Trash radio explained

In the Canadian province of Quebec, trash radio refers to a type of shock jock radio stations that have existed since the 1970s.[1] [2] Originally stemming from Québec City, trash radio stations are known to espouse conservative views on topics including immigration and multiculturalism.

Personalities

Radio host André Arthur (1943 – 2022) has been credited as the "godfather" of radio poubelle.[3] Beginning in 1970, Arthur emerged as a popular radio hot in Québec City, where derogatory comments about Arab drivers and Creole languages led him to face legal scrutiny in the 1990s. During the 1990s, Arthur was noted for having "a particular venom about Quebec separatists", including Bloc Québécois' then-leader Lucien Bouchard.[4] Arthur was ultimately dropped from the airwaves following public outcry over homophobic comments in 2018.[5]

Jeff Fillon, who has credited American radio personalities Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern as influences, has been described as one of the leading radio poubelle personalities.[6] Fillon was described as "the king of trash radio in Quebec" by The Globe and Mail in 2005.[7]

Recent history

In 2012, the sortons les radios-poubelles ('take out the trash radio') coalition formed in opposition to trash radio.[8] Public scrutiny of trash radio intensified in 2017 following the Quebec City mosque shooting. Following the attack, which resulted in the deaths of six worshippers at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, trash radio was accused of promoting a "culture of intolerance in Quebec".[9] A Quebec City school board's effort to prohibit drivers from listening to talk radio stations in the aftermath of the attacks was ultimately cancelled.[10]

Nevertheless, it was reported in 2018 by the Montreal Gazette that trash radio's popularity and political impact was as strong as ever a year after the attacks.[11] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, radio poubelle broadcasters were critical of mitigation measures undertaken prime minister Justin Trudeau and premier François Legault.[12]

Political impact

In the 2006 federal election, Arthur leveraged his on-air popularity to win a seat in the House of Commons, becoming an independent MP for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier.[13]

Éric Duhaime, a radio commentator associated with the radio poubelle genre, was elected leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec in the 2021 leadership election.[14] [15] [16] [17]

See also

References

  1. Web site: Dougherty . Kevin . 2017-02-14 . Is Quebec ready to put a lid on ‘trash radio’? . 2023-06-30 . iPolitics . en.
  2. Gagnon . Simon-Olivier . 2021-12-01 . Archiving Trash Radio in Québec CityThe Soundwork of the Coalition Sortons les radios-poubelles . Resonance . en . 2 . 4 . 636–649 . 10.1525/res.2021.2.4.636.
  3. News: Freeman . Alan . 2022-05-15 . Shock jock was godfather of Quebec City’s Radio Poubelle . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2023-07-01.
  4. Web site: Trueheart . Charles . 1995-07-27 . Canadian: No Separatism In His Home . 2023-07-02 . Washington Post.
  5. Web site: Hamilton . Graeme . 2018-01-30 . No regrets from King of Quebec trash radio after he loses microphone over anti-gay remark . 2023-07-01 . National Post.
  6. News: Bilefsky . Dan . 2018-08-18 . Quebec’s ‘Trash Radio’ Host Fires Up Outrage, and Big Ratings . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-07-01 . 0362-4331.
  7. News: Séguin . Rhéal . 2005-03-18 . Controversial CHOI-FM shock jock signs off early . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2023-07-01.
  8. Web site: Terry . Stephan . 2023-02-23 . "Let's Take Out the Junk Radios": New Attack by RNC Media and Radio X Against Facebook Group . 2023-07-01 . MoviesOnline . en-US.
  9. Web site: Woods . Allan . 2017-02-03 . ‘Trash radio’ creates culture of intolerance in Quebec . 2023-07-01 . The Star . en.
  10. Web site: Riga . Andy . 2017-02-09 . Quebec City's 'trash radio' under microscope following mosque shooting . 2023-07-01 . Montreal Gazette.
  11. Web site: Solyom . Catherine . 2018-01-27 . Mosque shooting anniversary: Quebec City trash radio is stronger than ever . 2023-07-01 . Montreal Gazette.
  12. Web site: Curtis . Christopher . 2022-02-18 . Radio poubelle: Quebec City’s merchants of hostility . 2023-07-01 . Ricochet.
  13. Web site: Montpetit . Jonathan . 2016-05-02 . With Jeff Fillion and André Arthur gone, is this the end of radio poubelle? . 2023-07-02 . CBC News.
  14. News: Andrew-Gee . Eric . 2022-09-24 . Quebec election: Éric Duhaime emerges as breakout political star . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2023-07-02.
  15. Web site: Holcroft . Christopher . 2022-09-26 . Opinion: Anglophones should reject Éric Duhaime's overtures . 2023-07-02 . Montreal Gazette.
  16. Web site: Gherman . Stefan . 2022-09-07 . The rise of Éric Duhaime’s shock-jock conservatism ⋆ The Breach . 2023-07-02 . The Breach . en-CA.
  17. Web site: Hackett . Alexander . 2022-02-18 . Opinion Support for the Conservatives in Quebec has risen sharply during the last months of pandemic lockdown . 2023-07-02 . The Star . en.

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