The National (CBC) - Format

Format

The National originally ran a news headlines segment for 20 to 25 minutes without commercial interruption, a format that has been relaxed or reinstated at various points over the years. Subsequent segments would consist of documentaries or other feature reports, either in the form of a separate program (The Journal or The Magazine) or more recently as additional segments of the main program.

Currently, the opening segment generally runs 15 to 20 minutes, followed by additional segments of varying length featuring additional stories or features. Long-form documentaries or feature reports are not as common as they were prior to 2009, but are still featured from time to time, with extended features typically airing during the Sunday edition. The broadcast contains some live inserts but most of the broadcast's segments are taped prior to the program's initial airtime.

Peter Mansbridge, as chief correspondent for CBC News, is the regular weeknight anchor, normally hosting from Monday to Thursday, but may host other nights if a significant news event has occurred. While CBC primetime promos on Fridays typically list Mansbridge as the nominal regular anchor that night as well, he has rarely anchored on Fridays in recent years, with Wendy Mesley normally substituting. Mesley has also been the permanent Sunday anchor since September 2010, essentially a reprisal of her tenure as anchor of Sunday Report in the early 1990s, while Kim Brunhuber is now the regular Saturday anchor.

From October 2009 to September 2012, weekday (and, on some stations, Sunday) airings on CBC O&Os ended at 10:55 with the anchor handing over to 10-minute local news bulletins that overlapped the normal 11:00 start time of the competing CTV National News. On CBC News Network, the weekday editions continued to run a full hour during this period; separate final segments, both pre-taped, were used for the 55- and 60-minute versions. Private affiliates, some of which had already been airing 11:00 p.m. local newscasts prior to the implementation of the 55-minute format, had the option of carrying either the 55- or 60-minute version. On September 17, 2012, with many CBC O&Os extending late local news to 30 minutes, The National reverted to a single 60-minute format on weeknights and Sundays. (Those stations which continue to produce 10-minute late local newscasts now air them starting at 11:00, followed by condensed 20-minute broadcasts of The Lang and O'Leary Exchange or This Hour Has 22 Minutes before rejoining the network schedule at 11:30.)

A similar local opt-out continues to be provided for the Saturday edition at 6:20 ET. However, it is currently used by only a small number of CBC O&Os. (Some stations, including flagship CBLT Toronto, preempt the Saturday edition altogether for a fully separate local newscast.)