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Broken News: Compass. Renamed. Again.

High-level sources inside the Compass organization tell me that the supper hour television news on CBC is up for a re-branding — again — starting January 9. What once was Compass, then Canada Now will become CBC News at 6:00.

Except in St. John’s, Newfoundland where owing in part, one assumes, that it airs at 5:30 p.m. in sections of the province, it will continue to be known as CBC News: Here & Now.

My sources say that the irony is that, given the upcoming Olympics and other events, the new “CBC News at 6:00” will often not actually appear at 6:00 p.m., leaving commentators in the awkward position of having to announce the “CBC News at 6:00 at 7:00” and the like.

If there was ever an obvious time to repatriate the Prince Edward Island edition of the supper hour newscast as Compass, now is it.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 11:45pm
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Comments

Ann's picture
Ann on December 28, 2005
Did your inside source know how much this “rebranding” cost? It is never a matter of a few emails and a couple of conference calls with the CBC. Remember this the next time they complain about having no money.
DerekMac's picture
DerekMac on December 28, 2005
Start the costing with the 16 page full-colour insert in this week’s MacLean’s magazine, entitled “THE BIG PICTURE”, and cover story “Time for Better news - CBC rethinks its reporting”. The “magazine” purports to be an objective look at TV in Canada, including brief mentions of Corner Gas - the hit show on CTV that CBC turned down, but is a thinly disguised intro to CBC’s revamped news, comedy and hockey coverage.
Andrew Chisholm's picture
Andrew Chisholm on December 29, 2005
Peter, remember this post number because I know in less then two years you will be linking back to it when they rebrand the program once again. I favor bringing back the Compass brand for the island… I also favor kidnapping Roger and Sara and putting them back at the desk, side by side, the way things should be. I miss it.
Kevin O'Brien's picture
Kevin O'Brien on December 30, 2005
A few months back my “high-level source inside the corporation” told me we were getting our old “Compass” name returned when the format returns to 1-hour. But, “The CBC News At 6:00” is so creative I can see why they’ve gone with it instead; there’s only so much one can do with a compass, but to keep a corporate name in there will keep us all from forgetting where all the InfoTainment comes from.
Heather Patey's picture
Heather Patey on January 1, 2006
Don’t know why Newfoundland needs special treatment. We’ve been listening to “The World At Six” at 6:30 for as long as it’s been on the air.

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