And suffers a backlash
By Denis Carmel
QUEBEC CITY – CHOI-FM, the Québec City radio station whose licence the CRTC had refused to renew back in 2005 because of repeated on-air abuse against individuals and groups, is back in the news.
Last week, the station refused to air a commercial spot from the Québec government on the Covid-19 pandemic. The government wanted the ad to air on the talk station which has been questioning, through its hosts and guests, the reality of Covid-19, the government’s response and encouraging defiance from its listeners.
The station is also accused of having given a voice to conspiracy theorists and anti-maskers.
The station argued that the ad was demeaning to its listeners. Many believe that the station reaches more of the people who deny the pandemic and refuse to conform to government directives.
We could say it is normal and usual for talk radio to question and challenge government decisions but, this time, CHOI-FM has triggered a response that may have serious negative revenue consequences, when on Monday of last week, the city of Québec issued a cutting news release that announced it would stop advertising on the station.
“It (the City) feels that the behaviour of the owner of the stations has become a danger to the public health and the well-being of the citizens of Québec City, because CHOI is promoting the opposition to the sanitary measures during this severe pandemic,” the news release read in French.
The boycott was by followed by Hydro-Québec, the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, a provincial agency responsible for workplace safety, Bell Canada, Desjardins, Uniprix, Jean Coutu, Capitale Assurance, Mercedes Benz and the list is growing.
Of course, the station’s social media followers have railed against the mayor of Québec City, Régis Labaume, a frequent target of the station hosts, who has received messages of hate. He complained to the police and, on Tuesday, he was accompanied by four bodyguards in its public outings. The next day, a 41-year-old man was arrested in connection with the messages, according to reports out of the provincial capital.
The station CEO, RNC Media’s Robert Ranger has responded on Facebook earlier and through a full-page ad in La Presse, on Friday arguing for diversity of opinion but also reminding all that throughout the pandemic that they had aired 7,435 ads inviting the population to abide by government directives, broadcast live the government press briefings, the promotion by the station hosts of the sanitary measures through the day.
“What are they accuse CHOI of doing: to have refused to air an ad of bad taste, tailored for our audience, and constitutes an insult to their intelligence,” he wrote, in French, in the news release.
He also pointed out the people associated with conspiracy theories were interviewed for a total of an hour and a half on a total broadcasting time of 3,528 hours over the last six months.
It should be noted that the city of Québec had been relatively spared during the first wave of the pandemic but is being hit much harder by the second wave – some say because of the casualness of the population towards imposed public sanity measures.
The CRTC told Cartt.ca it has received no complaints about the station.
