New on-air additions join previously announced Breakfast Television hosts Alexandre Despatie, Joanne Vrakas, and Wilder Weir
Breakfast Television to premiere Monday, Aug. 26 at 6 a.m. ET on City Montreal
MONTREAL (July 5, 2013) As City Montreal gears up to launch its new morning show Breakfast Television, it announced today the expansion of its on-air team, with the addition of Montreal natives Catherine Verdon-Diamond as Weather and Traffic Specialist, Laura Casella as News Producer and Reporter, and Elias Makos as New Media Producer and Commentator.
Casella, Verdon-Diamond, and Makos join previously announced Breakfast Television in-studio hosts Alexandre Despatie and Joanne Vrakas, along with Live Eye Host Wilder Weir.
Breakfast Television will premiere Monday, Aug. 26 at 6 a.m. ET on City Montreal. Following the successful model of Breakfast Television brands in Canada's major cities across the country Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver - Breakfast Television is set to air weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET.
Delivering Breakfast Television's dailydose of traffic and weather reports is former weather host for CBC News Montrealat 11 Catherine Verdon-Diamond. Born in Montreal, Verdon-Diamond grew up overseas, living in Egypt for three years before relocating to Israel for the next four years where she attended the American International School in Israel. Throughout her schooling in Israel, Verdon-Diamond regularly travelled to countries such as Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands to compete in various sports tournaments. She returned to Montreal in 1994, and later studied at Dawson College and Concordia University. In 2012, while working at CBC Montreal behind the scenes, Verdon-Diamond was offered the opportunity to report on the evening weather newscasts. She currently lives in Laval with her husband and two young sons, and dedicates her spare time coaching her sons' soccer team and volunteering at their school.
Born and raised in St. Leonard, Laura Casella began her career in broadcasting in 2007 as a freelance reporter at CJAD 800, where she quickly moved up the ranks to produce the Tommy Schnurmacher Show. In 2011, while producing the show, she also worked as a freelance reporter for CTV Montreal and reporter for CJAD 800. Throughout her career, Casella has covered a wide range of local and international stories, from protests against the Montreal Canadiens' Anglophone head coach controversy to language tensions raised by the election of Parti Quebecois. Casella also made her mark reporting from the front lines of the heated Quebec student protests over tuition increases, and most recently covered the papal conclave from Rome for CJAD 800 and other news/talk radio stations across Canada.
Also joining Breakfast Television's on-air team is Elias Makos as New Media Commentator. An expert in the field of social media and technology trends, Makos has been delivering the latest news in these areas for CTV Montreal, CTV News Channel, and CBC Radio.
Beginning Monday, Aug. 26, Montreal audiences can catch Breakfast Television weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET on the following channels: 14 on Videotron Classic Cable, 14 and 614 HD on Videotron Illico, 207 on Bell Satellite, 204 and 1204 HD on Bell Fibe, 62.1 Antenna, 97 and 546 HD on Shaw Direct (Advanced), and 366 and 46 HD on Shaw Direct (Classic).
Social Media Links
Official website, Citywww.citytv.com
Follow Joanne Vrakas @joannevrakas
Follow Alexandre Despatie @ADespatie
Follow Catherine Verdon-Diamond@BT_Catherine
Follow Laura Casella on @La_Casella
Follow Elias Makos @eliasmakos
Follow Breakfast Television Montreal @BTMontreal
Follow City: @City_tv
Follow City PR: @City_PR
About City
City television stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Saskatchewan offer viewers intensely-local, urban-oriented, culturally-diverse television programming. A distinct alternative to other conventional television stations, City engages its viewers with dynamic on-air personalities and delivers an entertaining mix of news, local-interactive formats such as: Breakfast Television and Cityline; as well as local Canadian and US acquired prime time entertainment programming. City is a part of Rogers Broadcasting Limited, a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. For more information on City stations and programming, visit Citytv.com.
Media Contacts:
Charmaine Khan, City, 416.277.0450, Charmaine.khan@rci.rogers.com
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New on-air additions join previously announced Breakfast Television hosts Alexandre Despatie, Joanne Vrakas, and Wilder Weir 
