CBC/Radio-Canada releases plan for the transition to over-the-air digital television

Posted on by

With Canada’s switch from analogue to digital over-the-air television just over a year away, CBC/Radio-Canada today released the details of its plan for the transition to the Canadian public.

The transition to digital television is an industry wide issue requiring a concerted effort by all players – broadcasters, the CRTC, and government – to ensure that Canadians are properly informed of the changes coming and how to deal with them.

For its part, CBC/Radio-Canada will be installing digital transmitters in all of the markets in which it produces original television programming, for a total of 27 transmitters. Fifteen of the 27 transmitters will be operational by August 2011, with the remaining twelve to be operational by or before August 2012. The locations of these transmitters are now available on CBC/Radio-Canada’s website.

The Corporation will continue to offer analogue service beyond the August 31, 2011 shut-off date established by government in all markets not identified by the CRTC as mandatory for digital transmission. It has also filed a request to the CRTC to allow a temporary extension of analogue service in those markets not slated for transition until after the August 2011 deadline under the Corporation’s plan.

“We believe that our plan is appropriate given our financial challenges, given our mandate, and given industry trends,” said Steven Guiton, Vice President and Chief Regulatory Officer. “When all is said and done, our estimate is that less than 1 per cent of Canadians will need to turn to a cable or satellite provider in order to continue receiving our signal.”

The Broadcasting Act mandates that CBC/Radio-Canada’s services “be made available throughout Canada by the most appropriate and efficient means, as resources become available for the purpose.” Today, Canadians receive CBC/Radio-Canada’s television services through a variety of platforms including over-the-air, cable, satellite and the Internet. The plan to transition to over-the-air digital television in key markets will support the modernization of CBC/Radio-Canada’s multi-platform delivery system and enable the Corporation to continue providing Canadians with high-quality content through the most appropriate and efficient means available.

CBC/Radio-Canada’s digital TV transition plan is available at:

www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/newsreleases/pdf/dtv_plan.pdf

Strombo interviews Peter Mansbridge

Posted on by

Tony Parsons to anchor CBC Vancouver local news

Posted on by

Veteran B.C. news anchor Tony Parsons is returning to the Vancouver airwaves as host of the CBC’s supper-hour newscast, the corporation announced on Monday afternoon.

Parsons will co-host the CBC local newscasts with Gloria Macarenko. He replaces former co-anchor Ian Hanomansing, who left last week to take up a position as a replacement anchor and reporter with CBC News: The National.

Parsons recently retired from the top anchor spot at Global TV in Vancouver and became host of the 10 p.m. PT local newscast on CHEK television, an independent station in Victoria.

He remains one of the most recognizable faces in B.C. news, Johnny Michel, the managing director for CBC’s B.C. region, said in a statement.

“Tony Parsons has been synonymous with local news in Vancouver for 35 years and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the CBC News Vancouver team,” said Michel.

Under the new agreement, Parsons will host the newscast for CBC in Vancouver from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., then appear at 10 p.m. on CHEK’s late-night Vancouver Island newscast.

More…

Ian Hanomansing to leave anchor chair for reporting

Posted on by

Ian Hanomansing, who has served as co-host of CBC News Vancouver since 2000, will take up a new assignment with The National. His last broadcast as co-host in Vancouver will be Thursday, April 8.

Hanomansing is no stranger to The National, having reported for and hosted the program frequently over the past 15 years. More recently, he played a significant role in covering the Vancouver Olympic Games and has reported from BC for The National in addition to his local news co-hosting duties. He will expand on this role in addition to some hosting work on the network.

Ian joined CBC News in 1986. During this time he has had a wide variety of assignments as a reporter, anchor and interviewer. Among the major stories he’s covered: the Exxon Valdez oil spill and San Francisco earthquake (both in 1989), the Los Angeles riot (1992), Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riot (1994), the Hong Kong handover (1997) and numerous Olympic Games. He hosted Pacific Rim Report, which focused on Canada’s connection to Asia; Times 7, a joint venture between CBC News and the New York Times; Canada Now, a national supper-hour newscast; Still Talking Hockey, a sports-themed late night program on CBC British Columbia; and Feeling the Heat, a summer series about the environment on CBC Radio One. Ian won the 2008 Gemini Award for the Best News Anchor.

His experience and familiarity with The National will bring further depth to an already impressive roster of reporters. In addition, his familiarity with issues and events important to Canadians in British Columbia will bring useful additional knowledge and insight to the network’s flagship news program.

Over the past several years Ian has also played a critical role in the local news renewal process in Vancouver. Along with the local team, Ian helped navigate the changes from Canada Now to CBC News Vancouver to the 90-minute format. His leadership and vision were critical to that success.

Gloria Macarenko will continue to helm the supper hour along with Claire Martin and Shane Foxman until a new co-host is announced.