CBC KICKS OFF CULTURE DAYS WITH A FULL DAY OF PROGRAMMING AND LIVE EVENTS AT
TORONTO'S YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE

TORONTO, Sept. 20 /CNW/ - On Thursday, September 23, CBC is taking over Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with CBC LIVE! - a star-studded lineup of broadcasts, live events, music and celebrity meet and greets. The daylong event, which celebrates the art of broadcasting, marks the kick-off to Culture Days, the largest collective public participation campaign ever undertaken by the arts and cultural community in Canada.

CBC LIVE! In Yonge-Dundas Square will let audiences experience first-hand CBC's commitment and contribution to the cultural life of Canada. It will also give people an opportunity to meet the stars of many of CBC's hit TV and radio shows, including DRAGONS' DEN, THE TUDORS, BEING ERICA, HEARTLAND, ALL FOR ONE WITH DEBBIE TRAVIS, METRO MORNING, STEVEN AND CHRIS, THE CURRENT, THE NATIONAL, HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA and BATTLE OF THE BLADES.

"As one of Canada's largest cross-country cultural organizations, CBC is proud to support Culture Days as the National Broadcast Partner," said Kirstine Stewart, Interim Executive Vice-President, English Services and General Manager of CBC Television.  "We're looking forward to kicking off the weekend's festivities on Thursday with this magnificent event, and we invite all Torontonians to join us at Yonge-Dundas Square."

CBC LIVE! Highlights (subject to change):

9:00 am	Q with Jian Ghomeshi LIVE! With guests Mark Critch (22 Minutes), Erin Karpluk (Being Erica), Robert Herjavec (Dragons' Den), City and Colour (Dallas Green) and Zeus
10:30 am	Behind the Scenes with CBC Stars A Q&A with Matt Galloway, Jian Ghomeshi, Anna-Maria Tremonti, Bob Mackowycz, Peter Armstrong and Anne-Marie Mediwake.
11:15 am	Meet the Stars of CBC Radio Matt Galloway, Jian Ghomeshi, Anna-Maria Tremonti, Eleanor Wachtel, Craig Norris, Nora Young, Bob Mackowycz and more!
Noon	Steven and Chris LIVE! with Debbie Travis, Kari Osmond, Joe Mimran (Joe Fresh) and cast members from Battle of the Blades
1:30 pm	Meet Steven and Chris
1:30 pm	Culture Days presents Play Fighting: A Stage Combat Demo Sponsored by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
2:00 pm	Kids' CBC LIVE! with Patty & Sid, Mamma Yamma and live performances from Great Lake Swimmers and Jason Collett with Zeus
3:00 pm	Meet the Stars of Kids' CBC
3:00 pm	Here & Now LIVE! with special guests Cirque du Soleil, Aline Morales, Masia One, Café Con Pan and others
3:00 pm	Meet the Stars of CBC News Wendy Mesley, Heather Hiscox, Dianne Buckner, Tom Harrington, Suhana Meharchand, Anne-Marie Mediwake and more.
5:00 pm	Meet the Stars of CBC Television The casts of Being Erica, The Tudors, Heartland, 22 Minutes, Men With Brooms, Dragons' Den, Debbie Travis, Ron James and Battle of the Blades!
7:30 pm	CBC LIVE! A Music Event hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, Bob Mackowycz and George Stroumboulopoulos. Featuring Great Lake Swimmers, Bedouin Soundclash and Sloan.

For a complete rundown of the day's activities, and for more information about Culture Days across Canada, visit www.cbc.ca/culturedays.  Twitter hash tag: #cbc #culturedays

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. CBC is the National Broadcast Partner for Culture Days.

About Culture Days
Culture Days (culturedays.ca) is a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. Culture Days was initiated by four Founding Partners: The Canadian Arts Summit, Culture pour tous (producer of les Journées de la culture), Canada Council for the Arts and The Banff Centre. National partners supporting the development of Culture Days include Founding Presenting Partner Sun Life Financial, Power Corporation of Canada and The Government of Alberta. Provincial partners include Government of Alberta, SaskCulture, Manitoba Homecoming, Government of Manitoba, Ontario Arts Council, Government of Prince Edward Island, Government of New Brunswick, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador, and the Government of Northwest Territories. Culture Days was inspired by Journées de la culture, produced by Culture pour tous in Québec since 1997.

Note for Media
Media check-in is located at the CBC Culture Days Media Lounge on the second floor of the Hard Rock Café at 279 Yonge Street between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Detailed information about Culture Days, interviews with Culture Days representatives, complimentary beverages and wireless internet access will be available.

In addition, the casts of some of CBC's most popular fall programs will be available for media interviews between 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on September 23.  Interviews will also be held in the CBC Culture Days Media Lounge.  For more information and to book an interview session, please contact Veritas Communications.

For further information:

Lisa Pasquin, Veritas Communications
[email protected]
[phone] - o / [phone] - c