Dean Blundell Q&A: Radio host returns with few regrets
Dean Blundell returns to Toronto radio as morning host at Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Monday.
Controversial host, who takes over Sportsnet 590 The FAN morning show Monday, talks sports and challenges past, present and future.
By Raju Mudhar
Tech Reporter,
Published on Fri Feb 27 2015
As Dean Blundell gets set to be the new host of the morning show on Sportsnet 590 The FAN, the station is running commercials of the on-air personality with duct tape over his mouth and the tag line: “Reprogrammed.”
After a sit-down interview with Blundell on Friday, we might add “chastened, but unrepentant.” The former shock jock on the Edge 102.1 has been out of work since last January, when a number of controversies caused him to lose his job after more than 13 years at the Corus-owned station.
Blundell spent time with his family, started a podcast and began filling in at Sportsnet in the summer of 2014. That was a trial run, which led to his new show Dean Blundell and Co., announced in January. On Friday, it was also announced that he will be joined on the air by Sportsnet personalities George Rusic, Kayla Harris and producer Ryan Fabro.
Blundell comes with a lot of baggage after several broadcast complaints for crude attempts at humour, which were often labelled homophobic. Today, after time to consider his actions, he doesn’t apologize for the comments but does say that he has learned from those incidents and doesn’t want to be “hurtful.”
While there are many who won’t change their mind about Blundell based on his previous body of work, he says he’s excited about this opportunity, talking about it like it’s a dream come true.
For Rogers and Sportsnet radio, which already dominate the local airwaves over TSN 1050, this is a calculated gamble. Their hope is that his new persona won’t turn off his followers, and that Blundell’s old fans are willing to follow him to this new gig.
We’ll give Blundell some credit. If there is one media outlet he has reason to dislike it is the Toronto Star, which led coverage of the sex assault case that was jeopardized because of offensive jokes on Blundell’s show. His former producer, Derek Welsman, was the jury foreman. The incident led to Blundell’s firing.
Nothing was off-limits in Friday’s question-and-answer session. Blundell didn’t duck any questions.
Are you a homophobe?
Read More HERE
Why did they do this puff piece interview? Sportsnet bought a full page ad for his show in the same section, day of publication. Dean’s new Rogers job comes just as his Dad, a long-time radio exec with Rogers, retires from the organization.