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CBC temporarily cancels local TV news across Canada during COVID-19 outbreak


ED2

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CBC has just announced this morning that the local 6PM and 11PM TV newscasts on CBC Television will be put on temporary hiatus. Simulcasts of CBC News Network will replace local news at 6 and 11. The exception would be the local newscasts on CBC North, covering Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

 

To put into context, some of CBC's local & regional newscasts are run out of control rooms located out of CBC Toronto, with the studio, anchors, reports, and producers located in their respective markets. Most of these local TV newscasts also place last or near last in some markets. However, there are some areas where CBC is either the only TV station in the region (eg. Prince Edward Island, NWT/Yukon/Nunavut), or is the only other TV news competition in town (eg. Newfoundland & Labrador, Windsor, Ottawa)

 

Local radio shows on CBC Radio One, and online local news on CBC.ca will not be affected.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/press-release/cbc-consolidates-news-coverage-in-response-to-the-evolving-coronavirus-cris

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13 hours ago, AaronQ said:

It drew criticism from the Premier of the Prince Edward Islands province.

 

I understand his frustration. When I saw this thread, it didn’t make sense. Why not cede some airtime devoted to regular entertainment programming to include hour-long blocks of CBC News Network coverage (maybe at 5:00 and 11:30 p.m., alongside their existing midday simulcast) while keeping the local newscasts to provide info on the local effects of the virus, especially in those areas where CTV/CTV2, Citytv and Global don’t have competing local news operations?

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Windsor also has a CTV station doing local news at 6 and 11.

 

I feel bad for Prince Edward Island, their only TV news is gone for now (they still have local radio from CBC), and the private networks do not seem to want to devote any resources to that province.

 

It’s interesting how Radio-Canada is continuing its local news programs across the country IN FRENCH, but CBC is not. 

5 hours ago, T.L. Hughes said:

I understand his frustration. When I saw this thread, it didn’t make sense. Why not cede some airtime devoted to regular entertainment programming to include hour-long blocks of CBC News Network coverage (maybe at 5:00 and 11:30 p.m., alongside their existing midday simulcast) while keeping the local newscasts to provide info on the local effects of the virus, especially in those areas where CTV/CTV2, Citytv and Global don’t have competing local news operations?


CBC shut down the local control rooms of many of its CBC stations and moved them to Toronto because they probably did not have the money to upgrade them to high definition. The control room staff for those shows are probably being redeployed to staff the control room for CBC News Network. 

 

Still, it’s certainly a bad look for CBC. While all the other English networks have centralized control rooms to a certain extent, the way CBC has done it has clearly hurt them.

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3 hours ago, ED2 said:

Local 6 PM news on CBC TV is returning... sort of.

 

It sounds like CBC News Network still be simulcast on CBC TV at 6 PM, but with a 30 minute local news "segment". Whatever that means.

 

https://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/media-centre/statement-cbc-news-supperhour-newscasts

 

"Segment" i.e. production control and output by CBCNN instead of CBC directly. 

So... exactly what they were doing now, only a bit longer? 🙃

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On a Christmas Day several years ago (I think in the 2000s), CTV tried something similar. CTV Newsnet was simulcast on CTV at 6 PM local time for 30 minutes, and it featured local, national, and international news presented by the on-duty anchor. The anchor also acknowledged viewers tuning in on the local CTV station. The CTV Newsnet opener was even modified to use the CTV local news music. 

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So, a summary of what viewers across the country saw on their local CBC station...

 

Newfoundland & Labrador (6 PM NT, 4:30 PM ET), screengrab from CBC Newfoundland's website

CBC Here and Now has returned to its regular time slot at 6 PM, presumably broadcast through CBNT's facilities

hereandnow.thumb.png.a782ae1cf95b3d07695f2e40df805905.png

 

 

Nova Scotia/New Brunswick/PEI (6 PM AT/5 PM ET), screengrab from CBHT Halifax 

Tom Murphy from CBC Nova Scotia was the primary anchor for the half hour broadcast through CBCNN, while Harry Forestell (CBC New Brunswick) and Louise Martin (CBC PEI) presented their respective segments.  The show also announced that CBC Compass would be returning on March 26. CBC Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will also begin broadcasting a joint news program also on March 26.

