Money and representation.
She found out she was getting piped a month ago and said goodbye on Twitter.
You know, the old-fashioned way.
I have some news… pic.twitter.com/lTe3Rs0kOA
— Lisa LaFlamme (@LisaLaFlamme_) August 15, 2022
We discussed it on the show today before Omar Scahedina announced he was her replacement.
.@ItsDeanBlundell & @LochlinCross break down the shocking @LisaLaFlamme_ firing by Bell earlier today.
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Catch us weekdays at 3PM EST pic.twitter.com/N0t3SYMQqb— Crier Media (@thecriermedia) August 16, 2022
You called it @ItsDeanBlundell You'd have hoped he could have of waited a day or two…give Lisa a moment. https://t.co/3DmMjfwKYN
— Julie Balen (@jacbalen) August 16, 2022
Good for Omar. Bad for Lisa.
Good diversity hire. Bad for female broadcasters.
Good for Bell’s bottom line. That’s one side of the sword they used to take out their trust score by firing Lisa.
The other side? Representation. Promoting a visible minority to a more visible position. They’ll pay Omar less than Lisa; Bell gets credit for a diversity move. Diversity and representation are essential except when you use them to save money. Then it seems greasy to me.
Doing the right things for human beings doesn’t matter to media corporations. What matters to them is that they LOOK like they care about the things certain people care about. Firing Lisa addresses that and saves them a bunch of cash.
It’s a terrible, great look, depending on your skin color and your values.
Media isn’t a fun gig. Every day is spent trying to do your job, wondering when you won’t get to do it anymore based on the media monopoly in this country.
It doesn’t matter who you are. If Lisa Laflamme can get pumped publicly, every Bell employee should start handing out resumes or getting real estate licenses. Bell just sent notice to broadcasters everywhere that they’re putting up the white flag.
DB
PS: I’m happy for Omar. Good for him. He’s a great broadcaster and probably conflicted about the whole thing. Don’t hate him. Lisa got paid; she’ll be fine. But holy shit, what a mess.
Dean Blundell
Dean Blundell is a Canadian radio personality. Best known as a longtime morning host on CFNY-FM (The Edge) in Toronto, Ontario. In 2015 he was named the new morning host on sports radio station CJCL (Sportsnet 590 The Fan). Dean started his career in radio in 2001 and for nearly 20 years been entertaining the radio audience. Dean’s newest venture is the launch of his site and podcast which is gaining tremendous momentum across North America.
