Canadian Idol Goes to the Yukon

Canadian Idol Goes to the Yukon

- Sub-Arctic Search for Canada's Next Singing Superstar hits Whitehorse this Weekend -

TORONTO, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The search for Canada's next singing sensation will extend into the Far North this weekend as Canadian Idol touches down in Whitehorse, a remote city located 200 miles north of Juneau, Alaska. The sub-arctic stop is the fourth on Canadian Idol's exhaustive 13-week, cross- country audition tour. Auditions will be held this Saturday, Feb. 26 in the capital city of the Yukon Territory.

(xx)Media Note(xx) - High-resolution photography and program information about Canadian Idol can be found online at www.idolpix.ca.

With a population of just under 20,000, Whitehorse is the smallest city to ever host auditions for Canadian Idol, the most-watched series ever in Canadian television history. The blockbuster television program, which airs on Canadian broadcaster CTV, is currently in the midst of a comprehensive audition tour for the series' third season. The tour will visit 13 cities in total, from Whitehorse (Canada's most Westerly city) to St. John's, Newfoundland (Canada's most Easterly city), covering a distance of over 8100 kilometers and touching down in every single province of the country. American Idol visited five cities for its current season.

The visit to the extreme Northwest is the realization of Canadian Idol's philosophy to represent as accurately as possible the diverse musical traditions of Canada's many regions.

"Canada is the world's second biggest country, but first when it comes to musical talent," said John Brunton, Executive Producer of the series. "We know we need to be thorough in our search and reach out to this country's remote populations. We are hoping to be blown away in Whitehorse."

Whitehorse receives as few as three hours of sunlight per day in the winter months and has an average temperature of zero degrees Fahrenheit in February.

Recognized as one of the most innovative Idols programs in the world, Canadian Idol is Canada's most-watched original program since the advent of electronic measurement. The CTV series is hosted by television personality Ben Mulroney along with comedic correspondent Jon Dore. The series' four-member judging panel is comprised of Canadian music industry veterans Farley Flex, Jake Gold and Zack Werner along with internationally recognized singer/songwriter Sass Jordan.

CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It boasts the number-one national newscast, CTV News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and has interests in 14 specialty channels, including the number-one Canadian specialty channel, TSN. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, Canada's premier multi-media company. More information about CTV may be found on the company Web site at www.ctv.ca.


Source: CTV Inc.

CONTACT: Scott Henderson, CTV Inc., (416) 332-5305; Anne-Marie La
Pointe, Unit Publicist, (416) 559-4365 or alapointe@ctv.ca


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