Canada AM, the CTV network's breakfast program, has added a western anchor desk based in Vancouver.

Starting Jan. 28, the morning show will extend its coverage with a Vancouver-based anchor team taking over when the Toronto-based program ends.

Mi-Jung Lee, who has been the late-night newscast anchor at CTV British Columbia, will be Western co-host, with weather coverage from Rena Heer, who previously did weather and traffic at Global BC.

The Vancouver news anchor will be Omar Sachedina, who was formerly a reporter and anchor for Toronto television news channel CP24.

In a statement Wednesday, CTV President Robert Hurst said the network was increasing its focus on British Columbia in the countdown to the 2010 Olympic Games.

CTV stations across most of the country will have Canada AM live between 6 and 9 a.m. local time, instead of the current rebroadcast format.

There will be input from CTV regional affiliates across the country, the network said in its statement.

The first hour of the show, beginning at 6 a.m. ET, will be news, headlines and weather.

Current co-hosts Beverly Thomson and Seamus O'Regan will then lead coverage from Toronto starting at 7 a.m. ET.

The Western anchor team will take over as hosts at 7 a.m. PT.

Canada AM began broadcasting in 1972 in response to the popularity of U.S. morning shows.