Marc Denis (radio personality)

Marc Denis
Born Marc Denis
February 19, 1953
Hull (Gatineau), Québec
Other names Mais Oui,[1] Marc Mais Oui Denis,
Marc In The Dark
Occupation Radio & Television Personality, Producer, Host, Voice-over Artist
Years active 1968–present
Known for English-French switch-hitting, Top 40 radio, La Connection Française, Marc in the dark, Coffee, Tea or…Pop ! / Aéropop !
Website
www.marcdenis.com

Marc Denis (born February 19, 1953) is a Canadian bilingual (English-French) radio and television personality.[2] Marc is known by his radio nickname Mais Oui,[1] for his English-French switch-hitting Top 40 radio DJ style on Montreal English-language radio station CKGM, from 1974 to 1980.[3][4][5]

Career

Radio

In 1968 Marc and his friends started college radio by the name of CBRV at Collège Bourget in Rigaud, Québec. This was followed by occasional stints for Marc at CJRC Ottawa and CKCH Hull, while he studied at the University of Ottawa. Marc derived inspiration from radio disc jockey Roger Scott whose style influenced him. Marc got his major break on Montreal English radio station CKGM in 1974. Going by the nickname of Marc "Mais Oui" Denis, he hosted bilingual English-French switch-hitting shows in Top 40 format until 1977 along with two other bilingual colleagues, Rob Christie and Scott Carpentier who joined him in 1975. The trio is known as La Connection Française and will appear on-air as a back-to-back unit until the departure of Carpentier in February 1977. After the trio broke up in 1977,[6] Marc continued hosting evening shows on CKGM going by the name of Marc in the Dark until 1980.[7] Marc also appeared on other French or English-language radio stations in Montreal during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including stints at CJFM 95.9 on PM Drive,[8] on CKAC 730 as host of La Fièvre du samedi soir, CKOI 96.9 as first producer-host of Le Décompte, at CFGL 105.7 as morningman of Les week-ends d’Hier à Aujourd’hui,[9] on CFQR 92.5 (Q92) hosting Saturday Night Oldies (The New SNO) and as morningman on CINW 940, Montreal’s Greatest Hits of the 60s-70s-80s. Marc also hosted on-air in Toronto ON from 1997 to 2000, in English, on CJEZ 97.3 and, in French, on CJBC 860 in 2001 before returning and resuming his career in Montreal in 2002.

Television

Between 1983 and 1989, Marc Denis appeared as a regular contributor of pop music reviews and gadget and novelties introductions on the programs Bon Dimanche, Midi Soleil and Samedi Magazine on French-language television station Télé-Métropole CFTM 10 (TVA). In 1984, he co-researched and hosted the television special La Grande Nuit Vidéo, a pop music video marathon program broadcast on CFTM 10 (TVA).[10] That same year, he also hosted the CBC series The Fame Game, a Montreal-based televised battle of the bands musical competition.[11] Marc Denis also appeared as the regular gadgets and novelties contributor on the Ralph Lockwood Noon Hour Show on CFCF12 (CTV)between 1985 and 1987 and as the onstage presenter and television reporter for the Miller MusicFest also on CFCF 12 (CTV) television, in August 1986. Marc co-hosted 15 consecutive Labour Day Weekend television presentations of the Québec Muscular Dystrophy Telethon known in the province as Le Téléthon de la dystrophie musculaire, from 1981 to 1995, inclusively. From 1988 to 1993, Marc was chosen to act as the Canadian television face and English / French voice of Quaker State Motor Oil.[12]

Other Works

Marc was the researcher-producer-host of the bilingual (French and English) in-flight audio pop music and interview program Coffee, Tea or…Pop ! / Aéropop ! on Air Canada from 1989 to 1997.[13]

Current career

Marc Denis is currently a bilingual voice-over artist and multimedia producer in the Montreal area. He is the curator of the online radio nostalgia websites the 98 CKGM Super 70s Tribute Pages and of the 1470 CFOX Montreal Radio Archive, the latter site in memory of British radio personality Roger Scott.[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cohen, Mike. "Mais oui: CKGM set to mark 50 years". TheSuburban.com. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Marc "Mais Oui" Denis: A part of Canadian radio history". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  3. ↑ Dubois, Bob (3 November 2010). "Marc Denis says "mais oui" to the Celebrity World". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "MARC MAIS OUI" DENIS: A PART OF CANADIAN RADIO HISTORY". Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "Mais Oui Marc Denis switch-hitting gains attention". Barrie Examiner. June 28, 1976.
  6. ↑ Petrowski, Nathalie (24 April 1976). "La "Connection" francaise: trois mousquetaires communicateurs". Journal de la journaliste. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  7. ↑ Radz, Matt (1979). "Marc in the dark". Montreal Star. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Nulman, Andy (November 2, 1980). "La 'double-vie' of FM-96's Marc Denis". Sunday Express. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "Le decompte CKOI avec Marc Denis". Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "La Grande Nuit Video - Marc Denis Videos : Firstpost Topic". Firstpost.com. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  11. ↑ "Marc Denis to host CBC series The Fame Game". The Mississauga News. October 13, 1984.
  12. ↑ "Marc Denis switches again". Truro Daily News. May 26, 1989.
  13. ↑ "Coffee, Tea or…Pop ! / Aéropop !". enRoute inflight travel magazine. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  14. ↑ "Roger Scott: the main inspiration for me getting into this crazy business! Marc 'Mais oui' Denis". Radio London. Retrieved 24 February 2014.

External links