“I don’t think I’m done,” was his answer when asked if he’s going to miss radio. “I’m looking at the possibility of doing some other things. I’ve had some talks with people and hopefully something will come from it.”
Aaron Rand’s groundbreaking non-formatted comedy helped put CFCF radio and later CFQR on the map. Now his morning show is ending because radio is becoming more and more formatted.
Would any future radio plans for Rand include Paul Zakaib, better known as Tasso Patsikakis, his sidekick throughout most of his career?
“Well, without necessarily giving too much away,” he added, “I’ve talked to him since this all happened and one of the options, would be with him, but there are other options that maybe just involve me… If we could somehow find a way to do it again together, if it would make sense, then yeah absolutely.”
Wants to Keep Working in Montreal
While Rand was being careful not to reveal who he’s currently negotiating with, he did say that he wasn’t planning on moving to a new city.
“I would like to end up back on air somehow, somewhere in this city. I don’t think I would move anywhere. I’ve been here my whole life.”
The thought of Rand reappearing on the radio dial shouldn’t be too much of a surprise for his followers. After all, there have been clues. A message on Rand’s Facebook page, posted back on March 6 tells us that after his last show, listeners should “stay tuned to find out what's next. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.”
Also, a new Aaron and Tasso website was launched in time for his final broadcast. Now why would someone do that if they’re were retiring?
“I guess it’s a bit of a fail-safe,” he explained concerning the web page. “[It’s] to say hey, no, I’m not on 92.5 anymore but here’s what’s going on, here’s what I’m planning or here’s where I’ll be.”
Meanwhile, it will still be a few months before Aaron Rand can start any new gig. He is still technically under contract and a non-compete clause prevents him from taking a broadcasting job in Quebec, Ontario, Vermont or New York. But that all ends September 1.
Cogeco is “Cold and Impersonal”
The morning show at CFQR consisted of himself, Tasso Patsikakis and Suzanne Desautels until the latter two were let go from the station in August of 2009. The year and a half that followed was difficult.
“[it was] probably the worst period in my entire radio career,” Rand conceded. “You can’t work with someone for 20 or 25 years every single day and then walk in one morning, look at the seat they were sitting in which is empty and know that they’re not coming back.”
More recently, Rand himself was unable to renew his contract with Corus, the station owner at the time. He wasn’t bitter. He announced to his listeners that he was leaving and that a replacement had not been found yet. However, we learned, hours later, that a replacement for him had, in fact, been found, unknowingly to him. Then he was upset.
The recent takeover of 92.5 FM by Cogeco in February hasn’t helped to improve the situation.
“I have not talked to one single person on the Cogeco side since the day they took over the radio station… Not one.”
“Not one?” I couldn’t help but repeat.
“I mean other than some guy waving in the hallway, one day, who thought he was waving to I don’t know who, no one has come by and said listen we know you’re leaving, we know you’ve been here for however long it has been and we’re sorry…nothing, not a single word, which I found kind of strange.”
“How they’ve been doing stuff has been kind of a cold and impersonal approach. Maybe that’s just their business philosophy. I don’t know.”
CFCF and CFQR Radio: The Exciting Years
But things weren’t always cold and impersonal. Aaron Rand recalls some of the good times he had on the radio, like at CFCF 600 AM back in the 80s. Especially, he remembers what was to be Suzanne Desautels’ last day (Yes, they worked together for a brief period way back then as well), where as a farewell gift to her, he told her that there would be a helicopter on the roof of the building that would take her on a tour of the city. Of course, it was a joke. There was no helicopter and she waited there for about an hour in the late-fall Montreal cold.
He also remembers how Aaron and Tasso played a role in the rebirth of CFQR as they were making the transition from elevator music to lite rock.
“Wow, this is working. People like it. The ratings are good,” he recalled. “So it was pretty exciting.”
So what went wrong under Corus Entertainment? How was it that what used to be a very successful formula became a burden in recent years?
In a nutshell, stations like The Q are becoming more music-oriented and less personality-driven. That is how the industry is responding to competition from ipods, satellite and the internet.
“One program director once told me, you know what we are primarily, at this station, a music service, period. Whatever you do in between is just filler for the music. Once you run into an attitude like that, that’s the beginning of the end.”
Farewell… Temporarily
Rand thinks the “just play the music” philosophy is misguided. He believes that it may work for outlets which target a younger demographic, but not for 92.5 FM. He also believes that it doesn’t apply to the morning and afternoon drive periods where there is more of a demand for news, traffic, weather and other local information.
Aaron Rand’s career in local radio spans 35 years. News of his departure has prompted plenty of farewell messages from loyal fans and other supporters. Aaron and Tasso have been reunited this week leading up to the final broadcast on Thursday. The final broadcast, for now, at least.
Sources:
Personal interview conducted with Aaron Rand.
Steve Hatton - Steve Hatton is a Montreal-based freelance writer and journalist who covers the television industry, including TV show reviews and media ...
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