The CBC’s veteran news anchor Peter Mansbridge announced that he will retire on July 1, 2017 and viewers are wondering who will replace him. There is always chatter when a major news anchor steps down, partly because they generally stay in place for so long that they become a fixture and a trusted news source.
In many homes most weekday nights
There is also something about the person who may seem to be present, albeit on TV, in your own living room or even bedroom for so many years. Mansbridge, for example, has been anchoring the hour-long 11pm newscast and special events on CBC for 28 years. This includes 14 federal elections and eight Olympic ceremonies.
Senior reporters favoured
Most TV stations assign the job to their senior reporters or foreign correspondents because they have a track record and good credibility. There certainly is a buzz at CBC about who will replace Mansbridge.
Ian?
My colleague Marc Montgomery and I think Ian Hanomansing would be a good bet. Since 1986 he has been a reporter, interview and anchor based in the western city of Vancouver.
Adrienne?
My other colleague Levon Sevunts favours senior correspondent Adrienne Arsenault who does a spectacular job covering international news. I would be sorry to see her go from the world’s hot spots, although Nahlah Ayed also fills that role brilliantly.
Indeed, CBC has a long list of very fine journalists to choose from.
Yup, it could be a woman
And lest you think a woman might not be named to the job, take note that the competing private network, CTV, named Lisa Laflamme to host its flagship news program in 2010 after the beloved Lloyd Robertson stepped down.
At the time, he had 1.3 million viewers a night while CBC averaged 685,000.
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