| Global National | |
|---|---|
 Opening used since 2022 | |
| Presented by | Weekdays (2001–2022) Monday to Thursday: Dawna Friesen (2010–present) Weekends (2005–2022) Friday to Sunday: Farah Nasser (2022–2024) |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original languages | English Mandarin(2012–2016) |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Burnaby,British Columbia (2001–2008, 2010–2022; Weekdays and Weekends, 2008–2010; Weekends, 2022–present; Monday to Thursday) Toronto,Ontario (2022–present; Friday to Sunday) Ottawa,Ontario (2008–2010; Weekdays) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Global |
| Release | September 3, 2001 (2001-09-03) – present |
| Network | Shaw Multicultural Channel |
| Release | January 23, 2012 (2012-01-23) – June 30, 2016 (2016-06-30) |
| Related | |
| First National Canada Tonight | |
Global National is theEnglish language flagship national newscast of Canada'sGlobal Television Network. Editorial and production staff are based out of Global's national news centre atGlobal BC inBurnaby,British Columbia, withDawna Friesen presenting from the Global BC studios Mondays to Thursdays, and Farah Nasser presenting from theGlobal Toronto studios Fridays to Sundays.[1] From 2008 to 2010, the program was the only Canadian network newscast to be regularly anchored from the nation's capital,Ottawa.
In addition to Global'sowned-and-operated stations (O&Os),Global National also airs onaffiliateCHFD-DT inThunder Bay,Ontario andindependent stationCJON-DT inSt. John's, Newfoundland.
Global also produced aMandarin version of the newscast, titledGlobal National Mandarin from 2012 to 2016. It was anchored by Carol Wang. The newscast was seen onShaw Multicultural Channel inVancouver,British Columbia &Calgary,Alberta.
Global's first tentative steps towards a national news presence came in 1994 with the launch ofFirst National, a regional newscast presented byPeter Kent which was aired inManitoba,Ontario and (starting in 1997)Quebec. Around the same time, the rivalWIC television station group launchedCanada Tonight, a newscast produced at WIC'sVancouver stationCHAN-TV (better known as British Columbia Television or BCTV), and also aired on its stations in Alberta and Ontario.
Following the purchase of WIC's television stations by Global's then-parent companyCanwest, Global announced in January 2001 its plans to launch a new network newscast in September of that year, withKevin Newman returning to Canada fromABC News as the newscast's chief anchor.[2]First National ended production in February, and the Global stations which had aired that program broadcastCanada Tonight in its place until the new newscast launched.
The final broadcast ofCanada Tonight aired on August 31, 2001, and the new newscast, titledGlobal National, debuted on September 3 from a renovated studio at CHAN, which became a Global O&O two days earlier and produces its local newscasts from the same studio. As part of the deal in which Global bought CHAN, it became home to Global's national news centre; the station had wanted to do a national newscast for its former network CTV (withCanada Tonight emerging as the result after CTV's board turned CHAN's proposal down). When the program began, it had only 15 people on staff and a budget of $8 million; the newscast was tied in part to $20 million worth of funding Global had put aside, in exchange for the CRTC to give Global a national network license (a bid approved in January 2000);Global National, as well as public-affairs shows and "wellness documentaries" were the fruits of the deal.
Global National set several technological firsts; it was the first daily newscast in the world to use digital cameras in addition to videotape, as well as editing all stories onApple's then-newFinal Cut editing software. The look and feel of the newscast was also distinctively different in comparison to other national newscasts; eschewing common elements like maps and globes, instead swirling circles in the Global house colors of red (with burgundy and orange, known internally as the "vortex of news") were used with a circular logo integrating the Global "crescent" logo of the era; the music package was uniquely heavy on woodwinds, drums and flutes. The newscast name was originallyGlobal Network News (orGNN), but Global's marketing department argued for a title that was shorter and more concise.[3]
Kevin Newman's name was added to the program's title from the start of its second season. The program initially only aired on weekdays; weekend broadcasts began on February 26, 2005, withTara Nelson as the anchor.[4] The launch of the weekend editions precipitated the cancellation of the newsmagazine seriesGlobal Sunday.[4]
Global National initially aired in different time slots across the country: 5:30 pm inBritish Columbia; 6:00 inSaskatchewan andManitoba; 6:30 pm inAlberta, Ontario and Quebec; and 11:15 pm in theMaritimes. In conjunction with the launch of Global's new visual identity in February 2006, the program began to be aired live at 6:30 pm in theAtlantic Time Zone, and 5:30 elsewhere.[5] This version of the program is then broadcast via satellite tape delay in time zones to the west (at 6:30Eastern, 5:30Central,Mountain, andPacific, and 6:00 onCHBCKelowna since 2009), with updates if news events warrant. This allows the newscast to air at a uniform time slot across most of the country, as well as to serve as a lead-in to local news in most markets. While strong in Western Canada from day one – particularly in British Columbia, where CHAN has dominated news ratings for four decades – the timeslot change allowed the program's ratings in Ontario to improve significantly as a result of havingThe Young and the Restless as its lead-in; that show had previously given a strong ratings bump toCIII's local newscast. (On October 11, 2011, CIII movedGlobal National back to 6:30 p.m. as part of a scheduling shift with its early evening newscast, theNews Hour.[6])
It is often difficult to compare Canada's national newscast ratings because the newscasts air at different times. Global decided to cut into their supper hour local newscast ratings to airGlobal National while rivals CTV and CBC air their national newscasts in the late evening. Despite airing in a more favorable timeslot, Global National is continually out-rated byCTV National News[7] and maintains a slight lead overCBC'sThe National.
In February 2008, Newman began presenting the weekday edition ofGlobal National from a specially-built digital newsroom and studio facility inOttawa.[8] The Ottawa studio's cameras were controlled remotely from CHAN in Vancouver, where the newscast's main editorial and production staff remain. Similar remote-controlledgreenscreen studios were introduced at a number of local Global newscasts.
Tara Nelson was named Global's Europe bureau chief in September 2008;[9] her position as the program's weekend anchor was then shared byCarolyn Jarvis on Saturdays andRobin Gill on Sundays. Nelson resigned in October 2010 to become the new 6:00 pm anchor at CTV Calgary, Alberta (CFCN-DT).[10]
Newman announced his departure from the network on April 30, 2010,[11] and anchored the newscast for the last time on August 20, 2010.Dawna Friesen was named as his successor on July 13, 2010,[12] and began anchoringGlobal National on September 20, 2010.[13]
Carolyn Jarvis was reassigned to Global's newsmagazine program16:9 in 2011, with Robin Gill taking over as Saturday anchor alongside her pre-existing Sunday hosting duties.
Global National Mandarin was a newscast aired on theShaw Multicultural Channel in Vancouver and Calgary. On December 6, 2011, Global announced its plans to launchGlobal National Mandarin (Global National 国语新闻).[14] The 30-minuteMandarin newscast debuted on January 23, 2012, with Carol Wang as anchor. It was announced on June 29, 2016, thatGlobal National Mandarin would air its final broadcast on June 30 as it did not garner the viewership necessary to continue airing.[15] The investigative documentary series16x9 was also cancelled at this time.
Substitute anchors have included: