The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » The Reverend Michael Coren

cash · February 22, 2020 6:21 pm

Chrisphen · February 22, 2020 7:38 pm

Auto Depot. And tearing into intern call screeners for letting through anyone smarter than him.

paterson1 · February 22, 2020 10:16 pm

Interesting interview. Michael Coren has always been an engaging personality. Even though it often doesn't come through, he has a great sense of humour. I wonder if the Rev. will still do the odd radio hosting fill in on 1010 or 640. CBC had him on from time to time as a panelist.

Kilgore · February 23, 2020 7:54 am

paterson1 wrote:
Michael Coren has always been an engaging personality

Is he the M. Coren who had a regular column in Frank magazine in the 80s?

Glen Warren · February 23, 2020 8:46 am

Kilgore wrote:
paterson1 wrote:
Michael Coren has always been an engaging personality
Is he the M. Coren who had a regular column in Frank magazine in the 80s?

Yes, the one and only.... "Aesthete's Diary" (IIRC) ran from late 89 thru to the mid 90s in Frank.

As well, he was a regular contributor / feature guest on TVO's "Imprint" (the Daniel Richler years) in the early 90s, and then a regular feature panellist on TVO's "Studio 2" segment "Friendly Fire" where he appeared opposite of Irshad Manji.

potentiometer · February 23, 2020 12:42 pm

It was while he was at Frank that Coren said that Ralph Benmurgui was an un-funny no-talent hack, or words to that effect. (The CBC had billed Benmugui as a stand-up comedian.) Benmurgui had his own TV show at the time so he invited Coren to appear to discuss those claims. I did tune in, but I remember nothing except the cringiness of it all.

Dial Twister · February 23, 2020 1:00 pm

cash wrote:

Thanks for posting this. I've always been curious about Coren, and his evolution. This video gives an even better understanding of it all.

paterson1 · February 23, 2020 1:59 pm

potentiometer wrote:
It was while he was at Frank that Coren said that Ralph Benmurgui was an un-funny no-talent hack, or words to that effect. (The CBC had billed Benmugui as a stand-up comedian.) Benmurgui had his own TV show at the time so he invited Coren to appear to discuss those claims. I did tune in, but I remember nothing except the cringiness of it all.

I always thought of Ralph Benmurgui as a news guy who thought he was funny. Too much of his news side came through on the talk show, and made for a pretty lame offering. News people at times can be overly critical and this came through with Ralph on his "entertainment" show. He didn't know when to stop being in news and start being a comedian. When he tried to make the switch, the humour didn't come across and wasn't natural. As a news guy and news reader he was ok.

CBC or CTV should take another shot at late night programming with a talk show, band, live studio audience but try it with a host who is entertaining, funny and can when need be, do a serious interview. Sort of like Letterman or Kimmel.

Last edited by paterson1 (February 23, 2020 2:01 pm)

RadioActive · February 23, 2020 2:39 pm

paterson1 wrote:
CBC or CTV should take another shot at late night programming with a talk show, band, live studio audience but try it with a host who is entertaining, funny and can when need be, do a serious interview. Sort of like Letterman or Kimmel.

But not like Peter Gzowski. Anyone remember the disaster that was "90 Minutes Live?" (Michael Magee, in his Fred C. Dobbs personna, used to refer to it as "90 Minutes Dead," which was a lot more accurate.) It ran on the CBC to great critical panning from April 1976-May 1978.

Here's a look at its very first disastrous episode, when debut guest singer Fred Payne could not stop crying, because she was allergic to the paint fumes on the set. It was all downhill fron there.

Teary debut for Peter Gzowski's 90 Minutes Live

And here's a link to the final show, wherein Gzowski says goodbye to his (small) audience for the last time. (Imagine a CBC figure lighting up a cigarette and smoking openly on camera in today's world. Social media would go insane.)

"Canadians have landed on late night television and we're bloody well here to stay," he concludes at one point.

Well, not quite yet.

Mike Bullard's efforts on CTV notwithstanding.

