Undercurrents (TV program)

*Undercurrents*
Undercurrents
Genre	News magazine
Presented by	Wendy Mesley
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	CBC
Release	1995 –; 2001

Undercurrents was a Canadian news magazine television program that was hosted by Wendy Mesley. It focused on media, marketing and technology.^[1]

Overview

The series, which debuted in 1995, primarily concentrated on investigative and documentary reports about media, marketing and technology, such as examining media coverage of controversial issues.^[1] Its debut episode drew 800,000 viewers despite having received little advance publicity and having been scheduled so hastily that it wasn't even listed in that week's TV Guide listings;^[1] the episode examined the role of video in criminal trials, using the Paul Bernardo trial as its hook.^[1]

Mesley was interviewed about the program's cancellation in 1997 by Scan Magazine.

Mesley won two Gemini Awards for Best Host or Interviewer of a News or General Information Series for her work on Undercurrents, in 1999^[2] and 2001.^[3]

In 2001, Undercurrents was folded into the new series CBC News: Disclosure, cohosted by Mesley and Diana Swain.^[4] The new show did not continue to discuss the media or technology; instead, the media analysis theme was picked up by a different new CBC series, MediaWatch.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Wendy Mesley returns with new series". The Gazette, June 25, 1995.
^ Antonia Zerbisias, "CBC cops 41 Geminis; Public network dominates news and information awards; CTV dramas win big". Toronto Star, November 8, 1999.
^ "Cold Squad, Da Vinci hot at Geminis". Vancouver Sun, October 29, 2001.
^ "Dynamic duo: Wendy Mesley and Diana Swain hope to shock viewers with their new CBC show Disclosure". Halifax Daily News, November 13, 2001.
^ "Lots of buzz for media show: Chattering classes brace for CBC show about -- themselves". National Post, August 3, 2002.