“Everyone talks about it” live, a formula called survival?

For a year, the main show Each The world is talking about it Set pre-registration aside to start live broadcasting on the small screen. The change imposed additional pressure on the craftsmen at Sunday’s meeting, and they revealed more than ever the unexpected and the volatility of the news. However, the new format is a far cry from the frustration of the team, which is not closing the door to keep it out of the pandemic.

Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 8:00 pm, Guy A. Lebage on ICI-Canada Télé Radio, installed in his chair as host of the popular show he has been leading for the past 16 years. For the second week in a row, the audience is absent, and the epidemic is binding. Guests no longer get much into thunderous applause. Here they are actually sitting in silence, spaced apart and always in small numbers around the table. The atmosphere is different and we feel especially thrilled at Studio 42 at Radio Canada. This is the live effect.

“I have a great one kick To do this live. Host Jay A. LaBag in an interview with: “I have rediscovered the joy of childhood in hosting a show.” duty.

Since its inception in 2004, Everyone is talking about it They are recorded on Thursday, edited for the following days and broadcast on Sunday evening. Live broadcasts were tried only once before the pandemic, after the Paris attacks in November 2015.

When the health crisis hit Quebec a year ago, the formula prevailed again. “The news changes every hour, what was the focus of attention on Thursday was out of date on Sunday. […] Whether we did [l’émission] Direct, giving the information up to the minute, or we pause, ”explains Jay A. Liebag, who is also the program’s co-producer.

The key: getting ready

In two phases, three moves, the team quickly adapted to this new form which required a completely different organization. The production offices are closed, most of the staff are away, and only a small team is on the filming location.

To be comfortable with getting started and to avoid bugs on air that he can no longer cut while editing, Guy A. Lepage makes sure he knows his files by heart. He is also very dependent on his team that he has worked with for years. “We look at each other and it does it through eyesight. Sometimes I have a certain face, and they know, in control, that I forgot something or that I need a visual impact. If I don’t have this team, we will make a lot of mistakes.”

After only 2 hours and 15 minutes of broadcasting, he also had to rethink the way he interviewed his guests. There were no longer long 30-minute interviews allowing him to de-escalate tension or unleash multiple strings of subjects for others to find the right vein. Living it takes 14 or 15 minutes of commitment for each person and getting to the point. Because “every minute wasted is a very long minute”.

It is quite a challenge, therefore, it has been met with flying colors, according to altitude ratings since the start of the epidemic. The look attracts the listeners, but also the team, which has turned tension into adrenaline.

Even the show’s producer, Guillaume Lespérance, admits that he “reconnected with a spirit Everyone is talking about it »Direct thanks. Lets you see the news live, up to date [et] To be able to bounce. “

He gives an example in the September 27 episode, in which the Minister of Health, Christian Dube, participated. Rumors spread on social networks that Montreal and Quebec would soon be in the red. The team warned Guy A. Labag, who posed the question to the minister. The news was confirmed. “He answered frankly, to the dismay of his team and a few journalists who would have liked to know before me. Which really pleased me,” the host recalled with a laugh.

So is it going to be straight here to stay? “The live show works great, but it has also worked well for 16 years without delay. We are giving ourselves the right not to dump anything in cement at the moment,” responds Guillaume Lessberance.

Choose the guests

Thinks Guy A. Liebig is already 18 years old^H Live the fall season next. If the idea impresses him, he nonetheless says he feels nostalgic for the old formula in certain aspects. The choice of guests, for example, is more limited than before. Concerned about how some might interact alive, the team prioritizes “loud words” and “very consistent people who know their issues well.”

“We fear that [certains] You go bad. […] We are responsible for our guests. We ask them to be upfront, direct and live now. If someone gets it wrong, he gets quoted and the trick gets done [des réseaux sociaux] », Underlines the host.

It’s also sad to see guests refrain from interfering with other interviews on the show, gauging how much each minute counts. It also misses an audience that brought a festive atmosphere.

Not to mention the departure of his loyal friend, Danny Torkut, last month, whose lack of audience and outright form complicates his role as the king’s madman. “When you do a live gag, if the muzzle is average, we get stuck with it. Danny, that made him uncomfortable, enough to be miserable in the end.”

Exactly, will it be replaced? “We wanted to let some time pass, we have to talk about it again with Jay. No decision has materialized,” Guillaume Lessberance replies, leaving the door open for the arrival of a new king fool, co-host or other frequent speaker on the show.