I've been doing TV news for over 25 years and I honestly have no idea what they're thinking at Global News. I admit I rarely watch the show, because their newscasts don't make a lot of sense to me. But on the past few weekends, when the NFL interrupts the news on CTV (and I don't have access to CP24 so I can't watch it there) I'm forced to choose between City and Global. 

So I've tried Global. And I can't understand what they're doing. A few weeks ago, they led their show with the Santa Claus Parade in the Beaches (or Beach, if you prefer.) Except they didn't really lead with it. They showed a few seconds of viz, then promised they'd have "more later." They then went to an actual real news story. But there's no getting around the fact it was their lede, the first thing viewers saw.

And the parade? It didn't show up until 27 minutes after, the very last story in the show. They essentially used the kicker piece as their top story. Why would anyone do that? If you're going to tease the audience, for God's sake don't lead with it and then leave it until the end of the show!

Then last weekend, I watched as the top story was introduced as flooding in Somalia. What? I'm not saying a disaster overseas isn't news and it's a terrible tragedy, but the lede of a local GTA newscast in the top market in the country? Why? Is this really the most important story for a Toronto audience that it goes ahead of everything else? Again, they showed about 15 secs. of it, then went on to another story, only to come back to it in their international package after the first commercial.

Who is producing the line-up over there?

And please, don't get me started on the woman who does weather on the weekends. She is completely unqualified for this gig, and she couldn't ad lib her way out of a proverbial paper bag. It's clear she doesn't know what she's talking about and she's so unfocused, I never actually wind up knowing what the weather is going to be. I've never seen anything like it on any TV station - and I remember the very, very early years of CityPulse!

But it doesn't end on the weekends. On Wednesday afternoon, I watched some of their noon show. They ran an NBC story on the campus unrest in the U.S. over the war in the Middle East. But instead of letting the reporter sign off, they cut it at the very end of a clip, went to black for 4 secs., then proceeded to run a spot. It was so abrupt, I was thinking something went wrong with their computer playback. The entire piece seemed completely incomplete!

Then a few minutes later, it happened again. Anchor Candace Daniel was interviewing a dermatologist on set about the cold and how it affects your skin. She extroed the segment by giving the name of the guest and then again, straight to black - no promo, no "we'll be right back," no bumper music, nothing. Right into commercial.

My guess is they were running late and were trying to get out on time for 12:30 PM, but that's not the way you do it. Cut one question out of the interview or edit yourself on-air (although I suspect this was pre-taped.) Drop a less important story to get back on time. But don't just go to a spot break without any warning. It's extremely jarring. 

There's a lot of stuff I may not like about how CFTO does what it does in its newscasts. But they're not guilty of the jumbled presentation that Global brings to its viewers way too often. And for the life of me, I don't understand what they're thinking over there.