Illustration by Anthony JenkinsAnthony Jenkins
Ho, hum.
I see from this report that CBC's The National is to have a new set, and Peter Mansbridge will now be standing instead of sitting. Well, I have some news for the big brains at CBC: doing it standing up is something a woman can do too. Just as well as a man. If not better.
Let's face it: CBC's The National is getting clobbered by CTV. And its anchor, another guy in a suit, goes back all the way to the era of Knowlton Nash. You remember him: he's the chap who was pushed aside by CBC to keep Mr. Mansbridge from decamping to CBS, to a job that eventually went to another bald white man, Harry Brown.
Where's Mr. Brown these days, you ask? Well, he isn't anchoring the CBS Evening News, a job that is now held by Katie Couric. True, she got off to a rocky start, but she's found her feet and is now thriving. So much so that ABC recently announced that Diane Sawyer will be its new anchor starting in January.
Hey, it's not as if the CBC has no women in its employ who can anchor the news. Take Susan Bonner, for example. She's knowledgeable, authoritative and the camera loves her. And while Washington is a great assignment, it was a graveyard for Alison Smith, who should have had Peter Mansbridge's job years ago.
Speaking as a bald, white, aging boomer myself, I say: get with it CBC. You have nothing to lose but your stodgy reputation. And poor ratings.