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CBC Montreal: television news team

Andrew Chang
Andrew Chang
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As co-anchor of CBC Montreal's supper-time newscast, Andrew Chang has led Montrealers through virtually every recent major event here. He anchored Montreal's 2011 federal election night special, which saw the unprecedented rise of the NDP in the province, and the resulting collapse of the Bloc Québécois; he was also the first, among local English television networks, to tell Montrealers about the assassination of mafia godfather Niccolo Rizzuto Senior.

Before becoming an anchor, he worked as one of CBC's chief staff reporters, covering breaking news at both the local and network level: from the Dawson College shootings, to the collapse of the de la Concorde overpass in Laval, to a month-long stint on the Parti Québécois campaign bus during the 2008 provincial election. During this time, Andrew was also working as a videojournalist -- interviewing the newsmakers, writing and reporting the story, shooting and editing the video, and finally presenting it all on CBC News: Montreal. With a camera over his shoulder, Andrew spent years producing both news-length and feature-length reports, from across the province.

Now Andrew co-hosts CBC News: Montreal at 5, 5:30 and 6, every weekday evening. On weekends, it's a different story though -- he spends his time snowboarding, hiking, and indulging in one of his many other passions: music.
Debra Arbec
Debra Arbec
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Debra Arbec has been covering daily news in Montreal since 1989. She knows the city and the people who live here. The veteran reporter and anchor joined CBC News: Montreal at 5, 5:30 and 6 as co-host in May of 2011.

Before joining CBC, Debra worked at CTV Montreal, where she anchored various newscasts and reported on major stories for nearly 14 years. After 911, in an attempt to foster understanding in multi-cultural Montreal, she created a popular weekly feature called My Montreal. Debra started out in journalism at CJAD Radio, and also worked at Mix 96 and The Weather Network. Debra was born in Montreal and is a graduate of Concordia's Journalism Department.

Throughout her career, she has received several journalism awards, including two RTNDA Dan MacArthur Awards: One for a special report on teen gambling, another for a report on suicide. She was also a Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon finalist for diversity reporting.

Along with her duties at the CBC Montreal anchor desk, Debra also produces the uplifting Montrealer of the Week. The Friday segment features ordinary Montrealers doing extraordinary things. When she is not working, Debra is usually walking her dogs - Scooter and Libby - cooking or running marathons.
Frank Cavallaro
Frank Cavallaro, Weather
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CBC Weather Specialist Frank Cavallaro is a Montreal native who has been forecasting since the late 1980s. He is a member of CMOS, the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, and he has won numerous weather awards including being voted the World's Top Weather Presenter at the International Weather Festival in Paris in 2002.

Before he began his extensive broadcasting career in radio and television, Frank worked as a travel consultant. In his free time, he enjoys golf, working out, and watching his son play soccer.
Nancy Wood
Nancy Wood
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Nancy Wood is the host of CBC News Montreal Late Night, weeknights at 10:55 p.m. She returns to CBC Montreal after 2 years with Radio-Canada's Enquête, a current affairs investigative program where she worked on investigations into air-taxi safety, the Montreal Casino and the Canadian Forces.

Wood has covered a wide range of events during her 27 years as a journalist, from federal and provincial politics to natural disasters and crime. She began her career in 1985 as a staff reporter with The Montreal Gazette. She went on to The Toronto Star and became a senior writer from Maclean's Magazine's Ottawa bureau. In 1994, she joined CBC Radio as a writer-broadcaster, later hosting Radio Noon and Daybreak.

Born in Montreal, Wood graduated Concordia University, where she studied journalism.
Thomas Daigle
Thomas Daigle
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Thomas Daigle is a videojournalist and the host of CBC News Montreal at 6 on Saturday and Late Night Sunday.

Born in New Brunswick, he studied journalism at Concordia University and quickly fell in love with Montreal's vibrant culture. Thomas joined the CBC Montreal team in June 2011 after more than a decade of experience on the air, reporting both in French and English.
Sabrina Marandola
Sabrina Marandola
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Sabrina Marandola is the Weather Presenter for CBC News Montreal Saturday at 6pm, and Sunday Late Night at 10:55pm. She is also a journalist for CBC Radio One’s Homerun, and CBC News Montreal.

Born and raised in Montreal’s East End, Sabrina graduated with distinction from Concordia University's joint specialization program in Communications & Journalism.

