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Troy Reeb, senior vice-president of Global News and station operations, said that by the end of August the broadcaster will have added 40 hours a week of news programming across the network. .Shaw Media Courtesy of Global

Shaw Media, a division of Shaw Communications Inc., is betting big on news, adding a noon news program to its Global Toronto lineup and introducing extended local newscasts in Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.

Troy Reeb, senior vice-president of Global News and station operations, said that by the end of August the broadcaster will have added 40 hours a week of news programming across the network.

Shaw, which announced plans late last year to create an all-news channel in British Columbia, believes it can steal market share from the all-news networks offered by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and CTV, and Shaw is looking to secure news viewers outside the traditional six p.m. newscasts.

In Toronto, the half-hour lunch program will "move away from the traditional newscast format," as it focuses on lifestyle and community news, the company said.

In Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, two half-hour news shows will be merged to create "one all-encompassing source for local and regional news."

Meanwhile, British Columbia, Calgary and Edmonton will see another hour of morning news with the introduction of a news, weather and traffic show from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. each day to lead into its Morning News.

Global's 16x9 documentary program will be renewed for a fifth season this fall, Shaw said, and will move to Friday nights from Saturday.

The company announced the changes Wednesday at its annual "upfront" presentation, an event put on by each broadcaster to unveil its fall lineup.

New shows such as Elementary, Vegas, Last Resort, Chicago Fire and Go On will join returning shows Bomb Girls, Bones, Glee, Hawaii Five-0, NCIS, NCIS: LA and Survivor.

It also added two daytime talk shows, one hosted by long-time Survivor host Jeff Probst and another by Ricki Lake.

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