Inside the search for the new host of Q

Simon Houpt:

“If the folks in Studio Q allowed themselves a few moments of uncharacteristic giddiness, you could understand their relief. Thursday marked 20 weeks since Ghomeshi had stepped out of the studio and into infamy, and everyone on staff was eager – some would say desperate – to begin a new chapter. While the focus has understandably been on the former host, who faces seven criminal charges, the gruelling, unprecedented process of finding a new personality to be Q’s flag bearer offers a fascinating glimpse into the stress fractures and underlying strength of the public broadcaster.”

Seriously, good on these guys for getting through this. I’ve gone through the process of having a new host, of being uncertain about the future- but never anything like this. I can’t imagine how stressful it would have been to have so much scrutiny on you, a major scandal in the backdrop, and real questions about whether the show you’re making should even continue to exist.
The broader structural issues that helped create this problem it still need to be examined and sorted, but the people involved in the day to day production of this show deserve to breathe a sigh of relief.