TORONTO — Chris Howden has been announced as the new co-host of CBC Radio’s national current affairs show, As It Happens. Howden will join the program’s longtime host, award-winning journalist Carol Off, on Monday, January 6, 2020.
Howden is replacing former co-host Jeff Douglas, who left As It Happens in May 2019 to host Mainstreet, the CBC Radio One afternoon show in Douglas’s home province of Nova Scotia.
As It Happens listeners may already be familiar with Howden’s voice as a fill-in host and behind-the-scenes writer for the show. As It Happens broadcasts weekdays at 6:30 p.m. (7 p.m. NT) nationwide on CBC Radio One and via the free CBC Listen app for iOS and Android devices, and online at cbc.ca/listen.
“As the show’s writer, Chris has done so much to create the distinct voice and attitude of the program. Now he can literally bring that voice into the studio and deliver the scripts he’s crafted so well,” said Cathy Perry, senior director of programming, Network Talk, for CBC, in a news release. “Chris will bring another viewpoint to the show, helping to connect with more Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast through his unique perspective on contemporary issues and the news of the day.”
Co-host Carol Off added: “As our writer, Chris has already shown us the world through his unique lens. Human folly is gently mocked; the absurd is exposed to the light of day; the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Now he will bring his humour, wit and insight to the airwaves as my co-host. As It Happens is blessed.”
Howden started at As It Happens in 2003. He’s worked as a producer and director and has been the show’s writer for the past 10 years. He’s been responsible, among other things, for carrying on the show’s tradition of puns. Over his career with CBC Radio, Howden has also contributed to Sounds Like Canada and This Morning, and hosted the documentary show Living Out Loud. He grew up in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, and now lives in Toronto with his family.
“I listened to As It Happens every night growing up,” Howden said in the news release. “It is unbelievable that I’ll be in the same chair that Alan Maitland, Barbara Budd, and Jeff Douglas sat in. Not literally…it’s a different chair. Regardless, I am proud and grateful to join that illustrious group, and thrilled to be working with my friend and hero, Carol Off.”
