A brand-new CBC News greeted Canucks on Oct. 26 when the public broadcaster unveiled the result of a massive restructuring of its news operation.

The ambitious overhaul – which includes a new look and pace for flagship newscast The National and a new name for Newsworld (CBC News Network) – saw over 1,000 employees shuffled, the acquisition of new talent, programming changes, and a merger of online, radio and TV news-gathering operations.

That, amid a tumultuous economy that resulted in 800 jobs lost at CBC earlier this year as it faces a $171 million shortfall, and grumblings of discontent about leadership and morale at network headquarters in Toronto.

Richard Stursberg, EVP of English services, insists the reorganization was crucial in the face of ‘convulsive’ change in the way news is consumed, and defended his hiring of Jennifer McGuire, who was officially named GM and editor-in-chief of CBC News in May. (She had served on an interim basis since November 2008 when John Cruickshank left.)

Playback sat down with Stursberg and McGuire shortly after CBC unveiled its new-look news division for a candid discussion on the transition, three years in the making.

What has been the single biggest challenge of the news overhaul?

RS: The sheer complexity of the task. We had to change everything, all at the same time. It was the only way it could be done. The managerial challenge associated with a change of that magnitude is pretty daunting. You can do all the research in the world, have the smartest thought process, but actually implementing a change of this size [in] a very large organization with a distinguished history… it’s daunting.

JM: We moved radio, TV and online into one newsroom. We’ve changed show formats, we’ve reorganized our workforce, we integrated our news-gathering functions, and we’ve brought all our systems into one computer system. So behind all of it, there are lists of separate projects that on their own could be full-time for a year. We did them all concurrently, and all in a very short implementation time.

An open letter from ‘Concerned Staff’ to CBC president Hubert Lacroix has been floating around, criticizing your leadership and the appointment of McGuire to head of CBC News. How do you respond?

RS: I hired Jennifer’s predecessor [John Cruickshank] and I hired Jennifer. I know every serious candidate that’s out there in the country that could possibly handle this job. Not only was I confident when I hired Jennifer that she was absolutely the best choice available, a year later I’m thrilled to say my judgment was absolutely sound. When you look at what’s been accomplished, the proof is in the pudding.

Do you think it’s indicative of low morale in the newsroom?

RS: Inevitably there’s going to be anonymous sour grapes. My general sense of where the newsroom is right now is I think that people are very excited. It’s been challenging… because [staff] have had to put the news on while they’ve been redesigning news and learning brand new roles. So it’s a bit like riding a bicycle while you’re changing the tire. It’s very demanding.

JM: There were cuts at CBC across the organization, and in news we reorganized. So at the end of the day, everybody was sitting in a different chair, some people in different jobs, [while others] lost their jobs. It’s been a time of incredible change. It’s not surprising that some people are griping, but I have to tell you, if you actually go into the newsroom and talk to people, by and large, they’re excited.

How did the job cuts earlier this year affect the news overhaul?

JM: It shifted our gears for sure. When we started, we were talking about an investment process, and then CBC ended up downsizing. You would have seen us push more towards 24/7 coverage in the regions, had we not been pulled back. We would’ve also had a second primetime show on CBC News Network. There were things we wanted to do that we couldn’t do in the end out of the gate. [But the] change positions us well and it’s a place to grow from.

RS: The good news is we had already figured out a way to do more with less. So when we were confronted with less, we could handle it. It would have been very difficult to handle if we had that situation two or three years ago.

Did you consider moving The National, and are you concerned that it has fallen behind its competitors in the ratings race this fall, despite the PPMs?

RS: I never thought about [moving The National] on the main network, partly because it is already on at 11 p.m. on CBC NN. The PPM system is still stabilizing, I think it’s a bit early to tell. On the basis of the most recent readings it’s true that [The National numbers are lower] than CTV/Global. But historically, over the course of the last couple of years, The National’s numbers have gotten significantly stronger.

JM: The ongoing challenge for The National [is that] our competitors’ lead-in numbers are higher, so their job is to keep the numbers they get. The National traditionally has bumped up the audience for CBC and attracted new viewers to the network. I think if you talk to anyone in the industry, they’ll say it’s too early to tell what [the PPMs] mean. Would I like the numbers to be higher? Sure. But The National always builds through the season.

What was the thought process behind some of CBC News’ high-profile hires, including Anne-Marie Mediwake, Kevin O’Leary and Amanda Lang?

JM: I was very aggressive with talent, set my eyes on people. I was trying to change the face of the network. For CBC NN, Anne-Marie has an incredible connection with audiences, she pops through the screen. The decision to chase Amanda and Kevin was recognizing we had an opportunity in the business [sector]. We had a chance to grow that expertise, and capitalize with a strong brand in a niche market.

RS: We want to have [on-air talent] be more accessible, slightly more informal, with more personality-based newscasts. We’re asking Canadians to invite us into their homes. You like to invite someone you know, that you trust, people whose opinions you admire.

Can you describe the importance of the new centralized multi-platform assignment desk?

JM: It’s a much more efficient resource in asking upfront ‘What’s the story and how do we need to tell that across all platforms?’ It is one desk with three aspects: a live desk, a daily desk and a planning desk. It [enables] us to extend our reach and do more by getting rid of some of the duplication that happens when you have separate newsrooms.

RS: It also lays the basis for us in the future to be able to move much more easily onto platforms as they evolve.