Jump to content

CityNews

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mack9 (talk | contribs) at 15:31, 11 October 2008 (→Citytv Calgary). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

CityNews are local newscasts on the Citytv system in Canada. Previously seen on all five Citytv stations, it is now seen only on Citytv Toronto.

History

CityPulse at Six open titles, 2003

The newscast premiered on March 23, 1977 in Toronto under its original title CityPulse until August 2, 2005 when it was renamed CityNews. While the station often claims that it was the "first" news show to abandon the traditional anchor desk, CBS News in the United States had done this as early as the 1950s under Edward R. Murrow. Its main contribution and innovation in television news was to inject its reporters into their stories in a more participatory role that is still considered highly controversial by more traditional journalists. CityNews/CityPulse also presents its programs in such a manner to emphasize a more emotional feel to the show to get a reaction out of the audience than most other local news stations (examples include stories related to Paul Bernardo, the Mike Harris government and the Caledonia land dispute).

By the mid-1980s, the newscast's style, pioneered by Moses Znaimer, was promoted as a "format" for local news shows to copy around North America. The show has also been duplicated by other television stations owned by CHUM Limited as well, and its format has been licensed to several television stations around the world such as Citytv Barcelona and Citytv Bogotá.

Until 1987, the anchors on CityPulse sat behind an anchor desk in a dark studio, accompanied only by the two familiar orange-red-black striped beams and a television set between the two anchors. CityPulse at Six was anchored by Gord Martineau and Dini Petty for much of the years 1980-1987. Weather presenters in that era included CHUM Radio veteran Jay Nelson, Brian Hill, Greg Rist, and David Onley. Sports anchors included Jim McKenny, Russ Salzberg, John Saunders, Debbie Van Kiekebelt, and Ann Rohmer.

CityPulse Tonight, originally known as CityPulse at 10 prior to 1981, was anchored by Bill Cameron, later by Gord Martineau, and then Anne Mroczkowski. In 1987, Anne moved to the supper-hour show to co-anchor with Martineau, and J.D. (John) Roberts began his news anchoring career as anchor of CityPulse Tonight after several years as an entertainment reporter and MuchMusic VJ.

On May 4, 1987, CityPulse moved into its current newsroom set at 299 Queen Street West in Toronto, following the move of the station's operations from 99 Queen Street East. The set was heavily grey with red accents until late 1990, when it began to darken towards the current look.

CityNews opening titles from 2005, still seen on Citytv Calgary and Edmonton

CityPulse was launched in Vancouver in 2002 when CKVU-TV was re-named Citytv Vancouver. With the expansion of Citytv from two to five stations in August 2005, the newscasts on all five Citytv stations were renamed CityNews.

On July 12, 2006, coincident with the announcement of CTVglobemedia's plans to take over CHUM Limited, all primetime CityNews programs, with the exception of those on CITY-TV in Toronto, were immediately cancelled and 281 CHUM employees across the country were laid off. On CKAL and CKEM, CityNews at Six and CityNews Tonight was replaced with a new half-hour newsmagazine called Your City, see more below.. CHMI had been slated to launch its own version in January according to a news release[1], however, CHMI has not produced a version of Your City as of June 22, 2007. CKVU's full newscasts has not been replaced, though the station still presents newsbreaks weekdays and on Sundays. Calgary and Edmonton still run CityNews at Noon.

When the show made the transition to CityNews, it lost multiple features, such as the CityPulse Webtest, which had existed since the 1980s as a phone-in contest. The new format on CHMI, which previously was called A-Channel News (which is now used by CHUM's NewNet stations), had lost nearly half of its audience for the 6 p.m. newscast before its cancellation.

Ratings for Toronto's CityNews have taken a dramatic nosedive over the past year. The flagship newscast for CityTV is now ranked a distant #4 in the Toronto market, outpaced by CTV, Global and even CH News (which actually focuses its local news coverage on the Hamilton/Halton/Niagara region). In addition, since Global's relaunch of its news package in February 2006, CityNews' numbers are down 15% among 18- to 49-year-olds.[2] As of March 2008, CityNews Toronto is still struggling in the ratings, coming in 3rd (with an average of 100,000 viewers) after CTV (326,000 viewers) and Global (126,000). Citytv's new news program (CityNews at 5) drew in a scant 1% share of the Toronto market at 5 p.m. when it made its debut in January 2008. [1]

On April 27 2007, Gord Martineau won a lifetime achievement award for best newscast for 30 years for working at Citytv Toronto and CP24.

On June 8, 2007, the CRTC approved the CTV takeover of CHUM, However the five Citytv stations were unable to be sold to CTVgm as a result of concentration of media ownership regulations. On June 11 Rogers Media announced that it would buy five Citytv stations from CTVglobemedia. The sale was approved on September 28 and became official on October 31.

On January 21, 2008, Citytv Toronto debuted a 5 p.m. news program, CityNews at Five.

