CBC London, Ont. station set to launch in June

CBC will open its London, Ont. station in June as the national public broadcaster delivers on its long-awaited plan to expand its news coverage across the city.

The station, located at 251 Dundas St. inside the central branch of the London Public Library, will officially launch June 12 with a new morning radio show and an extensive online news presence.

"This is a digital-first station, which means we'll get stories and information to you first on your smart phones, on social media streams, and online," said Marissa Nelson, CBC's senior managing director in Ontario. "That way, we can give you the news you need updated throughout the day and into the evening."

In addition to CBC London's new morning show, which will broadcast from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., the station will also be the new home of Afternoon Drive, the afternoon radio show currently based in Windsor.

Afternoon Drive will remain a two-hour regional program focused on the voices and stories of southwestern Ontario.

Bernard Graham is the new executive producer of CBC London, leading the station's programming and community connections.

"We will be highly involved in this community and look forward to people reaching out to us for the events we should be at," Nelson said. "We'll also be doing off-site programming, from smaller remote broadcasts in locations in and around London, to town halls where we dig deeper into issues of the day."