CityNews

CityPulse at Six open titles, 2003

The newscast was broadcast in Toronto as CityPulse as a pilot episode on September 28, 1975, and as a second pilot episode on September 12, 1976. The first regular episode of CityPulse aired on September 12, 1977. On August 1, 2005, the final CityPulse titled newscast aired and it was renamed CityNews the next day. While the station claims that it was the first news show to abandon the traditional anchor desk, CBS News in the United States had done this as early as the 1950s under Edward R. Murrow. Its main innovation in television news was to have its reporters play a more participatory role in their stories. Elements of it were also taken from then-sister station ATV in the Maritimes, whose Live at 5 newscast, launched in 1982, had lead anchor Dave Wright roaming around the ATV newsroom and talking with the reporters.

By the mid-1980s, the newscast's style, pioneered by Moses Znaimer, was promoted as a "format" for local news shows to copy around North America. The show has been duplicated by other television stations owned by CHUM Limited and its format has been licensed to several television stations around the world, such as Citytv Barcelona and Citytv Bogotá. Other attempts to clone the format with regional changes have also been attempted; notably, two American attempts at a CityPulse-style newscast debuted within months of each other in 1993: KCOP-TV in Los Angeles with 13 Real News, and KIRO-TV in Seattle with what was dubbed "News Outside the Box" (the latter station attempted to leverage its then-sister radio stations as well). Both attempts failed and by 1994 both stations had reverted to "traditional" newscasts.

Until 1987, the anchors on CityPulse sat behind an anchor desk in a dark studio with two orange-red-black striped beams and a television set between the two anchors. CityPulse at Six was anchored by Gord Martineau and Dini Petty for most of the years from 1980 to 1987. Weather presenters during that era included CHUM Radio veteran Jay Nelson, Brian Hill, Greg Rist, and David Onley. Sports anchors included Jim McKenny, Russ Salzberg, John Saunders, Debbie Van Kiekebelt, and Ann Rohmer.

CityPulse Tonight, known as CityPulse News at 10 prior to 1981, was anchored by Bill Cameron, later by Gord Martineau, and then Anne Mroczkowski. In 1987, Mroczkowski moved to the supper-hour show to co-anchor with Martineau. J.D. (John) Roberts began his news anchoring career as anchor of CityPulse Tonight after several years as an entertainment reporter and MuchMusic video jockey.

On May 4, 1987, CityPulse moved into a newsroom set at 299 Queen Street West in Toronto along with the other station operations, from 99 Queen Street East. After the move, CityPulse began to move the anchors away from a central desk, positioning them around the newsroom (such as the assignment desk, equipped with police radios, banks of monitors, and perhaps the most unique feature, a map of Toronto with blinking lights indicating major highways, positioned behind a large glass wall, allowing the anchors to draw on the glass with markers to indicate the locations of stories and incidents), or walking through the newsroom.

24-hour coverage, akin to the 24-Hour News Source format popular in the US at the time, was instituted in the early 1990s, initially to cover the Gulf War (known as Gulfwatch). The updates were refined into a regular feature after the end of the war. These were branded as CityPulse (Overnight) NewsFlashes, for shorter updates (typically a shot of the darkened newsroom, followed by shots of area traffic cameras; a ticker would display one or two headlines, sports scores, a weather forecast, and/or the time of the next update; the sounds of the newsroom and/or a police scanner would be heard underneath), or as simply CityPulse Updates, for longer updates anchored by a CityPulse reporter (often Kevin Frankish) from the assignment desk, who, in a unique twist, would operate the camera themselves via a control device.

CityNews opening titles from 2005

By March 2008, CityNews Toronto was struggling in the ratings, coming in third (with an average of 100,000 viewers) after CTV (326,000 viewers) and Global (126,000). On January 21, 2008, CityNews at 5 debuted, drawing a scant 1% share of the Toronto market at 5 p.m.[3]

In July 2008, Rogers filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a separate 24-hour news station to be affiliated with Citytv Toronto, and to be known as CityNews (Toronto). The application was approved on December 10, 2008.[4] The new station was in direct competition with CP24 which was launched on October 3, 2011 as CityNews Channel.[5]

In December 2008, Citytv laid off the entire CityNews Entertainment unit. Entertainment reporters Larysa Harapyn and Liz West were released, and entertainment stories were then read by the anchors.

