CBC today announced that award-winning journalist and anchor Ginella Massa will join CBC News as a new national prime time host. Massa joins CBC from CityNews in Toronto, where she hosts three nightly newscasts and is well-known for her field reporting. Massa will join CBC in mid-November to begin development on a new 8 p.m. weeknight prime time program planned for launch on CBC News Network in early 2021.
“Ginella’s unstoppable energy and journalistic curiosity will bolster our prime time news programming during this critical, rapidly changing time for Canada and the world,” said Michael Gruzuk, Senior Director, Programming and Development, CBC News. “As she has done throughout her already groundbreaking career, Ginella will help us better reflect Canadians with stories that matter.”
“It’s a dream come true to be joining Canada’s national public broadcaster,” said Massa. “I’m excited to bring a fresh perspective to CBC, and connect with Canadians across the country every night. I look forward to working with an amazing team, as we dissect and discuss the issues that matter most to our country.”
In addition to hosting the new prime time program on CBC News Network, Massa will be part of CBC News Specials and serve as a special correspondent for THE NATIONAL, contributing several feature stories to the program.
The new prime time program is part of CBC News’ recent focus on expanded premier, political and prime time news programming, including the launch of new weekly program ROSEMARY BARTON LIVE, CBC NEWS LIVE WITH VASSY KAPELOS and the move of POWER & POLITICS to prime time on weekday evenings. CBC News will also start development on a new weekday 4 p.m. program anchored by Carole MacNeil, also planned for launch in early 2021.
Massa is a Canadian Screen Award winner who has worked both behind-the-scenes and on-air for local and national Canadian News outlets since 2010, including CityNews, CTV News, NewsTalk 1010 and Rogers TV. Massa became Canada’s first hijab-wearing television news reporter in January 2015. She made history again in 2016 when she filled in as the late anchor on CityNews Toronto, making her the first woman in hijab to ever anchor a major newscast in Canada.
Massa graduated with an Honours B.A. in Communication Studies at York University and has a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Seneca College. She has co-hosted and produced her own web series, provided live coverage of provincial and municipal elections, and has been published in the Globe and Mail and National Post. Raised in Toronto, Massa frequently writes and comments on issues affecting Muslims in North America. She has also worked with community groups, providing media training on how to better engage with news outlets on stories that affect them.