Welcome to an all new CityNews

It’s an exciting day for us at Citytv.

Today, we unveiled a trifecta of launches: the brand new CityNews Channel; a redesigned CityNews.ca; and new-and-improved iPhone and iPad mobile apps.

On top of that, we’re taking our tagline “everywhere” to a whole new level by becoming the only Toronto news station to be available live wherever you want: on your TV, on your computer at work and on your iPhone or iPad tablet.

CityNews Channel: Live & local
First, our new endeavour: CityNews Channel.

Following the news-wheel made famous by our sister radio station 680News, our new 24-hour all-news channel features local, national and international stories live from the heart of the city at Yonge-Dundas Square. We have traffic and weather together on the 1s, sports at :15 and : 45 as well as business news at :26 and :56.

There is an enhanced screen so you can instantly find the weather forecast, the latest headlines, sports scores and real-time commentary on the news of the day via Twitter and Facebook. And, look for in-depth analysis provided from our Rogers Media partners, including Maclean’s, Canadian Business, MoneySense, Hello! Canada and Sportsnet.

Of course, your favourite on-air personalities like Gord Martineau, Kevin Frankish, Roger Petersen, Francis D’Souza, Avery Haines, Tom Hayes, Kathryn Humphreys and Pam Seatle – to name but a few – will appear regularly on the channel.

If you’re a Rogers Digital Cable subscriber in Ontario, you can watch CityNews Channel on channel 1 (channel 66 in Ottawa). If you’re not a Rogers subscriber, contact your TV provider for more information.  To watch a free preview live stream of CityNews Channel, click here.

CityNews.ca: fresh new look, much more video
Second, you will notice changes to our website, CityNews.ca.

In addition to a cleaner, brighter look, CityNews.ca now puts greater focus on video – allowing you to quickly watch more video reports, raw footage, long-form interviews, live streams of major events and stuff you just won’t be able to see on TV.

We’re also more engaged with you, our viewers and readers. We know you’re active in social networks, like Facebook and Twitter (after all, so are we!), so sharing CityNews stories, photos and videos with your friends can be done with just a few quick clicks.

And, we want you to share more with us – and be a part of the story-telling experience. Our Submit Your Stories tool (found in the Latest Headlines section on the homepage and on the right side of most pages) lets you easily send us content you think other viewers and readers may find interesting, such as storm video, photos of an event in your neighbourhood, feedback on a debate happening at city hall or a news tip. Your submissions do not go into some Internet black hole: they go directly to our editorial team which can then use them on air and online.

Got an opinion? The last piece of community comes in the form of comments with each of our stories. At the bottom of every story you can sound off with those from the GTA and around the world.

Other changes on CityNews.ca include a news map on our homepage to find stories on a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood basis; the ability to listen to 680News live; a redesigned photo gallery; the latest headlines from our partner newsrooms here at Rogers Media; and a more-interactive weather page.

CityNews.ca mobile apps: Stay up to date ‘everywhere’
Last, there are our mobile apps for the iPhone and the iPad (arguably the most exciting platforms to come around since the Internet went mainstream in the 1990s).

The CityNews apps have been among the most popular on iTunes since we launched them in March. Today, we’ve added even more content to them, including Life and Entertainment stories.

We’ve also added a mobile-ready live stream of CityNews Channel to watch on your smartphone or tablet. Now, whether you’re at the office, on the GO Train, at a coffee shop or on your back patio, you can stay up to date with the very latest videos, stories and live footage.

To download the apps from the iTunes app store click here.

Storytelling, together
These launches wouldn’t have been possible without your input. If you have feedback for our new channel, website or mobile apps please let us know. Full contact details can be found here.

At Citytv, innovation is in our DNA. We’re proud to have played an important role in local storytelling since 1972 and we can’t wait to see what the next 40 years have in store.

Richard Bloom is managing editor of CityNews.ca

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today