In September 2009, Citytv moved into its current newsroom at 33 Dundas Street East (Yonge-Dundas Square) in Downtown Toronto.

On January 19, 2010, CityNews at Noon, CityOnline and CityNews at Five were cancelled as part of layoffs and restructuring within the Citytv stations. Many long-time CityNews on-air personalities, including Anne Mroczkowski and Laura DiBattista, were let go.

Citytv Toronto reinstated the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on Saturday and Sunday evenings on March 5, 2011, with Pam Seatle anchoring the 6 p.m. newscast, and Melanie Ng anchoring at 11 p.m. On September 5, 2011, Citytv Toronto also reinstated CityNews at Five with anchors Francis D'Souza, Tom Hayes, and Avery Haines. The following day on September 6, 2011, Breakfast Television on all five of Citytv's owned-and-operated stations expanded to three-and-a-half hours, from 5:30-9 a.m. Avery Haines then left CityNews at Five to start a segment called "The Inside Story" that features on Tuesdays and Thursdays on CityNews at Six.

On August 13, 2012, CITY-TV expanded its nightly 11 p.m. newscast, CityNews Tonight, from 30 minutes to one hour.[6]

In 2015, the station changed the format of its evening newscasts, removing the in-studio anchor and having all stories presented by videojournalists on the field. The reduced cost format is designed to appeal to younger viewers with a more "raw" presentation, and appeal to increased trust in the reporters and their journalism.[7]

Prior to 2008, CityNews and local cable news channel, CP24 were a combined operation sharing the same newsroom and studio space at 299 Queen Street West. CP24 simulcasted Citytv news programs such as Breakfast Television and CityNews. CP24 also reran most CityNews programming immediately after it was done airing live.

In July 2006, Bell Globemedia (later CTVglobemedia and now Bell Media) announced a bid to purchase Citytv/CP24's parent company, CHUM Limited. A year later, the CRTC approved the sale on the condition that the Citytv stations be sold. Shortly after, the sale of Citytv stations to Rogers Communications was finalized.

For a short period, things remained the same; Citytv anchors continued to anchor and contribute to CP24 and shows were simulcast between the two channels until CTV/Rogers announced the restructuring of its employees between to two channels beginning in November 2007, such as the hiring of new CP24-only and CityNews-only personalities.

In November 2008, CP24 moved most of its operations from its original newsroom, shared with Citytv, to a new state-of-the-art newsroom on the second floor with windows facing Queen Street West and at the same time CP24 unveiled a new look to its on-screen format. CP24 continued to simulcast CityNews programming up until December 10, 2008, when CTV pulled almost all Citytv news programming with the exception of Breakfast Television. That night, CTV News at Six replaced CityNews at Six, which had remained in place since the channel began broadcasting in 1998. Critics had speculated that the latter change was due to the CRTC's approval of Citytv Toronto planning on launching CityNews Channel. One of the final ties was severed on March 26, 2009, when CP24 dropped its simulcast of Breakfast Television and launched its own morning show, CP24 Breakfast.

Following the layoffs at the Citytv stations announced on January 19, 2010, CP24 extended its Live at 5 broadcast from 15 minutes to 30, and also launched another half-hour newscast, Live at 5:30. The show was featured a CP24 personality that hosted both Live at 5 and Live at 5:30; having interviews and updating Toronto on what is happening in the city. In addition, two other CP24 anchors would host the show, one co-hosting at 5pm and the other co-hosting at 5:30pm, bringing Toronto's Top Stories. By July 2012, Live at 5 and Live at 5:30 were brought back to the regular CP24 news format and with just one anchor 5pm and one anchor for 5:30pm.

CityNews is the only newscast in Canada that operates its own weather monitoring stations[8] across the Greater Toronto Area. In addition to 20 weather stations, CityNews introduced a CityNews Weather LiveEye, a mobile unit that can monitor the weather anywhere.[9]

On June 21, 2007, CityNews launched CityNews Weather Online, a desktop program that is more convenient than accessing their website. The program includes features to alert the user when a weather watch or warning is issued.

In November 2008, CityNews launched CityNews Weather Webcast, which are video weather forecasts recorded each day by one of the weather team members.

