Time to give (big) love to Louis Jean

Super Bowl LVIII is now a thing of the past. The Chiefs’ comeback… Travis Kelce and Andy Reid’s spat… 49ers players who didn’t know all the rules in overtime… extraordinary ratings across America… Taylor Swift’s beer stall….

Not even Vince McMahon would have written such a good script, I think.

I was in the car (with gas, sorry Valérie) on Saturday and I came across Louis Jean’s voice on 98.5 FM. I’d totally forgotten about him. It has to be said that my sports talk radio is usually on BPM Sports when I’m in the car. Except on weekends and weeknights, when there are no live broadcasts.

Since Saturday, I’ve wanted to talk about Louis Jean… but I wasn’t sure how to go about it.

Well, I’ve come up with the simplest way possible: I’m simply going to give Louis some big love. It’s World Radio Day, after all.

Since the Lavoie – Jean Gate of 2021 – details of which were only revealed in parts several months later – we haven’t seen Louis Jean anywhere. And we hear him very little.

Renaud Lavoie, on the other hand, continues to be featured on TVA Sports and BPM Sports, two places where Louis Jean used to be heard.

Reminder: Louis Jean was dropped from TVA Sports on December 31, 2022 for economic/businessreasons… but also because of a dispute between Louis Jean and Renaud Lavoie. In the end, the Quebec network had a choice to make… and it was made that day: to settle the somewhat toxic climate that had developed, it had to take Renaud’s side (the good guy in the story).

Not many people came to Louis Jean’s defense in the aftermath of the whole thing… and I feel like doing so today.

And since I do what I want here, nobody will ever dictate anything to me.

In 2019, I was invited by Air Canada to cover a #VolDeFan event, a trip in which the airline took a few contest winners and a youngster named Thomas on a trip to New York. I went with my girlfriend, and we attended a Canadiens vs Rangers game at Madison Square Garden. Joel Armia scored two goals that night…

Well, the “guide ” for that event was none other than Louis Jean, and I’ve never written about how great he was with the winners and the disabled boy.

As soon as he arrived in Manhattan, Louis took the kid on his shoulders, took him all over the city, including to the NHL offices, stood with him in the hotel corridor until Thomas wanted to go to bed (and Thomas was a late sleeper)…

All with a smile and a generosity that’s pretty rare in the business. Unfortunately, many people wait until they see a lit kodak before behaving like good people…

Louis Jean is a nice guy… and I think it’s time to give him a bigger role in the industry.

I know, the industry has been cutting more jobs than it has created in recent years… but there will always be room for the best.

Will Louis Jean continue his weekend mandate at 98.5 FM for much longer? I’m not sure…

I was told last fall that these weekend mandates and weeknight replacements(Bonsoir les sportifs) were meant to be tests of sorts for Louis and the station.

Some people were convinced that Louis Jean would land alongside Patrick Lagacé in August 2024, when the latter takes over from Paul Arcand in the morning. However, Pierre Martineau, VP at 98.5, denied this rumour, saying it was false and that there were no plans to link Louis Jean and the morning show. You have to believe these people when they say things like that. If they lie, it’ll come back to bite them in the ass (and they don’t want that, hehe).

Can’t wait to see what Louis Jean’s plans are for next season. His name was linked to BPM Sports last year, notably for the morning slot… but Anthony Desaulniers, Max Lalonde and Gilbert Delorme are doing a great job right now. We won’t be breaking up the show just yet, will we?

Would Louis be interested in another slot(mid-morning, for example) at BPM Sports? I’m far from convinced of that… and the station already has Maxime Van Houtte there. It would seem crazy to pack him in a few weeks after his return…

Anyway, I don’t know what the future holds for Louis Jean… but I hope he gets some weekend ratings at 98.5. If he does, someone will sign him up. And if it’s not in French, it’ll be in English; he was at Sportsnet before landing at TVA Sports.

Society often likes to see the “bad guys ” punished, only to come back a few months later, repentant. Louis Jean has served his punishment… even if he’s not a villain, as tradition dictates. I hope he gets another chance at quality.

Note that L-P Guy, former host of 91.9 Sports, still hosts the night show, Monday to Thursday, on 98.5 FM. For those who might be wondering…

In brief

– RDS is currently excellent in its coverage of CF Montréal.

Report on a nice chat with Samuel Piette in Florida #CFMTL https://t.co/aTHmn3IIer

– Alex Antonacci (@AAntonacciRDS) February 13, 2024

– La Presse is also doing a great job in Florida. Hearing Laurent Courtois say he’s inspired by Wilfried Nancy is a real treat.

Which coaches inspire Laurent Courtois? Guardiola, Ferguson, Wenger?

“Wilfried Nancy.”

Meeting with the #cfmtl coach in Orlando, followed by discussions with other club members.

Many noted “similarities” with Nancy. https://t.co/mUEO4gPTUR

– Jean-François Téotonio (@JFTeotonio) February 13, 2024