CBC News: The Hour is the title of a youth oriented newsmagazine series in Canada, which started airing weekday evenings on CBC Newsworld, on January 17, 2005. It airs live Monday to Thursday at 8 P.M. Eastern Time with repeats at 11 P.M. and 2 A.M. Eastern. The program's anchor is George Stroumboulopoulos.

The Hour is part of the CBC's attempt to attract a youth audience to the network. Its primary demographics are adolescents and young adults, this is one of the reasons that George Stroumboulopoulos, who was a former MuchMusic host, was chosen for the show.

Format

The Hour typically begins with a quotation from someone, and then goes to the short opening title sequence before George reveals who said the quote. The quote's subject is relevant to current events or relates to one of the segments on the show. Then, George outlines the three main stories that will be discussed throughout the program. These stories are usually interspersed with shorter segments. Prior to launching into the first of the main story, George may briefly bring up another news item.

The three main stories are often interviews. Some of these interviews are pre-recorded, others are conducted live on the show. Guests sit across from George in the unique red furniture on the set, appear on the widescreen television situated stage right of George, or their voice may be played from a taped interview. In some cases, multiple guests are brought in to share their viewpoint on a particular subject. Sometimes short documentary-like interviews concerning a particluar story are played, where correspondents include Jian Ghomeshi and Yasir Khan.

Aside from the three main stories, there are several shorter segments. These are fast-paced and designed to regain the interest of viewers whose attention wandered during an interview. These segements include:

• Mile a Minute quickly touches on current events around the world, with video or images accompanied by George's commentary.
• Canada is similar to Mile a Minute, only it involves current events in Canada.
• Time Capsule shows CBC footage from past events that relate to current events or the date, sometimes it is both video and audio, at other times George will comment on the video footage.
• The List is a primarily satrical Top 5 list concerning a current event. For example, top 5 things Martha Stewart will do upon release from prison.
• Entertainment briefly informs viewers of news in the entertainment industry.
• The Newsstand is a one-on-one interview between George and another person in front of a variety of magazines, the idea being to candidly discuss whatever they might see on the covers of those magazines and get the guest's opinion upon them.

After the first interview, George reminds viewers that they can email, telephone, or mail The Hour with comments about a segment on the show. Near the end of the show, email correspondent Peter McBain will read one or two emails on air. The content of these emails ranges from opinions on recent events to comments about the show itself.

The very end of the show is known as The Closer and is a monologue by George about a particular current event. It may or may not be related to the previous items on the show. This is perhaps one of the most opinionated segments of the show, because it is George's viewpoint rather than a discussion.

Viewer Response

The Hour has been met a diverse response of both controversy and acceptance. It has been successful in attracting viewers from all demographics, and many viewers consider its unorthodox method of presenting the news to be a refreshing difference from the CBC's regular presentation of news. It does not simply discuss current events, it brings them into perspective and challenges various viewpoints on these events. This format is equally open to controversy, however. Often The Hour is characterized as nothing more than CBC's attempt to attract younger viewers. Many resent the attitude of the show, embodied by George Stroumboulopoulos, the show's music, and some of its subject matter, such as a focus on Canadian music.

This mixed receival is not an uncommon occurrence of television shows. The Hour is still new, and it is impossible to predict whether it will quickly expire or its opponents will accept the presence of the show and it will last for a longer time.

External link

• CBC Site