About Us

The Franchise Montreal is owned and operated by founder Gary Whittaker and partner Nick Murdocco, and consists of a weekend morning radio show (which airs from 7am to 10am on TSN990 in Montreal), The Weigh In web show, The Canadiens Coronary, and this website.

Podcasts including the "Deep Impact" (Montreal Impact report), the Sunday Shinny (NHL/Habs show) and the "Weigh-In" (MMA podcast) can all be found on the TSN 990 website

The Franchise first aired on December 1st, 2007 to an Internet audience with hosts Gary Whittaker and Leigh Lefebvre on community station CJLO. In only a few short months, Leigh Lefebvre moved on to pursue other ventures, and when he was replaced by new co-host Nick Murdocco, a new chemistry was quickly discovered. The Franchise was being branded by fans as funny and informative, and received an honourable mention as Best Sports Talk Show in Montreal in 2009 after a year’s worth of collaboration.

Mainstream took notice of The Franchise's success, and was asked to become the weekend morning show of The TEAM 990. In 2010, The Franchise moved up the rankings and was voted as 8th Best Radio Talk Show in Montreal. The increased exposure and notoriety has allowed The Franchise to launch two webshows; The “Weigh In” (to appeal to its combat sports fans), and the “Canadiens Coronary” (as the name would suggest, for the diehard Habs fans.)

Press Photos

For high resolution versions of these images, please email press@thefranchise.ca.

Facts about The Franchise

The Franchise Montreal is the Weekend Morning Show at the Team 990 and airs live every Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM and is hosted by Gary Whittaker and Nick Murdocco.
Shows can also be also be heard live at TSN990.ca or downloaded via ITunes or on our website at www.thefranchise.ca
The show first aired on December 1st, 2007 with Gary Whittaker and Leigh Lefebvre as hosts when the show was originally on CJLO. Nick Murdocco replaced Leigh Lefebvre as host on May 18th, 2008 and the jump to the Team 990 was made on September 12th 2009.
The Franchise concentrates all efforts and focus on the major Montreal based sports teams (Canadiens, Impact, Alouettes) as well as a strong emphasis on combat sports. We also discuss the major stories coming from the NBA, NFL and MLB.
Gary Whittaker and Nick Murdocco have been accredited to cover every major MMA and Boxing event in the province of Quebec, as well as The Montreal Impact of the MLS, The Alouettes of the CFL, The Montreal Juniors and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, and select games of the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL.

Advertisers/Sponsors

The Franchise website ( www.thefranchise.ca) is enjoying a growing hit rate, with increased traffic from month to month due to increasing listenership and positive word of mouth advertising. (Google Analytics info available upon request)

The most recent podcast download rates have topped 4000 per week

The Franchise Montreal consists of 2 weekend morning shows being broadcast on 990 AM in Montreal (Montreal's Sports Authority, TSN990) including the valuable male 18-45 demographic and the family demographic as the show airs on weekend mornings when families are often together at home or in the car en route to different weekend functions.

Packages can include radio spots, banner ads, and other various promotional packages. Send your inquiry to either gary@thefranchise.ca or nick@thefranchise.ca

Staff

Gary Whittaker
Host of The Franchise on TSN 990
Publisher/Senior Writer
Owner of the Franchise Montreal Radio Networks

Nick Murdocco
Host of The Franchise on TSN 990
Editor-in-Chief
Owner of the Franchise Montreal Radio Networks

Amanda Stein
Producer- The Franchise on TSN 990

Deejay Sherman

Contributing photo-journalist - Producer of The Canadiens Coronary webshow

Aldo Parise

Consultant
parisassoc.org