capture_20200325_220716.thumb.jpg.6027d69e44422ac5049eb9dcf634002a.jpg

 

Manitoba (6 PM CT/7 PM ET), screengrab from CBWT Winnipeg

There was breaking news during this hour, so CBC's Hannah Thibedeau was the primary anchor for that. Meanwhile, Janet Stewart presented the local news from the CBC Winnipeg newsroom for a few minutes.capture_20200325_221123.thumb.jpg.362ed65300e7b53d78f339d3cb7eed60.jpg

 

Alberta/Saskatchewan (6 PM MT/8 PM ET), screengrab from CBRT Calgary

There was breaking news during this hour, so Carole McNeil was the primary anchor. She then threw to Sam Maciag from CBC Saskatchewan, who was the secondary anchor and presented news from Saskatchewan; Rob Brown from CBC Calgary and Nancy Carlson from CBC Edmonton presented news from their respective regions.

capture_20200325_221342.thumb.jpg.db0e3cbf07188d5e404aeb551da409d4.jpgcapture_20200325_221358.thumb.jpg.23bc5afd6c2732937012ce93f87f3b19.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

British Columbia (6 PM PT/9 PM ET), screengrab from CBUT Vancouver

The TV listings said "The National" for CBC Vancouver, but to my surprise, CBC Vancouver News returned. However, it was only 20 minutes long, while the remainder of the hour was simulcast with the Atlantic edition of The National on CBCNN along with the local CBC enhanced screen, as seen in other regions..

capture_20200325_221533.thumb.jpg.b3a318708cf89a59acab57f6e9cc8574.jpg

 

 

capture_20200325_221126.jpg

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On 3/19/2020 at 3:07 PM, ED2 said:

Windsor also has a CTV station doing local news at 6 and 11.

 

I feel bad for Prince Edward Island, their only TV news is gone for now (they still have local radio from CBC), and the private networks do not seem to want to devote any resources to that province.

 

It’s interesting how Radio-Canada is continuing its local news programs across the country IN FRENCH, but CBC is not. 


CBC shut down the local control rooms of many of its CBC stations and moved them to Toronto because they probably did not have the money to upgrade them to high definition. The control room staff for those shows are probably being redeployed to staff the control room for CBC News Network. 

 

Still, it’s certainly a bad look for CBC. While all the other English networks have centralized control rooms to a certain extent, the way CBC has done it has clearly hurt them.

 

Not just that some stations have local morning news before the national news. so it a slap in the face to viewers.

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10 hours ago, TheRolyPoly said:

This crisis is going to change the CBC and will probably force them to build local control rooms across their stations once again because obviously, its not working. Just look at P.E.I.

 

I don't think any of the stations that lost control rooms (Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Windsor, etc) will ever see theirs back again, but I think some of these may be distributed around the country where there is already existing infrastructure/control rooms, such as Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. 

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7 hours ago, ED2 said:

 

I don't think any of the stations that lost control rooms (Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Windsor, etc) will ever see theirs back again, but I think some of these may be distributed around the country where there is already existing infrastructure/control rooms, such as Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. 

 

I can see that and the CBC needs to do that badly.

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I don’t get the issue that caused this.  Reportedly what they’re saying is that the staff at the main broadcast centers couldn’t handle the volume of additional video feeds.  Some blogs made it sound like all incoming video from each individual station was being handled by the regional HQ. I don’t recall hearing anything of this sort of infrastructure before.

 

If they’re overloaded it could be stations sending the network live video.

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On 3/27/2020 at 11:21 PM, rkolsen said:

I don’t get the issue that caused this.  Reportedly what they’re saying is that the staff at the main broadcast centers couldn’t handle the volume of additional video feeds.  Some blogs made it sound like all incoming video from each individual station was being handled by the regional HQ. I don’t recall hearing anything of this sort of infrastructure before.

 

If they’re overloaded it could be stations sending the network live video.

