Kevin O’Leary, best know as the brash, outspoken venture capitalist on Dragon’s Den and a frequent guest on Business News Netowork (BNN), will host a new business show on CBC Newsworld this fall.

O’Leary will join Amanda Lang, who also left BNN recently, at the helm of the new show. Their new show will air weekday afternoons. “Amanda Lang left alone in a show with her liberal views is dangerous,” he joked to the Globe and Mail. “I have been hired on behalf of all Canadians who believe in the capitalist system to keep her in check.”

More seriously O’Leary told the paper “We built something together and I didn’t want to lose it – I like working with her.”

The new show is part of a massive overhaul of CBC News, that is being described internally as the news renewal project. Other changes as part of the project include a new politics show from Ottawa, hosted by Evan Solomon, a new prime-time Newsworld show hosted by Mark Kelly and integrating the news division to improve coordination and communication.  The changes are intended to make the news division more nimble, better coordinated with cbcnews.ca, and to improving and expanding local news.

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	CBC Newsworld, News & Journalism	Posted at 12:56 pm (27 Aug 2009)

Evan Solomon will host a new political show from Ottawa beginning this fall. Joining Solomon in Ottawa will be award-winning CBC reporter Terry Milewski as CBC News’ new senior correspondent in the political bureau.

In his new role Solomon will be taking over the anchor chair from Don Newman, who retired in June. The show will broadcast from 5 to 7 p.m. ET. Solomon previously hosted CBC News: Sunday, which broadcast its last episode last month.

Terry Milweski move to Ottawa should be interesting. Milewski is a pit bull of a reporter who has not always had cordial relationships with politicians. His reporting on 1997 APEC summit got him into hot water when Prime Minister Jean Chrétien accused him of bias. Milewski was later cleared of that charge by the CBC ombudsman who described him as an “aggressive and critical” journalist whose work served the public interest.

Other CBC staffers taking up new assignments include:
-Keith Boag is moving to Los Angeles as the new U.S. West Coast correspondent;
-Susan Bonner is moving to the Washington bureau;
-David Common is heading to New York City, after a stint in Paris.

The moves are partly driven by the news renewal process and partly by the retirements. Jennifer McGuire, general manager of CBC News, made the announcement on Wednesday.

The full press release is available after the jump. What do you think of the moves?

[Read more →]

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	CBC Newsworld, News & Journalism	Posted at 3:19 pm (15 Jul 2009)

If you’ve been working on a pitch for the CBC News Renewal process, the deadline has been extended to February 20th.

According to a note from Jennifer McGuire, “We heard from many people who are still working on pitches for Newsworld Primetime. So, we have decided to extend the deadline for those proposals to the end of [this] week. Send them to newsrenewal@cbc.ca no later than Friday February 20″

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	CBC Newsworld, News & Journalism	Posted at 12:25 pm (16 Feb 2009)

There were some big changes unveiled at the CBC News Renewal announcement yesterday. Overall the strategy will envisions CBC News becoming more immediate, better utilizing digital channels, and improving local news.

The meeting was held to update staff on the ongoing process.

Todd Spencer the Executive Director of News Content, said he sees breaking news being feed directly into Newsworld and cbc.ca. “Online and Newsworld will be the first place we break news,”  Spencer said.

There are also big changes envisioned at The National. Jonathan Whitten the executive producer, said The National will be extended to seven nights a week. Sunday and Saturday Report will be absorbed into the new format. These changes will not take effect for the better part of a year.

The project will also bolster World Report. The show will have more daily editions, and will add another weekend edition.

There were no layoffs or cutbacks announced as part of the project.

Jennifer McGuire, the interim publisher of CBC News, and who spearheaded the meeting yesterday said it was called to share and reveal “what we think is the best strategic direction for CBC News… It’s not about revealing the end stage,” McGuire said, it’s “to share our thinking, to fully engage in this process as it moves forward.”

So what do you think? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

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	CBC Newsworld, Programming, The National	Posted at 6:29 pm (04 Dec 2008)

Last week, Peter Mansbridge celebrated being in the main chair at CBC Television News for twenty years. To celebrate this anniversary, the producers snuck in a video of Mansbridge’s first broadcast twenty years ago in the following broadcast.

Video will pause for a bit at start. Surprise happens after Coyne’s comments.

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	Archives/Vintage Media, CBC Newsworld, CBC Television, News & Journalism, Personalities	Posted at 11:10 am (05 May 2008)

The CBC will dramatically increase resources devoted to covering local and national news in Alberta generally and Calgary and Edmonton in particular.

Saying it’s moving to fulfill a commitment to local newsgathering announced nationally last year, CBC News will be doubling the number of newsgathering resources in Alberta by adding approximately 25 new assignments for television journalists based in Calgary and Edmonton to focus on local and national stories originating in Alberta.

At the same time, however, the CBC said it would move to Toronto the two hours of programming for CBC Newsworld, which are currently being produced in Calgary.

Actually, no, the CBC didn’t actually say it would “move” the programming from Calgary. The news release actually said it would “reconfigure to Toronto.” Wha?! “Reconfiguring” is the new corp-speak for “move?”

I guess it’s the same as executives not being able to ever say a show was “cancelled,” when, in fact, it was. The closest they seem to come up with is “Moved off the schedule.”

