I'm often critical of AM640, especially at this holiday time of year, so I have to give them props for what they did on Saturday afternoon. On a day when everyone else (except 680 News) was on pre-taped autopilot and most staff are off until next week, 640 actually had a real, honest-to-goodness live special on the protests clogging downtown streets. 

It may have been a bit overblown, since nothing happened, but with threats of a police crackdown, they didn't know that then. Instead, at 2 o'clock, they interrupted the first hour of Roy Green (itself a reroll) to have Arlene Bynon (unfortunately sounding like death warmed over, with a terribly hoarse voice) throwing to various news people on the scene, including the same anchor who had done the local news at 7 AM! 

They also brought in regular morning newsman Dave Bradley and had Oakley producer Michael Downey following the procession in the downtown core. Four extra people on a day when they would normally rely on the Canadian Press for news coverage. 

I suspect relatively recent addition Mike Bendixen might have been behind this and if so, good for him. If something significant had happened, they would have been on the air before NT1010 could muster any force at all. 

Worth noting that Global, which is affiliated with 640, also did this story on their 6 PM news - but gave it about 20 secs. of viz before moving on to something else.