 

Many of the local CBC newscasts are done through control rooms at the Toronto Broadcast Centre, with studio cameras, packaged stories and VOs, and Dejeros/ENG truck feeds coming in from the remote studios/newsrooms. That's a lot of video coming from one place. In addition, there were probably too many people who called in sick or were quarantined that there wasn't enough people to backfill the vacant roles, and many of these newscasts are in last place in their respective markets.  

 

Every major network in Canada has centralized local news production to varying degrees, but not to the extent that CBC has. 

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On 3/29/2020 at 11:14 PM, ED2 said:

 

Many of the local CBC newscasts are done through control rooms at the Toronto Broadcast Centre, with studio cameras, packaged stories and VOs, and Dejeros/ENG truck feeds coming in from the remote studios/newsrooms. That's a lot of video coming from one place. In addition, there were probably too many people who called in sick or were quarantined that there wasn't enough people to backfill the vacant roles, and many of these newscasts are in last place in their respective markets.  

 

Every major network in Canada has centralized local news production to varying degrees, but not to the extent that CBC has. 

So essentially most CBC local stations are produced as an outside broadcast where the cameras and everything are sent to a control room in Toronto?

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5 hours ago, rkolsen said:

So essentially most CBC local stations are produced as an outside broadcast where the cameras and everything are sent to a control room in Toronto?

 

Yes that exactly what that means, but if CBC newscast struggle I could care less.

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7 hours ago, rkolsen said:

So essentially most CBC local stations are produced as an outside broadcast where the cameras and everything are sent to a control room in Toronto?

 

Yep, that's exactly how it works. I am also guessing all the TV production staff is pooled, so you might have a director working on a CBCNN show in the morning, and a regional newscast for some far flung region in the afternoon. 

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I read that they also had control rooms in Ottawa and Vancouver to handle the additional newscasts.

 

But, most feeds probably onpass to Toronto before going to those control rooms - still...they did have options (as far as I know)

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3 hours ago, Northerner said:

I read that they also had control rooms in Ottawa and Vancouver to handle the additional newscasts.

 

But, most feeds probably onpass to Toronto before going to those control rooms - still...they did have options (as far as I know)

 

Some feeds could be going through Toronto, but for IFB and production purposes, feeds like an microwave truck or a Dejero is usually sent to those stations directly. 

 

Also, as of this week, the CBC local newscasts for Calgary and Edmonton have not returned yet. (Historically, barely anyone watches their shows, so this could factor in as to why it's not back yet).

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So most, if not all, of CBC's regional 6 PM newscasts have returned.

 

CBC's regional 11 PM newscasts, however, have not returned for any CBC station. Viewers are getting a double billing of The National at 10 PM and 11 PM, with the 11 PM broadcast featuring the local news/weather ticker that is also used during the noon hour CBC News Network simulcast. 


This capture was taken from CBC Calgary (CBRT). 

capture_20200408_230340.thumb.jpg.9ca826f47227d523508aae9d931bdb88.jpg

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On 4/9/2020 at 11:57 PM, Yankees4life said:

Talk about giving the competition a gift 🤦‍♂️

 

I'm not sure how well the CBC's regional 11 PM newscasts do ratings wise, but I doubt they are any good compared to the commercial competition. Some of the 11 PM newscasts are only 10 minutes long (eg. Winnipeg, Windsor), others are 30 minutes long, while some are pan-regional newscasts (eg. NB/NS/PEI share a pan-regional 11 PM news, same with CBC Edmonton and CBC North on weeknights).

 

I did hear that CBC's weekday 11 PM newscasts rated better than its weekday 6 PM newscasts. 

 

BTW, CBC's weekend regional news also haven't returned yet. 

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On 4/10/2020 at 1:57 AM, Yankees4life said:

Talk about giving the competition a gift 🤦‍♂️

 

The competition is not of concern for a public service like the CBC's local news. You should direct your attention to the markets that have lost their only source of television news thanks in part of CBC's decision.

 

  

10 hours ago, ED2 said:

I did hear that CBC's weekday 11 PM newscasts rated better than its weekday 6 PM newscasts. 

 

In general?

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