New Global anchor Dawna Friesen.
Former NBC News foreign correspondent Dawna Friesen has been named the next anchor of Canwest's nightly newscast, Global National.
Canwest television executives say Friesen will succeed veteran host Kevin Newman when he steps down in August.
Friesen, a native of Winnipeg, had worked at CBC and CTV before being hired by NBC in 1999. She travelled the world to cover stories for NBC and was based in London.
"It really is a homecoming for me," Friesen said at a press conference.
"I always hoped I'd return to Canada, in the back of my mind I knew I wasn't leaving forever."
The 50-year-old Newman has hosted Global's flagship news show for 10 years.
Last week, CTV News announced that veteran reporter Lisa LaFlamme will take over its national news broadcast from Lloyd Robertson.
Robertson is set to leave his post in the middle 2011, by which time he will have spent 35 years in the chair.
Friesen said she considered it a big honour to be given the anchor chair and the title of executive editor of Global National.
"There are only three jobs like this in Canada and now one of them is mine, it's a humbling notion."
Canadian Press