MONTREAL — Radio-Canada has hired veteran film producer Francine Allaire as its new head of dramatic programming, making her responsible for teleromans, comedies and big-budget series as well feature films made with independent producers.

‘It’s very good news for Radio-Canada, considering the vast experience of Madame Allaire,’ said SRC director of public relations Marc Pichette on Wednesday following the announcement.

Allaire, who will start work March 19, replaces Louise Lantagne, now the head of radio at SRC.

Allaire’s film and television career spans 25 years, and includes a recent stint at Galafilm where she coproduced The Blue Butterfly and Hunt for Justice: The Louise Arbour Story. She was also the executive producer of the Gemini Award-winning MOW Dr. Lucille: The Lucille Teasdale Story. In 2004, she received the Women in Film and Television Producer of the Year Award.

Allaire comes to the job at a time when SRC is fighting to attract viewers. Few of the new dramas and comedies it has launched in the past couple of years have placed among the province’s top 30 shows for any sustained period.

Allaire is currently the director of educational services at the Institut national de l’image et du son. In the 1970s, she cofounded the independent distributor Cinéma Libre. She also helped launch the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois festival, and has worked at Telefilm Canada and Cinémathèque québécoise.