Prime Time News
Encyclopedia
CBC Prime Time News was a Canadian
nightly newscast which aired on CBC Television
from 1992 to 1995.
For the previous ten years, the CBC's nightly newscast, The National, had aired at 10 p.m., and was followed by a 40-minute newsmagazine package called The Journal, which was hosted by Barbara Frum
. However, following Frum's death in early 1992, the CBC took the opportunity to revamp its flagship newscast.
On November 2, 1992, Prime Time News debuted with Peter Mansbridge
and Pamela Wallin
as equal cohosts of a package which replaced both The National and The Journal, combining news and Journal-style features into a single integrated program which aired at 9 p.m.
The approach proved unpopular, both within the CBC and with network audiences. The National had been produced by the CBC's news department, while The Journal belonged to current affairs, and bringing the two departments together was fractious. As well, the on-air rapport between Wallin and Mansbridge was visibly tense at times.
As well, because the program aired at 9 p.m., it was competing in one of the most heavily-watched timeslots on the commercial networks. Although The National and The Journal had faced commercial competition at 10 p.m., they had been much more successful at carving out their own niche because in that time slot, almost all of the commercial networks were airing drama series. At 9 p.m., Prime Time News had to compete with popular sitcoms such as Cheers
, Frasier
, Seinfeld
and Murphy Brown
.
As a result of all these factors, Prime Time News fared poorly, garnering respectable ratings only during extraordinary news events such as the tumultuous election of 1993
.
In the fall of 1994, Prime Time News returned to the 10 p.m. time slot, and to a format closer to the old National and Journal. Mansbridge again became the sole anchor of the news portion of the show, and Wallin became the host of a magazine segment very similar to The Journal. However, the show retained the name Prime Time News for the 1994–1995 television season.
The following year, Wallin was replaced by Hana Gartner
, and the newscast officially reverted to the name The National. The magazine segment became The National Magazine. This format remained in place until The National was again re-launched as a one-hour newscast in early 2001.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
nightly newscast which aired on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
from 1992 to 1995.
For the previous ten years, the CBC's nightly newscast, The National, had aired at 10 p.m., and was followed by a 40-minute newsmagazine package called The Journal, which was hosted by Barbara Frum
Barbara Frum
Barbara Frum, OC was a Canadian radio and television journalist, acclaimed for her interviews for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Personal life:...
. However, following Frum's death in early 1992, the CBC took the opportunity to revamp its flagship newscast.
On November 2, 1992, Prime Time News debuted with Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge, OC , a Canadian broadcaster and news anchor, is the CBC News Chief Correspondent and anchor of The National, CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. Mansbridge has received many awards and accolades for his journalistic work including an honorary doctorate from Mount Allison...
and Pamela Wallin
Pamela Wallin
Pamela Wallin, OC, SOM is a former Canadian television journalist and diplomat. On January 2, 2009, she was seated in the Canadian Senate, where she sits as a Conservative.-Early life and career:...
as equal cohosts of a package which replaced both The National and The Journal, combining news and Journal-style features into a single integrated program which aired at 9 p.m.
The approach proved unpopular, both within the CBC and with network audiences. The National had been produced by the CBC's news department, while The Journal belonged to current affairs, and bringing the two departments together was fractious. As well, the on-air rapport between Wallin and Mansbridge was visibly tense at times.
As well, because the program aired at 9 p.m., it was competing in one of the most heavily-watched timeslots on the commercial networks. Although The National and The Journal had faced commercial competition at 10 p.m., they had been much more successful at carving out their own niche because in that time slot, almost all of the commercial networks were airing drama series. At 9 p.m., Prime Time News had to compete with popular sitcoms such as Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
, Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
and Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
.
As a result of all these factors, Prime Time News fared poorly, garnering respectable ratings only during extraordinary news events such as the tumultuous election of 1993
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
.
In the fall of 1994, Prime Time News returned to the 10 p.m. time slot, and to a format closer to the old National and Journal. Mansbridge again became the sole anchor of the news portion of the show, and Wallin became the host of a magazine segment very similar to The Journal. However, the show retained the name Prime Time News for the 1994–1995 television season.
The following year, Wallin was replaced by Hana Gartner
Hana Gartner
Hana Gartner is a Canadian television investigative journalist, best known as the host/interviewer of several programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation....
, and the newscast officially reverted to the name The National. The magazine segment became The National Magazine. This format remained in place until The National was again re-launched as a one-hour newscast in early 2001.