CBC’s annual battle of the books, CANADA READS, is gearing up for the live debates from Mar. 3 to 6 at the CBC Broadcasting Centre in Toronto. In this year’s edition, CANADA READS: ONE NOVEL TO CHANGE OUR NATION, five celebrity panelists will determine Canada’s must-read title for 2014 during four hour-long impassioned discussions in front of live audiences. The debates will air on CBC Radio One, CBCBooks.ca, CBC-TV and documentary.
This year’s CANADA READS line-up:
• Olympic gold medallist Donovan Bailey will defend Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
• Comedian and writer Samantha Bee will defend Cockroach by Rawi Hage
• Actress Sarah Gadon will defend Annabel by Kathleen Winter
• Hip-hop artist, broadcaster and educator Wab Kinew will defend The Orenda by Joseph Boyden
• Activist Stephen Lewis will defend The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC’s arts and culture program Q on CBC Radio and TV, will preside over the debates and will interview the winning author and panelist on Q on Friday, March 7.
How to catch this year’s debates:
Monday, March 3 to Thursday, March 6
• In Toronto: audiences are invited to the live shows (details at CBCBooks.ca)
• Live video-streaming of the debates, with live chat, on CBCBooks.ca at 10 a.m. ET
• CBC Radio One broadcast at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• CBC-TV broadcast at 4 p.m. (4:30 NT).
• documentary broadcast at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT (encore at midnight ET/9 p.m. PT)
• SiriusXM 169 broadcast at 11 a.m., 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. ET (the following day)
Saturday, March 8
• A one-hour recap special on CBC Radio One at 4 p.m. (4:30 NT)
Sunday, March 9
• A one-hour recap broadcast special on CBC-TV at 1 p.m. (1:30 NT)
To receive media accreditation to attend the debates, please contact Dayna Shiskos by end of day on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at dayna.shiskos@cbc.ca.
For more information on the books and their champions, visit CBCBooks.ca. Follow all the action on social media @CBCBooks #CanadaReads2014
ABOUT CBCBOOKS.ca
CBCBooks.ca features all of CBC’s rich literary content and major events and programs such as Canada Reads, the Massey Lectures and Canada Writes. This one-stop destination for book lovers and writers includes in-depth information on books, exclusive interviews with authors, the latest news stories from the publishing world, book recommendations, best-seller lists, writing workshops and challenges, plus discussions and blogs. CBCBooks.ca is where readers click.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus five languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada celebrated 75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the democratic, social and cultural life of Canada.
For further information please contact:
Dayna Shiskos, publicist, CBC
(o) (416) 205-7973
(c) (416) 420-5241
