CBC/Radio-Canada – Daily coverage on CBC, cbcsports.ca and Sportsnet ONE begins Friday, July 8

 

Andi Petrillo and Ron MacLean to host CBC Sports’ Calgary Stampede coverage. Jessi Cruickshank (Canada’s Smartest Person) to join Petrillo as co-host of the Stampede Parade, with CBC Calgary’s Doug Dirks reporting

 

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July 7, 2016 – “The greatest outdoor show on earth” returns to CBC Sports this week with daily coverage of the Calgary Stampede presented by GMC, beginning Friday on CBC, cbcsports.ca and Sportsnet ONE. This year’s coverage will combine the intense, heart-pounding action of the rodeo and GMC Rangeland Derby events with the festival atmosphere that surrounds the competition throughout the 10-day event.

 

The Calgary Stampede is the world’s richest tournament-style rodeo, featuring top-ranked cowboys and cowgirls competing for more than $2 million in prizes plus the GMC Rangeland Derby with a purse of more than $1.15 million. CBC, cbcsports.ca and Sportsnet ONE will combine to provide daily coverage on television and live-streaming online and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. The CBC broadcast schedule includes afternoon and prime-time coverage on the opening Saturday (July 9) and over the final weekend (July 16–17), and nightly wrap-up shows from July 8–17, recapping the top performances each day. In addition, cbcsports.ca will feature daily live-streaming action in the afternoon and nighttime, while Sportsnet ONE will carry afternoon and nighttime coverage every day from July 8–15, including late-night encore rodeo coverage. The full broadcast and streaming schedules are available at cbcsports.ca and sportsnet.ca.

 

CBC’s coverage begins Friday at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) at cbcsports.ca and 9 a.m. MT on CBC in Alberta with the Stampede Parade. CBC Sports’ Andi Petrillo will host the coverage alongside Jessi Cruickshank, host of Canada’s Smartest Person and CBC’s new daytime show, premiering October 3. CBC Calgary’s Doug Dirks rounds out the broadcast team as a reporter along the parade route. Cruickshank and Dirks are also taking part in the CBC Calgary Co-Op Stampede Breakfast today at the CBC Calgary Stampede Ranch at 1724 Westmount Blvd N.W.

 

Petrillo will host CBC Sports’ coverage of the opening weekend of the Calgary Stampede while Ron MacLean will take the reins for broadcasts on Championship Weekend, July 16 and 17. Legendary rodeo announcer Bob Tallman will join both Petrillo and MacLean as a special guest for added analysis and insight of the competition on both weekends. In addition to hosting the daily wrap-up show over the opening weekend, Dirks will host and provide play-by-play commentary for CBC’s chuckwagon coverage, while Mark Lee will assume those duties from July 11–17. Dirks will return to the Stampede grounds on July 12 to host his CBC Calgary radio show, The Homestretch, from 3–6 p.m. local time at the International Pavilion.

 

A veteran team of analysts and reporters round out CBC Sports’ broadcast team for the Calgary Stampede, including four-time Calgary Stampede champion Tom Glass and chuckwagon expert Billy Melville, who will both provide analysis for GMC Rangeland Derby coverage. Former saddle-bronc rider Butch Knowles and Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Famer Cody Snyder will serve as analysts for rodeo coverage with Olympic medallist and barrel racer Mellisa Hollingsworth reporting. Hollingsworth with also provide analysis for barrel racing coverage alongside reporter Knowles.

 

In addition to coverage of the rodeo and chuckwagon events, CBC Sports’ coverage will include special features that go beyond the competition to bring Canadians closer to the  lifestyle, culture and legacy of the Calgary Stampede. Reporter and Olympian Kelly VanderBeek will provide added insight on the Stampede experience as well as hosting the daily online feature, Rodeo Roundup, at cbcsports.ca. Renowned restaurateur and radio and television personality Zane Caplansky will give viewers a look at the various edible creations available on the famed Calgary Stampede Midway throughout CBC Sports’ broadcasts. As well, cbcsports.ca will feature a social media feed showcasing the sounds, taste and colour of the Calgary Stampede from the parade to the closing events, through text, photo and video posts live from Calgary.

 

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About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.

 

For more information including press releases and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre.

 

For further information, please contact:

Simon Bassett, publicist, CBC

simon.bassett@cbc.ca

416-205-8533