CBC to broadcast live from the Capitol Centre

File photo of North Bay folks attending the Support CBC North rally held in Sudbury this past Saturday.

CBC Points North afternoon host Dan Lessard will be broadcasting live from North Bay's Capitol Centre this Thursday afternoon between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Highlighting personalities and events from across northern Ontario, Points North is enjoyed by many North Bay listeners aswell as people from as far west as Wawa, north to Fort Albany on James Bay and all the way to the shores of the Ottawa river, one of the largest broadcast areas in Canada.

Recently proposed job cuts at CBC are expected to see 8 of the current 13 positions of the Northern Ontario broadcaster lost. Of concern to some Northern communities is the perceived loss of a voice that represents the north and brings a shared sense of identity to many Northerners where they live or as they travel the North.

In Sudbury this past weekend, almost 500 hundred people attended a rally in support of keeping CBC Northern Ontario as a strong regional broadcaster.

A number of local guests will be featured and share some of the colourful stories and goings on in the Bay with others all across Northern Ontario.

Thursdays broadcast will also be a great opportunity to come out meet Dan Lessard, some of the Points North crew and just enjoy a great afternoon of live radio. "

Details in the news release below.

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CBC Radio will be broadcasting to all of Northeastern Ontario tomorrow afternoon from downtown North Bay.

"Points North" with long-time host, and Canadore College Broadcasting alumnus, Dan Lessard, will be doing the program live from the Capitol Center at 150 Main Street East.

"I love North Bay," says Lessard, "It's a great northern city with a great deal of history, heart, and culture. We thought this would be a great place to focus on."

The entire show will focus on the Nipissing region and will include stories about North Bay's Italian community and the history of hockey in the city -- Dan will also interview one of the Trailer Park Boys who will perform in North Bay this Friday.

"I really hope everyone can come down and join us," says Lessard, "There's bound to be surprise guests and lots of fun to be had. It's what public broadcasting is all about."

Points North will begin broadcasting from the Capitol Centre at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The program goes until 6 p.m.

If you miss the broadcast, you can also catch parts of it by downloading the Points North podcast at www.cbc.ca/podcasting, and click on the "regional" tab.