switched, it must be coded. Incredibly, even stomach rumbles are coded.
If any part of the regular morning pattern is broken, the crashing dominoes caused by sudden change don’t always allow for the smoothest sailing. It’s tough to code Mosart for flashes of chaos.
This morning’s Grammy Awards ticket draw was simulcast with Montreal radio station, 92.5 The Beat. Even though the logistical challenge was a mightily unfair assignment for Jim and Julie on their fifth day of nest-free living, we got it to viewers! It was exciting for everyone involved!
We also had celebrity chef, Chuck Hughes, on the show, as well as our Food Columnist, Na'eem Adam. Overall, our first week has been an absolute blast, made even more gratifying by all the positive feedback we’ve been getting from viewers, happy to see an English morning show back on the air in Montreal!
Jim, Julie, senior producer Rob, me, Camille and Jess, we try to roll with the punches! Again, perfection’s the goal and while we may not always look like we know what we’re doing, we always hope to look like we love what we’re doing, because we do!
Our Mosart news automation system is a massive challenge and our Mosart directors, Jim and Julie, are the only ones in class who pay attention; thank goodness! They are Cirque du Soleil-worthy jugglers of terribly technical tasks!
On yesterday’s show, we said good-bye to Mike and Annie, two Mosart masters who flew back to Vancouver, leaving Jim and Julie to fend for themselves. Jim and Julie have been shoved from the nest and yet, thanks to their tireless and devoted flapping, they’re somehow keeping the entire morning show afloat!
Every little thing our robotic cameras do must be coded. Every time our microphones are turned on or off, it must be coded . Whether it’s a two-shot or a single, each and every camera shot must be coded and every time the camera shot is switched, it must be coded. Incredibly, even stomach rumbles are coded.
If any part of the regular morning pattern is broken, the crashing dominoes caused by sudden change don’t always allow for the smoothest sailing. It’s tough to code Mosart for flashes of chaos.
This morning’s Grammy Awards ticket draw was simulcast with Montreal radio station, 92.5 The Beat. Even though the logistical challenge was a mightily unfair assignment for Jim and Julie on their fifth day of nest-free living, we got it to viewers! It was exciting for everyone involved!
We also had celebrity chef, Chuck Hughes, on the show, as well as our Food Columnist, Na'eem Adam. Overall, our first week has been an absolute blast, made even more gratifying by all the positive feedback we’ve been getting from viewers, happy to see an English morning show back on the air in Montreal!
Jim, Julie, senior producer Rob, me, Camille and Jess, we try to roll with the punches! Again, perfection’s the goal and while we may not always look like we know what we’re doing, we always hope to look like we love what we’re doing, because we do!
Monday, January 28, 2013
The Lid's Off the Box
I didn’t really have time today to explain on-air why I decided to launch our new morning show by performing Michigan J. Frog’s one mega-hit!
Back on October 24th 2011, News Director Karen Macdonald was heading out for a quick bite to eat with Managing Editor Alexandra Henderson, Senior Anchor Jamie Orchard and Mike Omelus, currently a Senior Director for Shaw Media. Karen suggested I tag along, so I did.
At the restaurant across from our office at Peel and Ste-Catherine, they were explaining to Mike who I was and what I did in the newsroom. One of the women described me as the frog in the 1955 Bugs Bunny cartoon, “One Froggy Evening”! They told Mike, like the cartoon frog who suddenly performed when his box lid was opened, I suddenly perform when the cameras come on!
That I was the performing frog, was news to me!
When Karen offered me the position as host of the new morning show January 3rd, I thought to myself, these crazy people are swinging open the box lid and letting the performing frog loose!
Singing Michigan J. Frog’s trademark number to launch Global Montreal Morning News this morning, seemed, to me, entirely fitting!
Back on October 24th 2011, News Director Karen Macdonald was heading out for a quick bite to eat with Managing Editor Alexandra Henderson, Senior Anchor Jamie Orchard and Mike Omelus, currently a Senior Director for Shaw Media. Karen suggested I tag along, so I did.
At the restaurant across from our office at Peel and Ste-Catherine, they were explaining to Mike who I was and what I did in the newsroom. One of the women described me as the frog in the 1955 Bugs Bunny cartoon, “One Froggy Evening”! They told Mike, like the cartoon frog who suddenly performed when his box lid was opened, I suddenly perform when the cameras come on!
