The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » What Is The Broadcasting Story Of 2022 So Far? Derringer Or LaFlamme?

RadioActive · August 16, 2022 7:48 am

Every year, I do a SOWNY lookback just before the New Year and try to pick a top story. In 2021, it was the cutbacks at Bell that decimated the newsrooms of CFRB and CJAD. The year before that, it was COVID's effect on broadcasting.

It's too soon to say for sure, because there's still another half of 2022 to play out, but if I had to choose as of earlier this week, I would probably have picked the John Derringer firing story as the biggest local broadcasting event. Rarely has a radio personality working for the competition garnered so much attention on other stations across the city, resulting in so much feedback and discussion about how women are treated in the business.

But now the stunning firing of Lisa LaFlamme has me wondering about that choice.

If you had to pick right now, which one is bigger in your mind? Certainly both came out of the blue and both involve some of the biggest names in the industry.

I suspect we have not entirely seen the end of the LaFlamme story. But it will certainly go down as one of the most surprising of 2022. I can't wait to see what else is going to happen in the next five months!

mace · August 16, 2022 8:24 am

I would go with Lisa. I think more people in the GTA watch CTV National News than listen to Q107, particularly females.

mike marshall · August 16, 2022 8:47 am

RadioActive wrote:
If you had to pick right now, which one is bigger in your mind? Certainly both came out of the blue and both involve some of the biggest names in the industry.

Derringer. It got an instant reaction--as Billy in Buffalo used to say, "Yuge-ah!"--
and there should be more corporate fallout to come in more ways than one.

Hate to see Lisa gone, she's very good. She's better than CTV.

mic'em · August 16, 2022 9:46 am

So far into 2022, I would go Derringer, due to the notoriety and the possibility of more to come. LaFlamme will fade into retirement likely and who knows, maybe a political run could be in the future.

RadioActive · August 16, 2022 9:54 am

What's so interesting about both of these stories, to me, is how they extend beyond the personalities involved.

Derringer's alleged actions have exposed the way some women are treated in the broadcast industry, even as supposedly increasingly "woke" management and HR departments turn the other way and try to ignore it.

LaFlamme's story exposes the way Bell Media handles its news policies, (we've already seen how they've all but destroyed CFRB's once legendary newsroom), opens possible discussions about ageism and sexism, and whether there are more changes to come at CTV News.

So the full fallout from both of these tales may not have been fully told yet. That's what makes them so intriguing.

Radiowiz · August 16, 2022 10:25 am

It's a tough choice. Sounds like there's a tie here.
May the best "telling it like it is" situation win.

turkeytop · August 16, 2022 1:01 pm

SinceI've never heard of this Derringer character, I'll go with LaFlamme.

betaylored · August 16, 2022 1:08 pm

I think the Derringer story isn't over until there's a ruling about the Ontario Human Rights case Jenn Valentyne filed.

Derringer story is powerful because of the number of people who have been in a toxic work environment and felt powerless.

Lisa LaFlamme story is powerful because most of us have been fired unfairly at one time or another.

I think it depends on your sex and age as to which hits closer to home.

LOSat · August 16, 2022 1:35 pm

Both stories involve men "putting women in their place" and either management turning a blind eye to it, Corus, or actively participating it in the case of Bell Media.

alangee · August 16, 2022 2:31 pm

I would link the two stories together as part of a larger story. They are both a reflection of how poorly women are treated in the media.

August 16, 2022 3:02 pm

turkeytop wrote:
SinceI've never heard of this Derringer character, I'll go with LaFlamme.

Duly recorded as a spoiled ballot

paterson1 · August 16, 2022 4:06 pm

Nationally definitely Laflamme. She is known across the country and Derringer is not. Locally much closer but still likely Laflamme in my opinion. Her story was covered by everyone, and she is much more popular and known than John Derringer.

mike marshall · August 16, 2022 9:21 pm

The number of Views for one of the first, if not *the* first Derringer Topic, is/are 9,344.
Perhaps the View counts for the various threads should be part of the considerations.

Last edited by mike marshall (August 16, 2022 9:39 pm)

Tomas Barlow · August 17, 2022 1:42 am

turkeytop wrote:
SinceI've never heard of this Derringer character, I'll go with LaFlamme.

Do you come here without reading anything?

UnSub · August 17, 2022 3:58 am

The Lisa LaFlamme story is a national story, most people outside of Southern Ontario weren't aware of Derringer prior to the series of events that resulted in him leaving Q107, many people in the west still don't know of him, but they definitely know Lisa LaFlamme.

RadioActive · August 17, 2022 6:29 am

UnSub wrote:
The Lisa LaFlamme story is a national story, most people outside of Southern Ontario weren't aware of Derringer prior to the series of events that resulted in him leaving Q107, many people in the west still don't know of him, but they definitely know Lisa LaFlamme.

You're certainly right about that, but don't forget, this board is about local Southern Ontario radio and TV. So that's the context I was asking in. But worth noting - I saw the Derringer story on sites from out east (Halifax) and way out west (Vancouver.) So while they may not know who he is, it's possible they saw the story. They also saw the LaFlamme headline, so yes, that might tend to give it more weight.

UnSub · August 18, 2022 2:14 am

RadioActive wrote:
UnSub wrote:
The Lisa LaFlamme story is a national story, most people outside of Southern Ontario weren't aware of Derringer prior to the series of events that resulted in him leaving Q107, many people in the west still don't know of him, but they definitely know Lisa LaFlamme.
You're certainly right about that, but don't forget, this board is about local Southern Ontario radio and TV. So that's the context I was asking in. But worth noting - I saw the Derringer story on sites from out east (Halifax) and way out west (Vancouver.) So while they may not know who he is, it's possible they saw the story. They also saw the LaFlamme headline, so yes, that might tend to give it more weight.

Good point, another factor to consider is that it seems that everyone in media knew about Derringer's behaviour and I don't think anyone was surprised, conversely, the LaFlamme story surprised pretty much everyone.

Dani Elwell · August 18, 2022 7:54 am

alangee wrote:
I would link the two stories together as part of a larger story. They are both a reflection of how poorly women are treated in the media.

Thank you for saying this!