TORONTO – No one can accuse the new Global Television leadership of not shaking things up.
The story’s been told many times already. Second-place national network Global Television sweeps out a number of senior executives over the past 18 months, bringing in a whole new team to fire up the stations, bring in new programming and basically freshen the place up. In the not-too-distant past, it was Global which held the ratings lead over CTV. Nowadays though, CTV can claim often upwards of 15 of the top 20 shows on TV each week, although of late, Global has been making some inroads.
Today, CanWest MediaWorks leadership unveiled the latest bit of its new vision with a new logo (left) and a move for Global National with Kevin Newman.
During a meeting with employees from across the country Tuesday, senior executives outlined changes that are part of Global’s strategy to position the network as the “television brand that Canadians turn to first for news and entertainment.”
The new brand positioning includes the redesigned logo which will replace the crescent icon that Global has used since 1997, plus a refreshed visual identity that will be woven through the network’s newscasts, advertising and on-air presentation (we guess the swirly old Global “G” was ruled out as too retro…). The new branding will be unveiled on February 5th, 2006 during the Super Bowl.
"We are introducing much more than just a new Global logo on February 5th," said Walter Levitt, senior vice-president, marketing for television and radio at CanWest MediaWorks. "We’re launching a completely reinvigorated brand with a fresh visual identity that’s representative of a new attitude and a new promise to viewers.
(Look for re-branding of CH and Prime in 2006, too)
“In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, network television continues to have the unique ability to shape everyday conversations around the country,” added Levitt. “The creative inspiration for the new logo and visual identity came from the ‘greater-than’ sign, and represents our goal to provide viewers with greater insight, greater perspective and greater understanding to help stimulate those conversations."
“Today’s announcement is a further example of the positive changes that Kathleen Dore, president of Television and Radio for CanWest MediaWorks, has made since she joined the organization last fall to help propel the network’s return to prominence,” said the press release, aspects of which she also discussed in an exclusive interview with cartt.ca in November.
“In addition to strengthening the management team, Dore has been responsible for a host of recent successes, including the successful launch of Entertainment Tonight Canada, the acquisition of the year’s top-rated new drama Prison Break, the top-rated new comedy The War at Home, and the breakout hit My Name is Earl,” adds the release.
"I’m really pleased with the momentum we are building at Global," said Dore. "We’ve added high impact program acquisitions this year and successfully launched ET Canada. The growth in our local and national newscasts reflects a great viewer response to our ongoing commitment to news and information programming. The new branding unveiled today is the next stage in our journey to rebuild Global and both viewers and advertisers can anticipate a fresh, new attitude to accompany these changes as the new year unfolds."
As for the network’s marquee news program, it’s on the move, to 5:30 p.m., so that it’s at a consistent time across most of the country. Beginning February 6th, Global National will be seen in every market except the Maritimes, at 5:30 p.m. followed by Global’s local newscasts at 6 p.m. In the Maritimes, Global National will air at 6:30 p.m., following the local newscast.
The new brand positioning mentioned above will also include a refreshed visual identity Global National and Global’s local newscasts.
"This shift allows us to be in a consistent time slot across the country as we continue to grow and move forward to become the leading news source for all Canadians," said Steve Wyatt, senior vice president of news and information. "The ability to offer viewers back-to-back national and local news programming is a one-two combination that will be difficult to beat."
Since its launch in 2001, Global National has grown steadily in ratings and profile and is now Canada’s second most watched national newscast. Newman recently won a Gemini as best anchor.
The newscast recently also brought in a host of interactive features designed to provide Canadians with unique perspectives on the federal election campaign, including a dedicated web site with blogs from political columnists, Global National podcasts, news and video disseminated to mobile phones and the ability to have viewers submit photos and video for inclusion in the newscast.