That I was the performing frog, was news to me!
When Karen offered me the position as host of the new morning show January 3rd, I thought to myself, these crazy people are swinging open the box lid and letting the performing frog loose!
Singing Michigan J. Frog’s trademark number to launch Global Montreal Morning News this morning, seemed, to me, entirely fitting!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Drench City
We arrived in New York City late Friday afternoon and by the time we got our dogs, Moose and Spike, settled-in at the hotel, the clock had begun ticking! Tristan had his eye on limited edition headphones at the one and only Beats store in the world.
Our hotel was on West 46th, between Times Square and Avenue of the Americas, right around the corner from NHL offices. Undaunted by the pouring rain, we headed off to this one and only Beats store in the world.
We walked in the rain for about six kilometres to Green Street in Soho, asking directions from various New Yorkers along the way. All of them were eager to help, although some, had us heading back from where we had come, before others returned us to the proper heading.
In the end, we made it to the store before its 7 o’clock closing time. We were drenched and some of us had aching feet – moi! The two brothers who run the store, David and Drew, were impressed with our blistering trek, claiming the headphones had been sold-out until that very day!
We snapped a few pictures of the one and only Beats store in the world and began the walk back to the hotel.
Walking is a great way to see New York City; even in the rain!
On the way back, we, inadvertently, walked past a murder scene on Spring Street in Soho. There were obligatory stops at Hollister, Bath and Body Works and the Supra store. We walked by Grace Church, with its stunning Gothic revival architecture, near East 11th and Broadway.
We got back to the hotel, saturated with New York City rainwater, but stoked the headphones had been available at the one and only Beats store in the world.
Our hotel was on West 46th, between Times Square and Avenue of the Americas, right around the corner from NHL offices. Undaunted by the pouring rain, we headed off to this one and only Beats store in the world.
We walked in the rain for about six kilometres to Green Street in Soho, asking directions from various New Yorkers along the way. All of them were eager to help, although some, had us heading back from where we had come, before others returned us to the proper heading.
In the end, we made it to the store before its 7 o’clock closing time. We were drenched and some of us had aching feet – moi! The two brothers who run the store, David and Drew, were impressed with our blistering trek, claiming the headphones had been sold-out until that very day!
We snapped a few pictures of the one and only Beats store in the world and began the walk back to the hotel.
Walking is a great way to see New York City; even in the rain!
On the way back, we, inadvertently, walked past a murder scene on Spring Street in Soho. There were obligatory stops at Hollister, Bath and Body Works and the Supra store. We walked by Grace Church, with its stunning Gothic revival architecture, near East 11th and Broadway.
We got back to the hotel, saturated with New York City rainwater, but stoked the headphones had been available at the one and only Beats store in the world.
Final News Final
Someone on the crew turned out the studio lights just as I was about to pull open the door. It was January 8th and I’d just finished my final “News Final”! Wistfully, I turned back to watch the studio darken.
I’d been doing “News Final”, Global Montreal’s late-weeknight newscast, for more than a year. Since news about the morning show was officially released yesterday, I can finally admit to viewers I am no longer anchoring “News Final”.
There are exceptions, but, generally, newscasts are well-defined, with no real mysteries. I know when to start talking and when to stop. I know when tapes start and when they end. Everything is timed and scripted. I can build the newscast and move stories around in order to differentiate “News Final” from our earlier, evening newscast. In terms of writing and story line-up, “News Final” reflected my news judgement.
It was fun and I was happy to work at attracting more viewers to the show. I had a great team of people working on the newscast, including Alfred, Kevin, Trena, Cam, Adam and Robyn, aka “Klash”! They ran tapes, put up supers, worked prompter, checked timing, solved problems, gave me my cues and helped fulfill the illusion of competence on my part. I appreciate their professionalism, dependability, humor and attention.The goal, for us, every night, was perfection! '
Circumstances conspire and confounding variables, lurk. We worked every night to avoid spelling mistakes and technical glitches and when we succeeded at avoiding those, I’d, inevitably, stammer, gag, or crack my voice. My tie might be crooked, a glaring white flake might be perched on the shoulder of my jacket, or a hidden piece of turkey sandwich might suddenly dislodge itself from between my teeth, only to soar, in a slow arc, toward the camera!
