CTV Launches New Morning News Show "CP24 BREAKFAST" Tomorrow
  
Seven-member (!!) morning crew revealed

CP24 extends reach of brand with the launch of CP24 Radio 1050 on
        the AM dial

                                                                
    TORONTO, March 25 /CNW/ - CP24 - Toronto's source for breaking news -
announced today that it will launch an all-new, local morning news show
tomorrow, Thursday, March 26. Airing live every weekday morning at 5:30 a.m. -
before any other local newscast in the city - CP24 BREAKFAST delivers breaking
news, weather and traffic information, while keeping the channel's popular
enhanced screen intact. In this refreshing, new, 3.5 hour program, co-hosts
Matte Babel, Melissa Grelo and lead anchor Ann Rohmer join a seven-member team
delivering the local news Torontonians need to kick-start their day.

    In addition to Babel, Grelo and Rohmer, who delivers news throughout the
morning show, the CP24 BREAKFAST morning crew also features: Nalini Sharma,
who keeps viewers informed with weather updates; traffic and safety specialist
Cam Woolley, who reports from the road and various events across the GTA;
transit specialist Mika Midolo, who delivers breaking news from the TTC and GO
Transit; and the newest member of the CP24 team - Steve Anthony - who acts as
the face and voice of the channel's helicopter "Chopper 24", providing
commuter updates from high above the city.

    CTV also announced today that CP24 will further extend its
well-established brand within the GTA with the launch of CP24 Radio 1050,
going live tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. CP24 Radio 1050 will broaden the reach
of CP24's local news coverage even further by offering 24-hour news content on
a whole new platform. Following the mantra "we're always with you," viewers
can watch CP24 on television, listen on the radio, and follow along online at
cp24.com - no matter where they may be, at home, at work, or in the car.

    "CP24 BREAKFAST is an investment in local news in the GTA," said Bob
McLaughlin, Vice-President and General Manager of CP24. "This exciting new
program, coupled with CP24 RADIO 1050, enables us to deliver an unprecedented
level of service to our viewers and listeners unlike anywhere else in the
city."

    This past November, CP24 launched a new on-air look complete with a brand
new, state-of-the-art newsroom. New technology launched in November included
eight, robotic, in-studio cameras as well as high-tech video display walls
that serve to brand the channel's various programs. Banks of computers running
CP24's advanced weather and traffic systems are prominently featured
throughout the set.

    With a daily average audience reach of more than one million viewers,
CP24 remains Toronto's destination for breaking news, delivering top-rate
coverage on issues that are relevant to Torontonians.(*) In August, when a
massive propane explosion shut down parts of the city, CP24 delivered the
largest audience reach in the station's history with two million viewers
tuning in at least once during that day.(*) CP24's new website, cp24.com, has
also proved to be the go-to online source for breaking news in Toronto,
attracting almost 600,000 unique visitors who are viewing 5.5 million pages
per month.


(With thanks to CHED's Ed Mason for passing this along.)

Does the launch of CP24 Radio at 1050 KHz mark the end of the heritage CHUM Radio connection to the AM dial?  

Since I'm not an easterner I only have a sketchy familiarity with Toronto radio.

How long will it take the Bell-CTV beancounters to realize the AM 1410 Vancouver overhead could be eliminated if they decided to simulcast CTV Newsnet on that AM frequency?

Sorry that the C-FUN brand of entertainment-talk hasn't caught on.  It has to be EXTREMELY costly with two hosts and a producer (three different shows) for a total of 12 hours a day .. and sadly a paltry return in ratings & ad dollars.

What this means as far as jobs:

After, myself being blown-out the door at CHUM-FM last Friday following some questions I had posed to management - here is what I have learned about what transpired today.

An executive assitant to programming who has worked with 4 big bosses was let go - over 20 years there.

Two people from engineering were cut, one of them having a tenure which rivaled anyone else's in the building.

A couple more people from the administrative side were let go...

As well as long time radio MS host Gord James and all part-time 1050 CHUM announcers; which includes radio stalwarts Robbie Lane and Charlie O'Brien.  Hundreds of years of experience has been leeched from the building.

Certainly, this is a huge cultural shift from the cozy and secure environment that CHUM has always exemplified for radio employees.

Also, at least one key management figure was nowhere in the building when all this happened.

This news, while tragic, is hardly surprising with the reality that the CHUM predicament in Toronto is; being a stand-alone (1050 has not made $$ for years) FM frequency in a market place of FM radio clusters, and is at a grotesque disadvantage in sales regarding what clients get in cost per point with Astral, Corus, etc.

Seeing as there is much bloodletting in the industry, I expect these changes to go relatively un-noticed and to be easily swept away under the guise of tough economic times.

That said, there are still many wonderful people in the building and I feel honoured to have had the chance to walk it's halls and work amongst some of the best people I have ever met in my 20 years on the air.

Good luck to them and everyone, who is still lucky enough to collect a paycheque from any broadcasting jobs that are left.

I always thought that it would serve CTV well to nuke oldies on 1050 and compete head to head with Rogers for all-news as "News Radio 1050 CHUM".  

Counter-program the Rogers clock -- Traffic on the 10s (at 00, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50) getting a 1 minute jump on Rogers all day... put Biz at :16 and :46, Sports at :26 and :56, etc.

CTV has a lot of natural branding connections they could be making within it (use BNN branding on Biz, TSN branding on Sports).  

Just seems like the right thing to do with a number of struggling big-market CHUM/CTV AM stations -- especially since Oldies can now move to FM if the marketplace is willing to support it...