'Disrupting the model' of morning talk TV: Canada AM's successor

Fans are still mourning the cancellation of Canada AM, but the publicly abruptdemise of CTV'slong-running morning show and rapidannouncement of its replacement is a Canadian example of a wider shake-up of themorning-show format.

Despite being a Canadian TV staple for more than four decadeswith many hosts and much successCanada AM's established, traditional formatisn't enough to ensure continued success in today's shifting media climate, according to industry watcher Amber Dowling.

This is a good opportunity to shake up the morning-show format that we're all used to.- Amber Dowling, TV critic

"It was older, an old format. They were doing a great job of that. But it was not ground-breaking. This is a good opportunity to break new ground,"Dowling, a freelance TV criticand president of the Television Critics Association, told CBC News on Monday.

"This is a good opportunity to shake up the morning-show format that we're all used to."

CTVannounced last Thursday that theveteran morning show would end its 43-year runthe next day a decision met with much sadness and outrage by viewers last week.On Monday, its replacement was announced:Your Morning,set to launch later this summerandfeaturing a quintet of hosts led by Ben Mulroney,Anne-Marie Mediwake and Melissa Grelo.

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Mulroney is a familiar face to TV viewers as the host of CTV'seveningentertainment show eTalk, while Grelo is a co-host and moderator of the network's daytime chat program The Social (both willbalancetheir existing roles with the new show). Meanwhile, Mediwakejoins CTV after recentlyleaving CBC News as co-anchor of thelocal Torontoevening newscast.

"These hosts will be breezy and informal but still give that anchor polish, so it's not a complete departure from where the show was," saysLisa Taylor, assistant professor at the RyersonSchool of Journalism.

"The show hasn't changed much in decades,"she said."The look, the banter of the show feels really dated. It needs a pretty large-scale revamp to stay relevant."

"The announcements of these new hosts seem to be driven toward a younger audience," added Dowling.

Importance of social media

But willthe show respect the brand and keep longtime loyal viewers, while also gaining new younger ones?

"I'm willing to guess that the name change won't resonate terribly well with the existing audience. But if CTV islooking to be bolder, to attract an untapped audience, then [the name change]makes perfect sense," saidTaylor.

She predicts the success of the show in growing itsaudiencewill depend on more than a name change, though.

"We continued to see in Canada AM, all-knowing news information presenters. We don't love that so much anymore," she said. "There's a greater appetite for information from interesting people who will put stuff in context, who are given free rein to give their own perspective. I would dare to be bold enough to suggest that this will be an element to the new show."

Dowling also predicts agreater emphasis on social media echoing the wave that hitlate-night TVseveral years back and helped usher out stalwartsDavid Letterman, Jay Leno and Jon Stewart. It's onlinesupremacy through viral videos thatJimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon,James Corden, John Oliver and their peers now vie for nightly.

Taylor echoes that sentiment, saying, "I would certainly predict an [interconnection] between social and the new program. CTV has done this with The Social. It's a strategy they have already invested in."

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"I would put money on [Your Morning] being a more social media-driven show," Dowlingsaid.

"The key for success will be that they're going to need to get shareable moments," she said."Lots of people don't watch late night, but they do watch and share on social media the next morning."

Changing landscape

Canada isn't alone in seeing changes and juggling of the morningshow format itself nearly65 years old. In recent years, the ultra-competitiveAmerican landscape has seen host changes, jockeying for ratings and a cycle of generalupheaval. Shows likeGood Morning America andTodayare important programs thatattract significant audiences and advertisers.

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Most recently, ABC fumbled a significantinternal move by apparently blindsiding Live host Kelly Ripa with the news that her popular co-host Michael Strahan would be shifting full-time to Good Morning America a decisionthat executives hope will help boost the show's flagging ratings.

Whether Canadian broadcasters are successful in boosting ratingswill depend on how much they are willing to change and adapt, Taylor suggests.

"How far can we further disrupt the model? You need to do that to a certain extent," she said. "But future ratings will tell the true tale."

Taylor saidthis isanuphill battle for the entire industry at the moment.

"It's been a struggle for broadcast overall. They're having a tough time giving up telling people what's happening. In the new world order broadcasters need to get into the business of context."