I've been paying closer attention to CBC Here & Now over the last week or so, and would like to amend what I said in this post about the program's live spot news coverage.
Some reporters were having difficulty with the live news reports and there were plenty of flubs happening, so I suggested they cut back on the live stand-ups. I take that back. Now I want more, more, more of the live reports.
I say this for two reasons. First, the reporters are working the bugs out and getting much more comfortable and polished with their live deliveries. Second, the quality of the newscast has improved dramatically with the addition of these live news reports.
For example, Here & Now had dramatic live footage of the Feild Street fire on Monday (above, CBC photo). The NTV Evening Newshour didn't.
On a more general level, Here & Now seems to be more aggressive in responding to spot news events throughout the day, even if it isn't live' within the newscast. Case in point: last night's story about the Memorial University student who was arrested for carrying a pellet gun onto the campus. Here & Now had a crew on the scene as it happened, capturing dramatic videotape of the young man being arrested by police. NTV didn't have it.
A couple of years ago, Jim Furlong of NTV News attributed his program's high ratings to its strong spot news coverage. That may have been true then, but I suspect Furlong is looking over his shoulder now, watching closely what Here & Now is doing.
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
