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Global National
The 2013-present opening of Global National
Presented byDawna Friesen
(weekdays, 2010-present)
Robin Gill (Sundays, 2008-present; Saturdays, 2011-present)
Carol Wang (Mandarin; 2012-present)
Country of originCanada
Original languagesEnglish
Mandarin
No. of episodes5,089 (as of November 15, 2015)
Production
Running time30 min
Original release
NetworkGlobal
Shaw Multicultural Channel (Mandarin)
ReleaseSeptember 3, 2001 –
present

Global National is the English language flagship national newscast of Canada's Global Television Network. It is produced from Global's national news centre in Burnaby, British Columbia, with Dawna Friesen and Robin Gill anchoring the weekday and weekend editions respectively. From 2008 to 2010, the program was the only Canadian network newscast to be regularly anchored from the nation's capital, Ottawa.

In addition to Global's owned-and-operated stations (O&Os), Global National also airs on affiliate CHFD-DT in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and independent station CJON-DT (NTV) in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Global also produces a Mandarin version of the newscast, titled Global National Mandarin. Anchored by Carol Wang, the newscast is seen on Shaw Multicultural Channel in Vancouver and Calgary.

History

Global's first tentative steps towards a national news presence came in 1994 with the launch of First National, a regional newscast presented by Peter Kent which was aired in Manitoba, Ontario and (starting in 1997) Quebec. Around the same time, the rival WIC television station group launched Canada Tonight, a newscast produced at WIC's Vancouver station CHAN-TV (BCTV), and also aired on its stations in Alberta and Ontario.

Following the purchase of WIC's TV stations by Global's then-parent company Canwest, Global announced in January 2001 its plans to launch a new network newscast in September of that year, with Kevin Newman returning to Canada from ABC News as the newscast's chief anchor.[1] First National ended production in February, and the Global stations which had aired that program broadcast Canada Tonight in its place until the new newscast launched.

The final broadcast of Canada Tonight aired on August 31, 2001, and the new newscast, titled Global National, debuted on September 3 from a renovated studio at CHAN, which became a Global O&O two days earlier and produces its local newscasts from the same studio. As part of the deal in which Global bought CHAN, it became home to Global's national news centre; the station had wanted to do a national newscast for several years. Kevin Newman's name was added to the program's title from the start of its second season. The program initially only aired on weekdays; weekend broadcasts began on February 26, 2005, with Tara Nelson as the anchor.

Global National initially aired in different time slots across the country: 5:30 pm in British Columbia; 6:00 pm in Manitoba and Saskatchewan; 6:30pm in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec; and 11:15 pm in the Maritimes. In conjunction with the launch of Global's new visual identity in February 2006, the program began to be aired live at 5:30 pm in the Eastern Time Zone and 6:30 pm in the Atlantic Time Zone.[2] This version of the program is then broadcast via satellite tape delay in time zones to the west (at 5:30 local time, and 6:00 on CHBC Kelowna since 2009), with updates if news events warrant. This allows the newscast to air at a uniform time slot across most of the country, as well as to serve as a lead-in to local news in most markets. While strong in Western Canada from day one – particularly in B.C., where CHAN has dominated news ratings for four decades – the timeslot change allowed the program's ratings in Ontario to improve significantly as a result of having The Young and the Restless as its lead-in; that show had previously given a strong ratings bump to CIII's local newscast. (On October 11, 2011, CIII moved Global National back to 6:30 p.m. as part of a scheduling shift with its early evening newscast, News Hour.[3])

Global National opening used from 2006-2010.

Despite having fewer reporters and being a latecomer to national news in Canada, Global National has come to rival its competitors at CTV National News and CBC's The National in both awards and ratings. During most weeks since the timeslot change in February 2006, Global National had ranked as Canada's most-watched national newscast according to the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement. This is with the caveat that only initial airings from Monday to Friday are compared; CTV still leads on a seven-day basis.[4]

In February 2008, Newman began presenting the weekday edition of Global National from a specially-built digital newsroom and studio facility in Ottawa.[5] The Ottawa studio's cameras were controlled remotely from CHAN-TV in Vancouver, where the newscast's main editorial and production staff remain. Similar remote-controlled greenscreen studios were introduced at a number of local Global newscasts.

Tara Nelson was named Global's Europe bureau chief in September 2008;[6] her position as the program's weekend anchor was then shared by Carolyn Jarvis on Saturdays and Robin Gill on Sundays. Nelson resigned in October 2010 to become the new 6 p.m. anchor at CTV Calgary (CFCN-DT).[7]

Newman announced his departure from the network on April 30, 2010,[8] and anchored the newscast for the last time on August 20. Dawna Friesen was named as his successor on July 13, 2010,[9] and began anchoring Global National on September 20.[10]

Carolyn Jarvis was reassigned to Global's newsmagazine program 16:9 in 2011, with Robin Gill taking over as Saturday anchor alongside her pre-existing Sunday hosting duties.

Global National Mandarin

On December 6, 2011, Global announced its plans to launch Global National Mandarin (Global National 国语新闻).[11] The 30-minute Mandarin newscast debuted on January 23, 2012, with Carol Wang as anchor. It is seen weeknights on Shaw Multicultural Channel in Vancouver and Calgary.

Features

Global National was the first mainstream Canadian newscast to be released as a podcast. In 2006, the download was expanded to include video for playback on a video iPod.

Notable on-air staff

Anchors

  • Dawna Friesen - anchor and executive editor
  • Robin Gill - anchor/primary substitute anchor; British Columbia correspondent (based in Vancouver)

Correspondents

Substitute anchors

Substitute anchors have included:

Former on-air staff

See also

References

  1. ^ Nuttal-Smith, Chris (January 30, 2001). "Newman 'jazzed' about Global gig". Ottawa Citizen.
  2. ^ Global News Brings Canadian Audiences Enhanced National / Local Suppertime News Package, Global Television press release, February 1, 2006.
  3. ^ Global News Boosts Fall Schedule
  4. ^ Brioux, Bill (June 7, 2006). "Global takes on CTV with fall sked". Toronto Sun.
  5. ^ "Global National -- from Ottawa". Ottawa Citizen. February 3, 2008.
  6. ^ "Global National Launches New Foreign Bureaus". Broadcaster Magazine. August 21, 2008.
  7. ^ "Tara Nelson Announced as Anchor of CTV NEWS AT SIX". CTV Media Release. October 12, 2010.
  8. ^ "Kevin Newman leaving Global News". GlobalNational.com. April 30, 2010.
  9. ^ "Dawna Friesen named new Global National anchor". GlobalNational.com. July 13, 2010.
  10. ^ L. Scrivener, Dawna Friesen: From shy prairie girl to Global News anchor, Toronto Star, September 20, 2010.
  11. ^ "Global News and Shaw Multicultural Channel Launch Global National Mandarin Newscast". Global Television / Shaw Media press release. December 6, 2011.
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