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The Journal

The Globe and Mail called it one of the best current affairs programs in the world. Debuting in 1982, when video was replacing film in newsgathering, The Journal's live split-screen interviews gave the 38-minute show immediacy and spontaneity. Competitors envied its ability to get to hot spots first and run lengthy 20-minute stories. Producer Mark Starowicz's controversial choice to use two female anchors, Barbara Frum and Mary Lou Finlay, proved to be the right move. Frum's frank questions, warmth and journalistic integrity defined the show. It was cancelled shortly after her death in 1992. Major contributors included Bill Cameron, Paul Griffin, Susan Harada, Peter Kent, Terence McKenna, Ann Medina, Keith Morrison, Brian Stewart and Nancy Wilson.

Farewell Journal, hello Prime Time News

Broadcast Date: Oct. 30, 1992

All good things come to an end, and so it goes with CBC-TV's The Journal. Since its debut in January 1982 it has been the network's flagship current affairs program, bringing Canadians in-depth analysis of the headlines of the day. But the show had become so tightly bound to its host, journalist Barbara Frum, that it lost much of its appeal when she died of leukemia in March 1992. As CBC-TV prepares to launch Prime Time News in November 1992, Frum's colleague Bill Cameron presents a sombre farewell to The Journal.

Farewell Journal, hello Prime Time News

• Prime Time News blended CBC-TV's nightly news and current affairs coverage into an hour-long program beginning at 9 p.m. Hosted by Peter Mansbridge and Pamela Wallin, it replaced The National and The Journal, which by then were deemed by management to be too costly and beset by falling ratings. The National remained, but only on CBC's Newsworld channel.

• CBC management took a gamble when they moved the nightly news broadcast to 9 p.m. in 1992. Unlike the move to 10 p.m. a decade earlier, this gamble failed to pay off. Just two days after the launch, audiences were at the same levels they had been for the 10 p.m. news (about 950,000), but rival broadcaster CTV enjoyed a bump of about half a million viewers more than its usual 1.2 million for its nightly 11 p.m. news broadcast.

• In September 1995, CBC-TV ditched the 9 p.m. timeslot and the name Prime Time News, moving its nightly news broadcast back to 10 p.m. and reverting to the name The National.

• There are over 800 news reports from The National in the CBC Digital Archives. See our program page for The National for a selection of notable news items dating back to 1969.

• To see the inaugural episode of The Journal, go to the CBC Digital Archives clip The Journal: Episode One.

• See the program page for The Journal for a list of over 200 CBC Digital Archives items from the show.

• See the program page for Prime Time News for more information about the show and a selection of almost 100 CBC Digital Archives clips.

Farewell Journal, hello Prime Time News

Medium: Television

Program: The Journal

Broadcast Date: Oct. 30, 1992


Host: Bill Cameron, Knowlton Nash

Duration: 7:23

Last updated:
Oct. 22, 2009


End of list




All clips from this program

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212 results available   . 1  . 2  . 3  . 4   >    »

MediaTitle and dateDescription
Television
7:23 		Oct. 30, 1992
Farewell Journal, hello Prime Time News 		In 1992 CBC Television moves its nightly news broadcast to 9 p.m. and brings an end to The Journal.
Television
8:33 		Sept. 18, 1992
Designer death vs. merciful end 		Two ethicists debate Rodriguez's case.
Television
2:23 		June 18, 1992
Timothy Findley on Dieppe memories 		Canadian author Timothy Findley presents an essay on how the triumph and horror of Dieppe changed a nation.
Television
19:40 		June 18, 1992
Dieppe remembered 		Atop Dieppe's now peaceful cliffs, three Canadian veterans share tearful memories with CBC's Brian Stewart.
Television
6:07 		June 8, 1992
The rush to replace the cod 		Newfoundland has tried repeatedly, and with not much luck, to replace the cod industry with a number of development schemes.
Television
9:34 		April 7, 1992
Vimy Ridge 75th anniversary 		Pierre Berton and Desmond Morton look back at Canada's defining battle of the First World War.
Television
30:20 		March 26, 1992
CBC colleagues' moving tribute to Barbara Frum 		Friends and colleagues remember Frum.
Television
13:31 		March 10, 1992
The last word: Mordecai Richler with Barbara Frum 		Richler explains his controversial position on Quebec in a one-on-one interview with Barbara Frum.
Television
13:31 		March 10, 1992
The last word 		A frail Frum is taken to the hospital following her interview with author Mordecai Richler.
Television
13:47 		Feb. 13, 1992
The rules for retirement 		Four panellists explain the importance of putting money away for your retirement, especially in the form of RRSPs, before it's too late.
Television
4:34 		Jan. 13, 1992
Frum reflects on her 10 years at The Journal 		Some highlights from the CBC Television's popular current affairs program.
Television
2:19 		Oct. 21, 1991
The reigning queens of basketball 		The phenomenal Edmonton Grads dominate the game with their unparalleled record.
Television
9:04 		Oct. 21, 1991
Basketball rises from obscurity to streets and gyms everywhere 		On the 100th anniversary of the invention of basketball, its humble beginnings and increasingly massive appeal are profiled in 1991.
Television
17:18 		Sept. 17, 1991
Linking school and suicide 		The suicide rate of teenage Inuit is soaring. Some parents believe the school system contributes to their children's despair.
Television
23:19 		July 29, 1991
The fires of Kuwait 		A company of Canadians puts out the burning oil wells in Kuwait.
212 results available   . 1  . 2  . 3  . 4   >    »