Network: CTV Television Network
Broadcast Run: 1994
Broadcast Medium: Television
This series was a weekly half-hour news digest, in a traditional newsroom setting, which ran on the YTV specialty cable channel from 1994 for several years. It was produced as a co-production with CTV News, using both YTV and CTV facilities, and was taped at CTV. It appeared for one season on the Network on Saturday mornings at 7:00am. Romano D’Andrea and Jeff Preyra were responsible for the series concept, and were its first producers. James Murdoch later became producer. The series was directed by Vern Freedlander.
The series’ original anchors were Marrett Green (now a published author and biographer) and Janis Mackey (who by then Janis Mackey Freyer, had many subsequent assignments as CTV’s correspondent in Jerusalem) and other news-making territories. They were later replaced by Honey Khan and Mark McAllister. Reporters on the show included Rhonda McMichael, Duncan McCue, Monica Kim and Wilf Dinnick, plus a string of freelance reporters across the country.
The series was targeted at young viewers in the 9 – 14 age bracket. The content was all about young people and/or issues that could affect them and their lives. Each show contained a mix of short topical stories and longer pieces, with short one-minute segments about such things as the environment, sports bloopers, viewer feedback on videotape, and point of view editorials, many of which came from schools across Canada through an outreach program.
Pip Wedge – December 2003