On February 14, 2007, CityNews created the CityNews Webcast, a downloadable news podcast based in Toronto. There are three Webcasts uploaded on weekdays: in the morning, presented by Kevin Frankish from Breakfast Television; in the afternoon, presented by CityNews at Six anchor Gord Martineau; and the final Webcast in the evening, presented by the anchor hosting CityNews Tonight.

The CityPulse newscast originally began with the instrumental version of "Masterpiece" by The Temptations. In 1979, it was changed to a rendition of "Gonna Fly Now" by Maynard Ferguson; the theme was remixed and rearranged well into the 2000s. The theme for CityPulse Tonight continued to be "Masterpiece" until the early 1980s. From 1985 until 1994, "Pentatus" by Graham Shaw was used as the theme music for CityPulse Tonight. The current theme is a custom-composed music piece.

Soon after the cancellation of the local CityNews broadcasts in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg in 2008, a new half-hour program called CityNews International was launched. The program was produced in the Citytv Toronto studios and featured many of the same on-air personalities as the local Citytv Toronto's CityNews. CityNews International aired at 6:30 and 11:30 p.m. in Calgary and Edmonton. In Winnipeg, it ran at 11:00 p.m., and in Vancouver at 6 and 11:35 p.m. In Toronto, Citytv aired the newscast at 11:35 p.m. CityNews International was canceled during the 2010 cuts. The title of the program remains in use on Citytv Toronto for the international news segments shown during its evening newscasts.

The replacement program in Calgary and Edmonton for the evening/late-evening program was a magazine type of show called Your City.

The show aired five nights a week at 6:00 p.m., with a repeat at 11:00 p.m. The format of the show consisted of a top story, a report about theatre or other cultural life, various restaurant and wine reviews and an assortment of other general interest stories.

The noon newscast aired in Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton. It was hosted by Francis D'Souza and Laura DiBattista in Toronto, Asha Tomlinson in Edmonton and Aisling Slattery in Calgary.

A lunchtime half-hour talk show about Toronto news and current affairs aired weekdays at 12:30 p.m., following Toronto's CityNews at Noon. The show encouraged audience participation with its phone-in format. Viewers could also e-mail and vote on a daily phone poll.

CityOnline was hosted by Kris Reyes. Previous hosts included Ann Rohmer (CP24), Tracy Moore (Cityline), and Laura DiBattista (CBC Radio).

Lunch Television was hosted by Kyle Donaldson and Michel McDermott and aired in the Vancouver market. (An earlier program, also titled Lunch Television, aired on the original Toronto station during the 1990s.)

Anchors

• Dina Pugliese - Breakfast Television co-host (2006–present)
• Roger Peterson - - Breakfast Television co-host
• Tracy Moore - host of Cityline (broadcast across Canada)

Weather

• Frank Ferragine - weather specialist; Breakfast Television (weekday mornings)
• Adam Stiles
• Stella Acquisto
• Natasha Ramsahai

Sports (CityNews)

• Lindsay Dunn

Entertainment

• Dina Pugliese - occasional entertainment reporter

Reporters

• Avery Haines - general assignment reporter
• Cynthia Mulligan - general assignment reporter
• Pam Seatle - general assignment reporter
• Mark McAllister- general assignment reporter
• Sean Cowan -former reporter -now Realtor

The only news now broadcast on this station is during its version of Breakfast Television. News updates on Breakfast Television are still branded as CityNews.

• Tara Slone - co-host; Breakfast Television

Reporters

• Jill Belland - Breakfast Television Live Eye reporter

The only news now broadcast on this station is during its version of Breakfast Television. News updates on Breakfast Television are still branded as CityNews.