As he did his nightly rounds, Jerry, the security guard, would graciously ask how the newscast had gone. I would rate them on a scale of one-to-ten.
While filling-in on the December 4th evening newscast, I can remember doing a “five”! We were testing a state-of-the-art newscast automation system called Mosart. Kinks were being worked out. The script for every story would appear in the teleprompter and then, promptly, disappear! Normally, with relatively minimal stumble, I would continue reading from the paper copy on the desk in front of me, but, that night, the newsroom printer had smudged all the words on the right-hand side of the page, beyond intelligibility.
Even in giganta-font, which I use so my eyes have an easier time reading off the page, I couldn’t decipher the smudged words! As a result, I had to guess how sentences on the paper in front of me were meant to be written! Fortunately, every time a two-minute report aired, I would ask the crew, who I hear in my earpiece, to read me the full sentences of stories coming up, so that I could hurriedly scribble the missing right-hand chunks, in ink!
Offered the huge opportunity by Global Montreal News Director, Karen Macdonald, earlier this month, I’ve decided to host Global Montreal’s new morning show. It’ll be challenging and fun. I’ll have a chance to be creative and stretch myself in directions I’ve always enjoyed. Much of the three-hour show is unscripted and not nearly as defined as my thirty-minute "News Final" broadcast! Nevertheless, I’ll continue striving to do the best job I possibly can.
The day after my final “News Final”, I participated in a photo shoot in Verdun, where I met Camille Ross and Jessica Laventure.
Nutbars!
I’d been doing “News Final”, Global Montreal’s late-weeknight newscast, for more than a year. Since news about the morning show was officially released yesterday, I can finally admit to viewers I am no longer anchoring “News Final”.
There are exceptions, but, generally, newscasts are well-defined, with no real mysteries. I know when to start talking and when to stop. I know when tapes start and when they end. Everything is timed and scripted. I can build the newscast and move stories around in order to differentiate “News Final” from our earlier, evening newscast. In terms of writing and story line-up, “News Final” reflected my news judgement.
It was fun and I was happy to work at attracting more viewers to the show. I had a great team of people working on the newscast, including Alfred, Kevin, Trena, Cam, Adam and Robyn, aka “Klash”! They ran tapes, put up supers, worked prompter, checked timing, solved problems, gave me my cues and helped fulfill the illusion of competence on my part. I appreciate their professionalism, dependability, humor and attention.The goal, for us, every night, was perfection! '
Circumstances conspire and confounding variables, lurk. We worked every night to avoid spelling mistakes and technical glitches and when we succeeded at avoiding those, I’d, inevitably, stammer, gag, or crack my voice. My tie might be crooked, a glaring white flake might be perched on the shoulder of my jacket, or a hidden piece of turkey sandwich might suddenly dislodge itself from between my teeth, only to soar, in a slow arc, toward the camera!
As he did his nightly rounds, Jerry, the security guard, would graciously ask how the newscast had gone. I would rate them on a scale of one-to-ten.
While filling-in on the December 4th evening newscast, I can remember doing a “five”! We were testing a state-of-the-art newscast automation system called Mosart. Kinks were being worked out. The script for every story would appear in the teleprompter and then, promptly, disappear! Normally, with relatively minimal stumble, I would continue reading from the paper copy on the desk in front of me, but, that night, the newsroom printer had smudged all the words on the right-hand side of the page, beyond intelligibility.
Even in giganta-font, which I use so my eyes have an easier time reading off the page, I couldn’t decipher the smudged words! As a result, I had to guess how sentences on the paper in front of me were meant to be written! Fortunately, every time a two-minute report aired, I would ask the crew, who I hear in my earpiece, to read me the full sentences of stories coming up, so that I could hurriedly scribble the missing right-hand chunks, in ink!
Offered the huge opportunity by Global Montreal News Director, Karen Macdonald, earlier this month, I’ve decided to host Global Montreal’s new morning show. It’ll be challenging and fun. I’ll have a chance to be creative and stretch myself in directions I’ve always enjoyed. Much of the three-hour show is unscripted and not nearly as defined as my thirty-minute "News Final" broadcast! Nevertheless, I’ll continue striving to do the best job I possibly can.
The day after my final “News Final”, I participated in a photo shoot in Verdun, where I met Camille Ross and Jessica Laventure.
Nutbars!
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