TORONTO — In spite of massive budget cuts and the cancellation of several long-running programs, including the flagship Hockey Night in Canada and George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, the CBC recently announced that they have decided to pick up “the news” for another season.
“We would never dream of axing a show as popular and beloved as the news,” said CBC spokesperson Melinda Pincus, adding that Nielsen ratings have proven time and again that viewers from a wide range of demographics enjoy hearing about current events in the form of short, digestible videos and informative bulletins.
“At a certain point you have to draw the line and say: ‘To heck with budget cuts. We’re gonna keep airing the news.’”
The news, now heading into its 73rd season, is considered by many Canadians to be a national institution.
“They can’t cancel the news, not after the season we just had,” said The National host Peter Mansbridge, referring to the award-winning 2013 season that featured memorable guest appearances from celebrities Rob Ford, Mike Duffy, and Chris Hadfield. “Not to mention the great chemistry between myself and [weather presenter] Claire [Martin].”
“On and off the set,” Mansbridge added with a wink.
Pincus urged fans of the news not to worry, assuring them that CBC has ordered 13 more episodes of the acclaimed series and plans to “take things from there.”