Peter Gzowski's final late-night CBC show goodbye

paterson1 · February 23, 2020 3:17 pm

Cringe worthy indeed. Only thing I remember about Gzowski's show that he was the first to have Robin Williams on a talk show, years before Carson. Williams was unlike anything we had ever seen before, and like Carson, Gzowski just let him perform.

Gzowski was another example of a guy who should never have been given an entertainment show, or whatever his show was supposed to be. Fine on the radio interviewing authors, politicians etc. but not so much on TV and the entertainment side. In fact CBC is really lacking in the entertainment department. They are not in the game when TIFF is in Toronto, and will have issues again with the JUNO awards. Entertainment news and personalities don't seem to be on their radar much, and they should be.

Somebody should attempt a late night talk show again, and no Being Frank doesn't really count. And CBC if you do, please, please, please, not Tom Power as host!! Tom seems like an ok guy but he is too laid back and not really funny and much too serious.

Last edited by paterson1 (February 23, 2020 3:18 pm)

Peter the K · February 23, 2020 6:38 pm

I've seen Ralph Benmurgui doing stand-up at Yuck-Yucks a few times back in the 80s. I recall him being pretty funny. Threw a couple of great zingers at my friend who was with me one night and tried to playfully heckle him.

Last edited by Peter the K (February 23, 2020 6:38 pm)

paterson1 · February 23, 2020 7:12 pm

Peter the K wrote:
I've seen Ralph Benmurgui doing stand-up at Yuck-Yucks a few times back in the 80s. I recall him being pretty funny. Threw a couple of great zingers at my friend who was with me one night and tried to playfully heckle him.

Here I am contradicting myself here, but I saw Ralph at Just for Laughs and he wasn't too bad. Maybe he was one of those people who couldn't host a program, but on his own in small doses was ok. Don't know what it was but the TV program just didn't click and wasn't funny whenever i watched it. His best show was the first one with Don Cherry and Scott Thompson as guests, and even that one was awkward. After that downhill. Ralph seemed to be trying too hard, and was too self conscious.

AspectRatio · February 23, 2020 8:11 pm

I was always intrigued by the Canadiana pop culture historical chapter that was "[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night!_with_Ralph_Benmergui]The Ralph Benmergui Show[/url]" indeed.

Ralph was fairly candid and open about looking back at that time and what he think went wrong in a 2018 podcast with "Toronto Mike" and also this one that same year with Jaymz Bee.

February 24, 2020 10:06 am

Glen Warren wrote:
a regular feature panellist on TVO's "Studio 2" segment "Friendly Fire" where he appeared opposite of Irshad Manji

Those debates were excellent. Was Ms. Manji not a regular on 1010 CFRB at about that time?

Glen Warren · February 24, 2020 11:03 am

Ms. C. wrote:
Glen Warren wrote:
a regular feature panellist on TVO's "Studio 2" segment "Friendly Fire" where he appeared opposite of Irshad Manji
Those debates were excellent. Was Ms. Manji not a regular on 1010 CFRB at about that time?

I'm not sure about Ms. Manji and CFRB. But was she not on the CHUM/City specialty channel Queer TV at this time? As well as writing for a paper? I could be mistaken.....

Media Observer · February 24, 2020 1:38 pm

Glen Warren wrote:
Ms. C. wrote:
Glen Warren wrote:
a regular feature panellist on TVO's "Studio 2" segment "Friendly Fire" where he appeared opposite of Irshad Manji
Those debates were excellent. Was Ms. Manji not a regular on 1010 CFRB at about that time?

I'm not sure about Ms. Manji and CFRB. But was she not on the CHUM/City specialty channel Queer TV at this time? As well as writing for a paper? I could be mistaken.....

I remember seeing her on City and I believe also CP24; before the ownership change.

Last edited by Media Observer (February 24, 2020 1:39 pm)

RadioActive · February 24, 2020 1:59 pm

Indeed, she was on CP24, where she did a show called the Q Files. But that program may be best remembered for the day she was introduced and then promptly fainted on camera. Fortunately, she was OK.