The news service of the public broadcaster announced several changes on Thursday, which it says will help build a new home for local, national and current affairs reporting with commercial breaks. CBC’s iconic news program “The National” will now be directed by veteran journalist Adrienne Arsenault, who has shared the role of presenter in recent years. Arsenault will sit in the chair from Monday to Thursday and will also take over the title of chief correspondent of CBC News. Meanwhile, current presenter Andrew Chang will step down from his role on “The National” in August to begin work on a new daily untitled show on the streaming channel. Beyond that, many details are still in progress, said CBC News editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon. The ad-supported channel does not yet have a name or official release date, for example, and possible live anchor details will be determined in the coming months. But he stressed that it will be significantly different from the CBC News Network, the emergency news channel that is available on cable, satellite and subscription to the CBC Gem. “I really see it as an accompanying channel, in a way, but very special and different,” he said in an interview with the new platform. “A big part of it will be the grouping of journalism that we do across the country that sometimes comes and goes in a news bulletin. It’s generally bigger. It is more evergreen. And he can live more than one day. “ The CBC News Network will remain the exclusive home of news programs such as “Power & Politics” and “Canada Tonight with Ginella Massa”, he added. CBC says it seeks to strengthen its digital news platforms to “better serve audiences across Canada on both television and digital platforms”. Chang’s departure from the presenter’s chair at “The National” will set him free to help shape the new flow offer, Fenlon said. “We will invest in new programming – Andrew’s show is one of them, and we will have more to announce about the rest,” he said. “There we will experiment with form and time and find out what the public is looking for in us.” The addition of a free CBC News channel comes as more broadcasters introduce ad-supported streaming channels to address customer fatigue due to the large number of paid subscription platforms. US streaming provider Pluto TV plans to launch in Canada this fall with a list of free channels that include a range of movies and TV shows as well as live news channels. For many years, CBC News has run a free streaming channel with highlights from its recent news program, available on the Roku Channel in Canada and on various other platforms worldwide. The existing channel is an early version of what is predicted to be the new streaming channel, Fenlon said. On “The National,” Ian Hanomansing will continue to host Friday and Sunday with his new weekly interview section, which will debut in the fall. He will also become the permanent host of “Cross Country Checkup” on CBC Radio and CBC News Network. This is not the first time “The National” has faced a mix of roles since it was re-released as a four-person cast in August 2017, following the departure of longtime presenter Peter Mansbridge. When “The National” was renewed for the first time since Mansbridge left, the show was presented as a flexible, multi-platform news program with four recognizable journalists varying in age and background anchoring at various locations across the country. In early 2020, CBC began making changes to this format in response to viewer feedback. Arsenault and Chang took over the main night’s hosting duties, while Hanomansing moved in for Friday and Sunday. The fourth presenter, Rosemary Burton, took a new position as chief political correspondent of CBC News. She also presents the panel “CBC News: At Issue” on Thursdays and continues her role as presenter of “Rosemary Barton Live”. Our Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