In July 2008, Rogers filed an application with the CRTC to launch a separate 24-hour news station to be affiliated with Citytv.

Anchors and reporters

Citytv Toronto

CityNews in Toronto replaced the former CityPulse news as the main 6pm news format. There are some differences between the old and new formats.


Citytv Winnipeg

CityNews was to be replaced by Your City news magazine after the merger of Bell Globemedia and CHUM Limited, but the show has not been materialized yet. The only newscast shown on Citytv currently, is CityNews International, a national newscast covering Canada and the world.

Citytv Calgary

CityNews at Six and CityNews Tonight was dropped; reporters were re-assigned to CityNews at Noon, Your City; and the CityNews International feed from Toronto


Citytv Edmonton

The CityNews format was dropped; some reporters were re-assigned to CityNews at Noon, Your City; and the CityNews International feed from Toronto


Citytv Vancouver

The news format dropped and replaced with CityNews International. The only current news provided by Citytv Vancouver is its morning show, Breakfast Television.


Notable ex-contributors

David C. Onley after taping an episode of Home Page.

Citytv Toronto

Citytv Vancouver

Citytv Edmonton

Citytv Calgary

Citytv Winnipeg

Theme music

The CityPulse newscast originally began with the theme music "Masterpiece" by The Temptations. In 1979 it was switched to "Gotta Fly Now" by Maynard Ferguson (a Montreal jazz musician). The current theme is a custom composed music piece.

On January 21, 2008, the new CityNews at 5, and the other CityNews newscasts airing on Citytv Toronto unveiled new graphics and music that includes helicopter sounds and more swooping city views.

CityNews Weather

Weather stations

CityNews is the only newscast in Canada that currently operates its own 11 (now expanded to 20) weather transmitter stations[3] across the Greater Toronto Area including:

In addition to the 11 weather stations, on August 24, [[2007, CityNews introduced a CityNews Weather LiveEye a mobile unit that can monitor the weather anywhere. [2]

CityNews Weather Online

On June 21, 2007, CityNews launched "CityNews Weather Online", a live weather streaming system which makes seeing the weather forecast easier through your desktop that at citynews.ca, which requires logging on. The new program has similar features to the CityNews website including 11 weather stations across the GTA and Top News stories. When a weather watch or warning is issued, two beeps will sound and a weather watch or warning appear on the weather toolbar. There is also a warning symbol displaying a red TV with a "!" mark appearing on the CityNews icon which is on the taskbar where the start button and other application windows are located. The system is currently only in use for Microsoft Windows computers.

CityNews Webcast

On February 14, 2007, CityNews created the CityNews Webcast, an online news source based in Toronto. Before February 14. 2007, Citytv had CityNews Podcast, a news source that could only be viewed on an iPod device. There are two editions of the webcast, one recorded live on Breakfast Television every weekday morning and the other recorded in the afternoon. The CityNews Afternoon Webcast was previously known as CityNews @ Work before February 14, 2007. It was not available for downloads but is now after being renamed CityNews (Afternoon) Webcast. The CityNews Webcast can be downloaded on to an iPod via iTunes, however they may not be downloaded on to your desktop itself, only viewed online at citynews.ca

CityNews International

Soon after the cancellation of the local CityNews broadcasts in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, a new half-hour program called CityNews International was launched. The program is produced in the Citytv Toronto, CP24 studios and features many of the same on-air personalities as the local Citytv Toronto's CityNews. CityNews International airs at 6:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. in Calgary and Edmonton. In Winnipeg it runs at 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. and in Vancouver it airs at 6:30 p.m. and 11:35 p.m. In Toronto, Citytv airs the newscast at 11:35 p.m. and on CTVglobemedia's CP24, airing it at 10:30 p.m.

Previously, the program was shown through the CityNews website to be hosted by Gord Martineau, Amber MacArthur and Beatrice Politi. Gord Martineau is the host of the program.

Your City

The replacement program in Calgary and Edmonton for the evening/late-evening program is a magazine type of show called Your City.

The show airs five nights a week at 6:00 p.m. with a repeat at 11:00 p.m. (11:30 p.m. when the late movie runs long). The format of the show consists of a top story, a look at theatre/other cultural life, various restaurant and wine reviews and an assortment of other general interest stories such as dating and a weekly debate (seen only on the Calgary edition).

The Calgary edition is anchored by Sandra Jansen - who is filling in for Leah Sarich while she is on maternity leave. Weather is presented by comedian Jebb Fink, who had previously worked with the station when it was A-Channel as the remote host on The Big Breakfast, which is now Breakfast Television.

The Edmonton edition is anchored by Paul Mennier who doubles as the station's Local Content Manager and weather is presented by Asha Tomlinson.

In both cities, the show makes use of the newsroom setup that originated in Toronto. Both editions still display the CityNews logo on the set.

References

  1. ^ Limited news release
  2. ^ Canoe.ca
  3. ^ CityNews Weather stations
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=CityNews&oldid=244582529"