Global TV Has A New Anchor

"I sort of feel I'm on a blind date."
That's what Globa TV's Kevin Newman said on air as he introduced his successor Dawna Friesen. She revs up as the new anchor on Global (and also as executive editor) in September.
"We've had similar paths," Newman interjected meaning he had to go away from Canada to establish his name.
As had Friesen who has spent the past decade mainly in Europe covering stories for NBC news.
Her selection just days after CTV announced Lisa Laflamme would be succeeding CTV's Lloyd Robertson next year means there'll now be two female national anchors with only CBC's Peter Mansbridge left on the former all male anchoring front.
Returning to Canada after years away doesn't always work.
J.D. Roberts left Citytvfor U.S. newscasts and then returned as staid John Roberts as co-anchor of CTV's Canada AM. He never really found his footing and finally returned to the U.S. (he's now with CNN).
And in the 1980s CBC imported Hilary Brown as its Toronto anchor and she seemed unsure of herself after a decade of solid international reporting--and she, too, left.
But announcing Dawna Friesen as Global's first national anchor would not be correct. And remember Anne Mroczowski currently co-hosts Global Toronto's late night feed.
Sorry, Donna, but Jan Tennant beat you to it when she co-anchored Global's national news in the 1980s alongside Peter Trueman. Before that she was the first woman to read CBC's National news in 1974.
The feminization of national newscasts started on American TV when Katie Couric replaced Dan Rather on and Diane Sawyer took over for Charlie Gibson on ABC.
Canadian TV is only playing catch up.