According to toronto-trend, it is hard to argue that TV has long become a source of information for many. From the TV screens, we can learn about many things, from political, cultural and sports news to biographies of famous people. Moreover, with the development of the Internet and social networks, the influence of television hasn’t diminished at all. Channel managers also try to keep up with trends and offer their viewers improved content on popular video platforms.
Canada is not an exception, so its population enjoys watching TV as well. People got used to switching channels not only after work but also while doing household chores. It makes the process not so boring. In addition, you can hear something new about what is happening in the country and the world.
We can’t be certain about the most popular content among Canadians. Every person has their own interests, which guide them in the process of choosing TV programmes.
However, it is worth noting that various morning shows demonstrate especially huge ratings in Canada. As practice shows, this genre attracts the attention of many viewers.
Probably, it can be explained by the versatility of content, as each episode tells us different kinds of information.
Thus, by watching the morning show, you can learn about the latest events in the country and the world, show business news, movie releases, as well as the latest fashion trends.
In this article, we will tell you about the morning show, which used to be extremely popular in Canada. It was beyond any competition, as no other project could boast of such a large number of viewers who watch it every day.
We are talking about Canada AM. This is a famous Canadian TV news show that was broadcast on the CTV channel from 1972 to 2016.
The last hosts of this programme were Marci Ien and Beverly Thomson. Jeff Hutcheson was the anchor of the weather and sports news. Moreover, that part of the show attracted no less attention and interest from the audience. Therefore, despite its genre, the show also included news from the world of politics, economy and sports.
The show aired on weekdays and its filming took place in the studio of the Toronto channel.
Creation initiative
The Vancouver branch of CTV was managed by Peter Ray at that time. He was one of the main fans of The Today Show. He started contacting the CTV management asking them to resume the morning show. Besides, it would allow the channel to become a real competitor of American shows.
Peter planned to film the show in Vancouver, but later, he agreed to do it in Toronto.
As a result, a ninety-minute program called Canada AM was launched in 1972. It was hosted by Percy Saltzman and Carole Taylor. Dennis McIntosh was an anchor.
However, Taylor left the programme in 1973 and was replaced by Elaine Callei.
Elaine was a hostess for a short period of time, and within a few months, Helen Hutchinson was invited to replace her. The audience had already known her as the hostess of the evening news.
In 1975, Norm Perry joined the team of the show’s presenters. It is important to note that he worked there until 1990. Therefore, he was deservedly given the status of the longest-running host of the show.
Time zones gap
Interestingly, those viewers who lived in the Eastern, Atlantic and Newfoundland time zones didn’t feel any difference in the broadcast schedule of the show. The reason was that the episodes that started every morning at 9 a.m. were only available on cable TV.
While viewers who lived in the Pacific time zone could see only the 2nd and 3rd hours of the programme. They could watch the first hour of the show exclusively on the CTV Newsnet live channel and only at night.
Subsequently, the CTV Newsnet management decided to introduce additional news content.
Since then, the programme has become available in all time zones.
News
In March 2009, CTV stopped broadcasting news on many foreign channels. The management explained the decision that they needed to reduce huge costs.
The only exceptions were CTV Toronto and CTV Atlantic.
When Bell Media bought the CTV channel in 2011, it was announced that the morning newscasts would be launched again on most stations. In particular, it applied to Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver stations. Interestingly, the last three stations demonstrated a staggering number of news views that surpassed even Canada AM.
Viewing access
Subsequently, Canada AM stopped being broadcast on stations operated by CTV. Thus, people could watch it exclusively on a special CTV news channel or with the help of over-the-counter stations.
New owner
It is worth noting that Bell Media produced a number of other local programmes, such as the Toronto show CP24 Breakfast and CTV Your Morning.
However, none of them could become a serious competitor for Canada AM.
Such a huge number of viewers who started every day with their favourite morning show was unattainable for any of the mentioned programmes. Meanwhile, the popularity of Canada AM continued to grow and its broadcasting brought a lot of income to the company.
Changes in the team
There were significant changes in the team of presenters, which are worth noting.
Seamus O’Regan left the show on 24 November 2011. He made it to continue his career as a journalist for CTV National News.
On January 9, 2012, Ien returned from maternity leave and rejoined the team of presenters.
Marci’s work schedule wasn’t changed in any way and she continued to read the news every half hour, but in shifts with Thomson.
Closing of the show and further careers of its presenters
On June 2, 2016, Canada AM was cancelled after forty-four years on the air. Instead, Your Morning show replaced it. Its premiere took place on August 22, 2016. The hosts of the show were Ben Mulroney and Anne-Marie Mediwake.
Marci Ien started working on a different show, and in 2016, she became its permanent host.
Thus, the history of the show that started the day of thousands of Canadians is pretty eventful and exciting. The country’s best journalists took part in that project. Probably, it also influenced the ratings and viewers’ reviews.
This morning show can surely be considered one of the most beloved and popular ones in the entire modern history of Canadian television. It’s hard to argue with that statement taking into account the show’s incredibly high ratings, as well as obvious audience loyalty and love.
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