The Debut of CBC NN and Nickelodeon Canada: Will the Rebranding of Channels Change Viewing Habits?

Canada's 20-year-old all-news cable channel has been given a facelift. Since Monday October 26th, CBC Newsworld, has rebranded itself CBC News Network (CBC NN). The new name is the result of a three-year research project investigating how the public broadcaster can better serve its viewers and their craving for continuous news on a multitude of platforms, including TV, radio and the internet.

CBC Newsworld becomes CBC News Network

Among the changes are new graphics and a new set on both CBC News Network and on CBC's The National. Programming changes include a new morning anchor as Global Ontario's Anne-Marie Mediwake moves to CBC NN. Also, fans of Dragon's Den, will be happy to see Kevin O’Leary team up with another financial expert Amanda Lang for the half-hour Lang and O’Leary Exchange weekdays at 4:30 PM ET.

However, there has already been some criticism that Newsworld's new look seems too American. After all, among the changes at the new network include continuous handovers from one host to another, similar to CNN's format. Plus, just add two letters to CNN and you get CBC NN. However Richard Stursberg, head of CBC's English services, was quick to dismiss any criticism.

“Nobody was confused at all by it, nobody in the focus groups thought that we were being like CNN or any of that,” he told the the Canadian Press on Wednesday October 21st.

In all fairness, it should also be noted that the network is identifying itself as CBC News Network and not CBC NN as some in the press are suggesting.

Other New CBC News Network Shows Include

More Local News on the Main CBC Network

Some overdue programming changes are also taking place on the CBC's main network, including more local news. Those who remember the CBC before the budget cuts of the nineties may recall that there used to be a 30-minute local newscast on almost every CBC station every night at 11 PM, following what used to be The National and The Journal. Well local news is back, albeit in an abbreviated 10 minute format at 10:55.

In addition, the CBC has already extended news coverage in the early evening as well. Since August, the local news on CBC stations has been running 90 minutes, in an earlier time slot, from 5 to 6:30 PM. But bare in mind, all this comes the same year that CBC has a $171-million budget shortfall and has cut 800 jobs due to the economic climate. This begs the question, just where is all this extra local news coming from?

Nickelodeon to be Available in Canada

CBC News Network isn't the only new brand name on TV. On November 2nd, just a week after the renaming of Newsworld, Corus Entertainment in association with MTV Networks will launch Nickelodeon Canada. It all started back in 2001 when the CRTC approved a new digital network called YTV OneWorld. Unfortunately, the YTV sister station never went on the air, but now Corus will be using that license to replace Discovery Kids with Nickelodeon.

This may seem is a little complex, but here's what it boils down to. For TV viewers, Nickeldeon will take over the spot on the TV dial currently occupied by the soon-to-be-defunct Discovery Kids Canada. However, on paper and in the eyes of CRTC, it is the non-existant YTV OneWorld channel that is becoming Nickelodeon, for legal reasons, since the broadcast requirements of YTV OneWorld are different than that of Discovery Kids.

Nickelodeon is promising lots of extra exclusive Nick content including Fanboy and Chum Chum, The Troop, The Kids’ Choice Awards. Nick will also carry old classics like Ren & Stimpy, Angry Beavers, Rocko’s Modern Life, and that has even some American viewers drooling with jealousy. Of course there will also be Canadian content like Max & Ruby, Grossology, League of Super Evil and Storm Hawks borrowed from sister stations YTV and Treehouse TV.

Changes in Viewing Habits Unlikely

Whether or not all of this will lead to any changes in viewing habits seems unlikely. After all, CBC News Network was already an all-news channel and highly-rated Nick shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and Fairly OddParents will still be available on YTV, a network which reaches four times more Canadian homes than what Nickelodeon will on November 2nd. But if you want to see if these channels live up to their promotional hype, stay tuned.

Sources :

The Toronto Star, “CBC Rebrands All News Channel as CBC NN”, October 28, 2009

The Hollywood Reporter, “Nickelodeon Launching in Canada”, September 28, 2009

The copyright of the article The Debut of CBC NN and Nickelodeon Canada in Prime Time TV is owned by Steve Hatton . Permission to republish The Debut of CBC NN and Nickelodeon Canada in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Oct 26, 2009 9:17 AM

Guest :

My husband and I are longtime CBC morning viewers and sorry to
say the new format has turned of us completely already.
We have, as of this morning, switched to another Canadian
morning news program.
Merete Brooks
Cobourg, Ontario

Oct 29, 2009 8:22 PM

Steve Hatton :

It looks like you're not the only one disappointed in the changes at CBC News. Some of the quotes on the Fagstein blog (blog.fagstein.com) refer to the "minor pointless changes" at the CBC and that Peter Mansbridge doing the news standing up is "kind of awkward."

He also goes on to make fun of the silliness of having a fake throw over to the local news at 10:55, which is something that also struck me when I first saw it on Monday.

Seriously, the local news starts with a split screen of Mansbridge on the left and your local news anchor on the right. Peter says that your local news starts right now and the local guy responds with "Thanks Peter."

Do they honestly expect us to believe that Peter can hear dozens of local anchors thanking to him simultaneously without the slightest bit of a ringing in his ears?

Enough with the fake throw-overs already. It's silly and it takes away credibility.