From turning over its drama series to executive shuffles and its fall ratings wipeout, the CBC has seen interesting times in 2006. A quick recap of its highs and lows:

January: Ceeb news programming gets a new look, including cleaner graphics and a signature tune, in hopes of attracting more and younger viewers.

* During the federal election, CBC narrowly loses the ratings battle to CTV.

* Kirstine Layfield is hired as head of programming, coming over from the lifestyle channels at Alliance Atlantis Communications.

February: The scripted series Da Vinci’s City Hall, This Is Wonderland and The Tournament are cancelled due to low ratings.

* Deborah Bernstein, a proponent of both Da Vinci’s and Wonderland, exits as head of arts and entertainment, ending 20 years at the network.

* Stiff competition and time delays hurt coverage of the Olympic Winter Games. Its ratings in primetime are down by half from 2002.

* CBC TV head Richard Stursberg tells the CFTPA conference that scripted Ceeb shows should look to attract one million viewers per episode. He warns producers away from the ‘didactic,’ ‘boring’ and ‘highbrow.’

April: Former Hollywood producer Fred Fuchs replaces Bernstein.

* Seventy-nine design staffers are laid off in Toronto.

May: Layfield, Fuchs and newly installed factual entertainment head Julie Bristow explain plans for a revitalized CBC to producers in a 10-city, cross-country tour.

June: Game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes draws 4.7 million viewers, among the highest on record.

* Layfield unveils plans to simulcast the ABC talent series The One and a reality-heavy fall schedule.

* A Senate committee report says CBC should drop sports, Hollywood movies and advertising.

* Series What It’s Like Being Alone and 11 Cameras debut to soft ratings.

July: The One is cancelled three episodes after its debut, putting plans for a Canadian version on the back burner and host George Stroumboulopoulos on the next plane back to Toronto.

September: Following a radio interview in which he discussed the pleasures of defecation, chairman Guy Fournier writes in a Quebec magazine that Lebanese law allows ‘men to have sexual intercourse with animals as long as they are females.’ The resulting shi(cough) storm leads to his resignation.

* Scheduled, mysteriously, before the start of the NHL season, the doc series Hockey: A People’s History begins a much-touted 10-episode run. It goes on to average a disappointing 365,000 viewers.

October: Sports boss Nancy Lee quits.

* Drama series Intelligence and Jozi-H, the mini October 1970, the sitcom Rumours and the reality Dragon’s Den debut to mixed results, with Intelligence topping the list in the mid-400,000s. The ratings for Jozi-H, October 1970 and talk show The Hour, which has moved to the main network, all start with a ‘1.’

* The Gill Deacon Show joins the daytime schedule.

November: Grey Cup ratings climb slightly to 3.2 million.

* The Standing Committee on Heritage annouces a review of CBC’s mandate.

* The network reportedly begins talks to renew its broadcast rights with the NHL and CFL, facing stiff competition from CTV and its sister TSN.