Genre Breakfast television Original language(s) English | Country of origin Canada Location(s) Toronto, Ontario | |
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Starring Kevin Frankish
Dina Pugliese Camera setup Videotape; Multi-camera setup | ||
Breakfast Television, also known as BT, is a morning news and entertainment program produced by CITY-DT in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The program airs from 5:30 a.m. until 9 a.m. ET each weekday, except holidays. Since October 3, 2011, it is also simulcast on cable-exclusive CityNews Channel, with a half-hour extension aired exclusively on the channel that runs from 9-9:30 a.m.
Contents
Four other City owned-and-operated stations use the name and the format (see Breakfast Television), creating content relevant to their own local audiences. When A stations were part of the apparent CHUM Limited company, each station produced their own similar morning shows under the name A Morning, although due to budget cuts, many of them have been cancelled as of 2009 (though CHRO-TV Ottawa edition of that program, along with a local version of Breakfast Television on A Atlantic, it have since been rebranded under the CTV Morning Live banner since A were bought by Bell Media and all A stations were rebranded as CTV Two in August 2011).
BT tends to be more relaxed and spontaneous than American morning shows. Unlike American morning shows, it does not have pre-taped segments that are focused on current events or socio-political issues. The guests tend to be more human interest, informational, and promotional in nature and there is less of a focus on celebrities.
Until April 2016, the show had a segment called "Live Eye", in which Jennifer Valentyne toured around the Greater Toronto Area, to businesses, tourist attractions, etc. Valentyne has also broadcast from Walt Disney World, Jamaica and Newfoundland. On April 4, 2016, Rogers confirmed that the Live Eye segments would be cut in favour of more local news stories and as a consequence of this, Valentyne was let go.
History
Breakfast Television debuted on September 6, 1989, with host Ann Rohmer and news anchor David Onley; for its first few years, the program ran for two hours from 7-9 a.m. In 1994, Onley left the show to focus on CityPulse, being replaced by Kevin Frankish, who up to that point was BT's traffic specialist and previously was a reporter for Barrie's CKVR. Liza Fromer replaced Ann Rohmer in 2001, but then left the show in July 2006 to prepare for the birth of her child. Kevin Frankish blogged that her departure from the show was "on the absolute best of terms." On October 13, 2006, Dina Pugliese became the new co-host of the show, after a summer of guest co-hosts.
Jennifer Valentyne (née Peck) was previously the singing weather girl; she replaced Steve Anthony on the Live Eye segment after he left the station. Valentyne was let go in April 2016 after a Rogers decision to cut the Live Eye reports segments. Hugh Burrill presented the sports segment and also took part in early morning host chats before being assigned to a later time slot.
With the absence of Hugh Burrill, Nalini Sharma joined the BT team as a weather presenter. She went on maternity leave in 2005 and returned that September, before being reassigned to a different time slot. Frank Ferragine, the fill-in presenter during her maternity leave, returned.
Roger Petersen was a news reporter on BT before moving to Citytv Vancouver in 2004 (he has returned to City Toronto as weekend anchor starting October 2008 after a stint at CFTO-TV). His replacement, Dave Pinton, left in 2005. Meanwhile, Tracy Moore held the same post until she went on maternity leave in 2007. She was slated to return to the show full-time but eventually became the new host of Cityline in September 2008.
Sharon Posius had been the morning news anchor on BT for A-Channel News until September 5, 2008, when A Barrie owned by CTVglobemedia as of 2007 and (Bell Media as of 2011) dropped its simulcast of BT and launched its whole new morning show A Morning on September 8, 2008.
BT also aired on Citytv's spinoff all-news channel CablePulse24 from its launch in 1998 until March 25, 2009, when the cable channel dropped its simulcast of BT and launched its whole new morning program (CP24 Breakfast). BT was the last remaining programming connection between the two channels since the cable channel abruptly preempted its simulcast of all CityNews programming in December 2008, which had fallen under separate owners (Citytv by Rogers Media, CP24 by CTVglobemedia now Bell Media) in 2007. Some hostility had become apparent in the weeks running up to the final split; BT had begun using the Citytv logo heavily in its graphics directing viewers to watch on that channel (e.g. BT only on Citytv Cable 7), while CP24 began to edit the program with its own news inserts known as More on CP24.
On September 5, 2011, Citytv's Breakfast Television program expanded to 3½ hours, pushing its start time a half-hour earlier from 6 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. The move was part of Citytv's systemwide expansion of its owned-and-operated stations' local editions of the Breakfast Television franchise to the 3½ hour time length. The 5:30 half-hour, which is broadcast from the newsroom at CITY-DT's 33 Dundas Street East studios, is more news-focused than the remainder of the program, and follows a general news/weather/traffic format.
When it launched on October 3, 2011, CityNews Channel, a 24-hour regional news channel for the Greater Toronto Area operated by CITY-DT, began simulcasting the program (along with Citytv Toronto's local evening news programs). On that date, a half-hour extension of Breakfast Television began airing exclusively on CityNews Channel weekdays from 9-9:30 a.m. (the program continues to run from 5:30-9 a.m. on Citytv Toronto). The 9 a.m. extension on CityNews Channel includes fewer references to being part of the main BT program itself and is formatted similarly to the previously-added 5:30 a.m. half-hour; though, "Live Eye" reports are included as with the 6-9 a.m. portion of the main program.
Set
Like CTV-owned MuchMusic, the Breakfast Television studio had windows facing Queen Street West. The same is true in the new studio BT moved to in September 2009 at Yonge-Dundas Square. As a result, passers-by are shown on camera, behind the hosts and guests. While many American morning shows now have similar storefront studios, City was the first to have such a layout. As a result, area employees are repeatedly seen, as well as people marketing nearby businesses while wearing chicken costumes. A topless street performer, "Zanta", was so much of a visual distraction that CHUM filed court documents to have him banned from the building's area. Sixty minutes after BT ends, the studio is used for another series, Cityline.
On October 22, 2007, Rogers Media announced plans to move its television stations in Toronto (Citytv, OMNI.1 and OMNI.2) to 33 Dundas Street East, the former Olympic Spirit building on Dundas Square. The move is scheduled for September 8, 2009. Citytv has indicated that the program will continue with its traditional street-front studio format in its new location. On January 18, 2008, BT held its first-ever live broadcast from that location. On June 4, 2012, a new streetfront studio set for the program was unveiled.
Events
Every August since 2005, BT has organized a "Viewer Appreciation Day", held in the BT parking lot. Gates open at 6 a.m., and closed due to capacity crowds early into 7 a.m. Some people began camping out at BT at 5:30 p.m. the day before.
The BT team also holds an annual Christmas party, in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank, at the Sheraton Centre.
Presenters
Past presenters
Guest co-hosts
Crew
Note that this list is purposely incomplete, and only includes crew that Frankish's "Inside BT" blog has devoted an entire post to.