Really, who the hell is writing this stuff?!

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	Alberta, CBC Newsworld, News & Journalism	Posted at 2:39 pm (03 Apr 2008)

A Toronto viewer who goes by the name qsharp spotted this unusual caption on CBC Newsworld. I suppose sometimes words just aren’t enough…

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	CBC Newsworld, The Odd File	Posted at 2:37 pm (12 Feb 2008)

I’m watching with interest our coverage on CBC newsworld of the Air Canada incident in Calgary.

I notice that hours after the story broke, we were still displaying the Breaking News banner on our coverage — even when no new information was available and all we were doing was resetting the story at the top and bottom of the clocks.

Compare that to cbcnews.ca which has moved on from Breaking News to Developing Story — a slug that seems more accurate.

Back in the day, “breaking news” meant literally that — we had JUST broke into our regular programming to bring people urgent information. Nowadays, especially on the American cable news networks, that “breaking news” banner can last all day on the same story.

Have we lost touch with what Breaking News means? Or do you think it’s a good idea to leave that slug there on important stories?

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	CBC Newsworld, CBC.ca web site, News & Journalism	Posted at 1:05 pm (10 Jan 2008)

When viewers first tuned in to CBC Newsworld, they saw a slew of technical hiccups. Satellites lost their signals, audio crackled in and out, and hosts clumsily stumbled through their first demanding day.

But, for the first time in this country, Canadians had their own dedicated 24-hour news channel. Designed for “on-the-go viewers,” Newsworld offered frequent news updates and magazine style programming.

The network had an exhilarating if not perfect debut as shown in this television report from CBC Archives.

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	CBC Newsworld, Today In CBC History	Posted at 11:41 am (31 Jul 2007)

CBC executives were at the CRTC this morning asking the Commission to keep CBC Newsworld and Réseau de l’information de Radio-Canada’s on basic cable, after the transition from analog to fully digital distribution has been completed. Over the coming years, cable television will be moving from analog to digital, bringing with it the need for certain changes to the regulatory environment. So the CRTC is considering different options for basic cable and satellite television service in the future.

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	Asides, CBC Newsworld, The CRTC	Posted at 10:01 am (28 Mar 2007)

Playback has an interesting article online about the changes to basic cable being considered by the CRTC.

In short, there are a number of new channels who want to be in the basic-cable lineup. And those that are there, including CBC Newsworld, would like to stay put, thankyouverymuch.

The feds are preparing to rewrite the list of channels included with basic cable, in preparation for the switch to digital in 2010, a move that could open the door for a number of new channels, but threatens to shut out others if they are unable to argue for their continued inclusion on cable’s A-list.

 

New channels looking to break in include Canada One TV, which emphasizes multicultural programming; the Métis Michif Television Network; The Accessible Channel, all in described video; and All Points Bulletin, about public service and law enforcement.

 

If successful, the new channels will reach some eight million Canadian homes and make millions in subscription fees paid by cable and satellite operators. The Métis channel is looking to charge $0.15 per monthly subscriber, for example, while Canada One, a venture backed by broadcast exec Paul de Silva and producers Alfons Adetuyi and Amos Adetuyi, among others, is seeking a hefty $0.50.

The Commission is also considering a change of ownership at The Documentary Channel, in which CBC will take over control of the channel from Corus Entertainment.

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	CBC Newsworld, Documentary Channel, The CRTC, The Media Landscape	Posted at 2:11 pm (27 Mar 2007)

Today (Friday) is the last day for CBC’s supper-hour newscast Canada Now, hosted by Ian Hanomansing and regional hosts. Canada Now was created in 2000.

It will be replaced Monday with a full hour of regionally produced news programming, but only the main CBC TV network. Each show will be locally hosted and produced. Newsworld will launch a new international newscast called Around the World, followed by a half hour of CBC News: Today.

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	CBC News at Six, CBC Newsworld, News & Journalism	Posted at 12:12 am (16 Feb 2007)

From the Ottawa Citizen:

Consumers of television news looking for obvious signs of bias should listen for the subtle sounds of propaganda in the music played during nightly newscasts, new research shows.
     Carleton University’s James Deaville studied the background music used by CBC Newsworld and CNN in the news coverage following the 9/11 attacks, and found a decidedly more gentle sound north of the border.
     ”It had a martial component, but it moved towards a softer sound,” the music professor said in an interview.
     ”I think CNN was both trying to play on the tragedy and the fear, to say that this isn’t over yet and it’s an ongoing thing.
     ”It had a strong tone of revenge in the music. With the CBC, you just didn’t get that. Maybe it was too Canadian. It wasn’t advocating a rash response. It was an attempt to step back.”

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	CBC Newsworld	Posted at 12:50 pm (22 Jan 2007)

Was it just my TV, or did CBC TV lose its feed right in the middle of airing the results of the first ballot in the Liberal convention? It was only out for ten seconds or so (on both the main network and Newsworld), but the timing couldn’t have been worse, happening right at the climax of the vote-count. Damned YouTubers. They’re responsible for this somehow.

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	Asides, CBC Newsworld, CBC Television	Posted at 1:28 am (02 Dec 2006)