City TV sportcaster leaving!
Kathryn Humphreys is leaving City TV.
The well-known sportscaster failed to come to terms on a new contract with City TV and she will be parting ways with the station after 10 years, Sun Media has learned.
When reached, Humphreys confirmed she is leaving City TV, but she didn't want to get into the specific details of her departure or where she now is headed in the TV world.
"I'm not running off to join a nunnery -- they wouldn't have me," said Humphreys, displaying the typical irreverent humour that has endeared her to TV viewers. "But rest assured, I will be back on TV."
Stephen Hurlbut, City TV's national vice-president of news, also confirmed that Humphreys is leaving.
"She is such a unique and gifted personality, she is going to be difficult to replace," Hurlbut said. "But we do have some proficiency in finding characters and personalities. So the search is on.
"But if you're wondering if we have someone in the wings and this was all part of a grand plan, absolutely not. We wanted a happy ending. But it'll really, really work out for Kathryn. She's a great girl."
Hurlbut admitted it's a sad day for City TV, which is losing one of its most recognizable faces. The 37-year-old Humphreys, who is married to Tragically Hip drummer Johnny Fay, had a knack for attracting viewers who weren't necessarily sports junkies but who enjoyed Humphreys' fun approach.
"We absolutely think Kathryn is a unique and special talent," Hurlbut said. "She had been a part of our newsroom for 10 years. We shouldn't forget the fact that we were the first people to put her on television and develop that talent. But in the course of people's careers and ongoing professional development, perhaps City TV wasn't a big enough stage for Kathryn and where she wanted to be."
The five City TV stations across Canada were to have been part of CTV's $1.7-billion purchase of the CHUM empire. However earlier this year, the CRTC ruled that the City TV stations could not remain with CTV, and subsequently CTV sold them to Rogers for $375 million.
"In our minds, we would have been very happy to have Kathryn with us for another 10 years," Hurlbut added. "But we've had a very clear understanding of our positions and she thanked me very much for everything, and she has a very, very bright future. She leaves with nothing but our best wishes."
Premier-designate Wall confirms date of next election
In his first formal news conference as premier-designate, Brad Wall has confirmed the Saskatchewan Party will proceed with fixed election dates.
The date of the next general provincial election will be November 7, 2011, Wall said at the legislative building in Regina on Thursday.
The Saskatchewan Party won Wednesday's election by taking 38 of 58 constituencies, defeating the NDP, which had been in power since 1991. Before the election was called, the NDP had 30 seats and the Saskatchewan Party had 28.
Results on Wednesday night indicated that Wall's party had won 37 seats, Lorne Calvert's NDP had taken 21 and the Liberals had got none.
However, Elections Saskatchewan said Thursday that there was a mistake in the tally in Meadow Lake, Originally, it was believed that New Democrat Maynard Sonntag won with a narrow margin over the Saskatchewan Party's Jeremy Harrison. However, Elections Saskatchewan said it turns out that Harrison won by 17 votes, dropping the NDP's seat count to 20.
There are still more than 100 absentee ballots to be counted and that could again change the outcome.
A short session of the legislature is expected to be held in December.
Wall said he would spend the next few weeks preparing for the transition to power, selecting a cabinet and spending time with his family.
Among those sending congratulations to Wall was Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Harper issued a statement saying he looked forward to working with Wall. He said Wall's party has been given a mandate to address the issues of importance to Saskatchewan people.
New Radiohead Album Due Dec. 31 On CD
Radiohead has set a Dec. 31 international release date for the physical version of its new album, "In Rainbows."
The album will be released on CD and vinyl, followed by the single "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" on Jan. 14. Formats for the single will be announced shortly.
Both album and single will be released outside the United States on XL Recordings. A spokesperson for the band said that details for the U.S. physical release are not yet finalized, although Side One Recordings/ATO is working the track "Bodysnatchers" to radio there.
A statement issued today (Nov. 7) on the band's behalf poured cold water on reports claiming the "set your own price" approach for the Oct. 10 digital release of "In Rainbows" had resulted in fans only paying an average of £2.93 ($6) for the album.
Those figures were touted in a statement issued by digital measurement group ComScore.com. The Radiohead statement described the ComScore data as "wholly inaccurate" information which "in no way reflect definitive market intelligence or, indeed, the true success of the project."
It continued, "the group's representatives would like to remind people that, as the album could only be downloaded from the band's Web site, it is impossible for outside organizations to have accurate figures on sales."