• Sean Cowan now a real estate agent with @zoocasa realty
• Thalia Assuras (later moved to ABC and then CBS); now host of energyNOW! (American Clean Skies Foundation)
• Bill Cameron anchor; 1978–1983; (later moved to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation); deceased
• Lance Chilton - CityNews/CP24 reporter (later anchor at A-Channel in Barrie and real estate agent in Barrie area)
• Jojo Chintoh - reporter and crime specialist; 1978-2010 (now President at El Mundo Habitat Development Corporation)
• Mark Dailey - CityNews Tonight anchor, crime specialist and continuity announcer known as "The Voice of Citytv"; 1979-2010 (died on December 6, 2010 due to prostate cancer)
• Denise Donlon (later CEO of Sony Canada and executive director of CBC Radio's English-language services 2008-11)
• Dwight Drummond - CityNews at Five anchor and crime specialist (now 5, 5:30 and 6 p.m. anchor at CBC Toronto)
• Merella Fernandez - anchor/reporter (now with CTV News in Toronto)
• Mary Garofalo (later at WNYW-TV in New York; now host of Global's 16x9 - The Bigger Picture)
• Anne-Marie Green - reporter (now at CBS News)
• Melissa Grelo - anchor/reporter (now co-host of CP24 Breakfast and weekday anchor at CP24)
• Peter Gross - sports director from 1977 until the early 1980s and then humour reporter with "The World According to Gross" until 1986. At 680 News from the early 1990s to 2019 except for a brief stint back at CityNews from 2001 to 2003 as a weather reporter and reprieving "The World According to Gross".
• Larysa Harapyn - entertainment anchor (laid off upon Rogers' elimination the CityNews' entertainment unit)
• Lorne Honickman - CityPulse/CityNews legal specialist (was host of Legal Briefs on CP24 and Court TV Canada; practising lawyer)
• Bob Hunter (founder of Greenpeace; later died after a prolonged battle with cancer on May 2, 2005)
• Avi Lewis (1996-1998); (later with CBC; now with Al Jazeera English)
• Stephen Lewis - commentator (later appointed as Canadian ambassador to the United Nations)
• Amber MacArthur - new media specialist (now new media specialist for CP24)
• Gord Martineau - longtime former anchor in Toronto; 1977-2016 (now retired)
• Jim McKenny - sports reporter/anchor in Toronto; 1979-2009 (now retired)
• Tracy Moore - Breakfast Television/CityNews reporter (now host of Citytv's Cityline)
• Anne Mroczkowski - CityNews at Six anchor (laid off in January 2010 and later co-anchor of Global Ontario's News Hour); now media consultant and occasional actor
• Farah Nasser - weekend anchor/substitute anchor/reporter (now anchor at CP24)
• David Onley - science and technology specialist/CP24 anchor and host of Homepage; 1984–2005; (became the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario in September 2007)
• Dini Petty (later host of CTV's The Dini Petty Show and guest host of Cityline 2010-2012)
• Alex Pierson - reporter; 1999-2006 (now with Global News in Toronto)
• Beatrice Politi - CityNews/A-Channel/CP24 Ottawa-based political specialist (now with Global Ontario)
• Monita Rajpal, started as a reporter, then moved up to the anchor desk before moving to CNN International for 14 years; her last broadcast on CNN International was July 4, 2014.
• John Roberts (credited as J.D. Roberts) - entertainment reporter and weekend anchor (formerly co-host of CNN's American Morning; now with Fox News Channel as national correspondent in Atlanta)
• Ann Rohmer - CityNews anchor and host of Breakfast Television and CityOnline (now lead anchor at CP24)
• Tonya Rouse - CityNews/CP24 fitness specialist and host of CP24's Perfect Fit.
• Omar Sachedina - reporter (now with CTV News Channel)
• John Saunders - sportscaster (was with ESPN for 30 years) - deceased August 10, 2016
• Dick Smythe - commentator
• Peter Silverman - consumer specialist and host of Silverman Helps segment (laid off in June 2008; now with CFRB)
• Jennifer Valentyne - Breakfast Television Live Eye host; now with The Bachelorette Canada
• Andrew Krystal - general assignment reporter
• Tom Hayes - reporter (now with Global News in Toronto)
• Francis D'Souza - Former anchor CityNews at Five (weeknights); also reporter. Now managing editor at CBC News
• Kevin Frankish - Breakfast Television anchor/co-host (1991-2018), now teaches at Seneca College and produces special projects for City.
• Hugh Burrill - former sports anchor/reporter. Now at The Fan 590
• Kathryn Humphreys - sports anchor/reporter (1997-2015), now a stay at home mom

• Fiona Forbes - Breakfast Television host (2002–2003; was at Shaw TV Vancouver)
• Beverley Mahood - host (2003–2005; now co-host of CMT Canada's flagship program, CMT Central)
• Simi Sara - Breakfast Television host (2005-2008; now at Global News Radio 980 CKNW)
• Jody Vance - Co-host/news anchor; Breakfast Television

• Ross Hull - Breakfast Television reporter (now weather anchor at Global Toronto)