B.C. residents could look forward to 24-hour local TV news hitting the airwaves by the summer.
Shaw Media, Canada’s second-biggest cable TV operator and owner of the Global Television network, announced Wednesday that it has filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission for the province’s first 24-hour all-news TV channel.
The yet-to-be-named news network, bearing the Global BC brand, would provide top local, national and international headlines round the clock. It also promises more live-event coverage and more in-depth, original reporting.
Shaw Media president Paul Robertson said in a release the station reflects the company’s commitment to help develop and grow Global News, which it acquired from Canwest Global Communications in 2010 for $ 2 billion.
“I think this is one of the most vibrant news markets in Canada,” said Kenton Boston, Global National News senior director and Global BC station manager. “There are a lot of great stories that go on here.
To be honest, people aren’t always served as much as they could be by news divisions in this province, so we’re now giving people another chance to get the news they need.”
Veteran Global BC anchor Jill Krop is also expected to host a prime-time talk show.
Krop said she will get a whole hour of in-depth conversations with B.C. newsmakers.
“We’ll be doing a little Jack Webster, Oprah, The View and Anderson Cooper,” she said of the format.
Alfred Hermida, a University of B.C. journalism professor, said it’s a “smart and strategic decision” to start the channel in B.C. given Global’s market dominance and strong news presence and the fact that there is no competition.
But he added there needs to be a greater investment in manpower and other resources for it to work.
“B.C. is going to be better reported and people will have more information about their communities, but it depends on how much Shaw and Global are going to commit in terms of time, money and people.”
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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