Citytv has released more details of what its “reimagined” Breakfast Television shows in Vancouver and Calgary will look like when they relaunch on Monday, Sept. 23.
In Calgary, Sarah Freemark will join the morning show as its new news anchor. Freemark was formerly the “On the Go” reporter for CTV Morning Live Ottawa. She’ll join traffic and weather reporter Michelle Yi, and national tech expert and live-eye reporter Mike Yawney.
The BT Vancouver on-air lineup remains status quo featuring news anchor Mary Cranston, meteorologist Russ Lacate, Thor Diakow providing entertainment and traffic, and news reporter Greg Harper.
Additionally, Dina Pugliese, from BT Toronto, will host lifestyle and entertainment segments that will play across all three shows.
The revamp will also see Calgary and Vancouver debut a new “L-bar” design that will see traffic and weather information remain on-screen throughout the entire show and during commercial breaks.
The changes follow layoffs across the network earlier this month that included the cancellation of Breakfast Television Montreal, which Rogers Media acknowledged had been attracting an average of just 4,700 viewers a day. Twenty-three Citytv staff lost their jobs, including eight in Montreal, 11 in Calgary and four in Vancouver.
Rogers Media is banking on a combination of broad appeal and local information to help both evolve the shows and keep them sustainable.
“We’re bringing a great morning experience to our viewers in Calgary and Vancouver with a winning mix of local need-to-know information, while sharing our most popular segments across multiple markets. Breakfast Television remains intensely local, yet bigger and connected across all our markets,” said Colette Watson, SVP, TV & Broadcast Operations, Rogers Media.
Breakfast Television Toronto won’t be getting the same facelift as its western counterparts. The show is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month.
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