Sabrina joined the CBC in 2008, thrilled to share her skills as a writer/broadcaster, news reporter, traffic reporter, weather presenter, host, producer, line-up editor and studio director. When she is not working, Sabrina cannot get away from her Italian roots. She writes for Panoram Italia Magazine, loves to visit her friends and relatives in Italy every few years, and is a self-confessed pizza addict.
Anna Askimakopulos
Anna Asimakopulos
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Raised within a family that strictly forbade television, Anna Asimakopulos rebelled and therein sealed her fate. During a lengthy career with CBC, she has worked her way up from editorial assistant, to reporter for the show Busy Bodies, then a news reporter for Newswatch, to her present position as arts reporter for CBC News: Montreal at Six.
Kristin Falcao
Kristin Falcao
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After receiving her Journalism degree from Concordia University in 2003, Kristin’s broadcasting career began at CTV Montreal where she worked her way up from researcher to arts and entertainment reporter.

Four years later she joined the CBC News: Montreal at Six team as a weather specialist. When she’s not tracking the latest snowstorm, she’s working as a news reporter, show writer or researcher.

In her spare time, Kristin enjoys traveling, yoga, jogging and spending time with her two Boston Terriers.
Daniel Halton
Daniel Halton
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Dan began his career at CBC Television in the London Bureau. He has spent the last 10 years working as a field producer and reporter in Toronto, Montreal, and as the National Assembly reporter in Quebec City. During those years, he distinguished himself by producing and reporting lead news stories on numerous days when the eyes of the nation were glued to CBC TV : the 2003 and 2007 Quebec provincial elections, the 2004 and the 2005 federal elections, and the 2005 London bombings.

Dan graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Masters degree in International Relations. Before joining the CBC he worked and lived in London, Washington and Ottawa.

Shari Okeke
Shari Okeke
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Shari Okeke has been with CBC Television for 10 years. She started at Newsworld in Toronto shortly after completing a Master of Arts in journalism at the University of Western Ontario.

In Toronto Shari worked as a producer on Politics, CBC Morning and The National Magazine. Born and raised in Montreal, Shari returned in 1999 and started reporting. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University which she put to use as Montreal's Network Business Reporter from 2000-2006.
Lynne Robson
Lynne Robson
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For more than 20 years Lynne has covered most of the major events affecting Quebec. She started in 1989, the same year as the Polytechnic murders followed just a few months later by the Oka Crisis. Lynne's taste for politics lead to her taking a lead role in CBC's coverage of the referendum in 1995. As a reporter for The National, she also reported from Washington, London and New York, including extensive coverage in September 2001, following the attack on the World Trade Center.

Lynne also produced several documentaries for The National, and she enjoyed the challenge of delving deep into a wide range of subjects...from whales to weddings! Now, back in news where the fun lies in meeting new and extraordinary Canadians every day.

Lynne is from Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1981, she received a Canada Council Grant to study dance writing, and in 2003, she won the Canadian Journalism Fellowship. She has also won several RTNDA journalism awards.
Lynne Robson
Catherine Cullen
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From the Montreal North riots to Grey Cup victory celebrations for the Alouettes, Catherine has covered a wide range of news for TV, radio and the web.

Catherine was born in Montreal, but raised in Ottawa. After receiving an Honours degree in Media, Information and Technoculture at the University of Western Ontario, she moved back to the city of her birth to study journalism. Catherine graduated from the Journalism Diploma program at Concordia University in 2005.

She won the CBC's Joan Donaldson Scholarship, which gave her the chance to work at CBC Vancouver and CBC Toronto right after graduating. When the time came to choose where she wanted to work, there was no question. Catherine was anxious to come back to Montreal and work in what she considers the most vibrant, exciting news city in the country.

Catherine has worked a whole range of jobs at the CBC, but these days you'll find her with a camera on her shoulder, as CBC Montreal's newest videojournalist.
Andie Bennett
Andie Bennett
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Andie is a sports reporter for CBC News Montreal and CBC Radio One's weekday morning show, Daybreak. A Communications graduate from Concordia University, Andie grew up on the West Island. She spent the past six years covering the Habs and sports reporting for the drive show on THE TEAM 990.

When she's not covering sports, she's participating in them. Andie spent her childhood on the baseball diamond and went on to row Concordia Crew and instruct rock climbing. She also enjoys snowboarding.