Joel Le Picot, Rebel | Duty

King Joel Le Picot, who has been entrenched in the weekend airwaves for nearly 25 years, turns a page in history on Radio-Canada with his departure on Saturday. Many of his former collaborators gathered in the studios of the ICI premiere to pay tribute to the “last survivor”. Still, the rebellious animator has always shunned the media world, and he shamelessly criticizes.

After more than 50 years of career, Joel Le Picot has come to the conclusion that the information environment is not well developed. He hates social networks, avoids constant news channels, but, above all, hates political honesty. The 76-year-old host fears that his heirs will never like the freedom of tone that has been his lifeblood for so long. Who would manage to stand up to bosses without enjoying the celebrity rating that Joel Le Picot received?

“Even though I knew he was bothering the administration, I never stopped talking. I was really happy to bother the management. But now, the animators are watching,” he laments that we know him.

Joel Le Bigot did not leave Radio-Canada, he accused, of deviating from its international mandate in recent decades. In his opinion, news that is not news is given more importance on a daily basis. News items, semantic debates and other Byzantine controversies lasted long, and Joel Le Picard never gave them prominence.

It is no secret that this staunch nationalist, who voted yes in the 1980s and 1995s, also questions the public broadcaster’s pan-Canadian mandate to reflect the reality of Canadians from one beach to the next in their news package.

Although it seemed to annoy the administration, I never stopped commenting

“Eight minutes of hearing about a fake hurricane is not news. This is news for a minute, and then we have to go to something else, international news, for example Africa. Chris! There is a fire in Bathurst, we show it on TV, it is not normal. It would be nice to talk to us about the opioid crisis in Vancouver. But why bother us when someone in Alberta hits a fire pit? Joel Le Picot is thrilled with this bad comedy that his listeners have learned to appreciate.

No regrets

However, Radio-Canada did not seek to expel him, recognizing the new retiree. For good reason, this allowed the ICI premiere to be at the top of Saturday morning ratings, almost a quarter of a century after the referendum.

The sometimes disarming open speech, despite his success, has kept the government corporation’s ombudsman busy in recent years. In 2019, Joel Le Picard was condemned for rejoicing in the assassination of a Christian missionary in India by isolated Sentinels tribesmen who tried to evangelize him. The host, who never hid his hostility to religions, also received a reprimand a few years ago for suggesting that there was a connection between pedophilia and Islam.

“A good woman complained about something I said about Islam. Only one! If twenty people had told me I had gone too far I would not have had trouble apologizing. But in each case, they have seized it, despite obstacles we can scarcely imagine. ” It is unfortunate that the ombudsman defends the interests of radio-Canada rather than the interests of the public, “he said, adding that the man who claimed to have had the malicious pleasure of” always being in line “in his life.

Shower of praise

This style, which is so unique to Radio-Canada’s antenna, has earned him the role of opponents in his career. He was accused of being outdated and even reactionary. Objective absence. Especially to disrespect the women on his team.

Joel Le Picot has always been utterly indifferent to these insults. But among his collaborators, for some, we know it was fashionable to hate the host. Saturday and nothing else.

“Even though he teases us, he’s always been very respectful, even though he’s hard and can cut things off. He’s the father of radio. When I started attending his show, I was scared because I heard all sorts of things. But, his annoying. In appearance, he turns out to be someone who listens and guides his collaborators better, ”says cultural columnist Arian Cipriani.

The sentiment shared by Franின்ois Grimaldi, a loyal collaborator until his retirement in 2019.

“He had the generosity to get the attention of others. He had a unique culture but he never showed up. There are not many animators with such intelligence anymore,” the former columnist emphasizes, believing that Joel Le Picot is simply irreplaceable.

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