Shaw Media has received approval from the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission to launch an all-news specialty television channel in British Columbia. The channel will be called Global News: BC 1 and is expected to debut in January of 2013. It will specialize in local and regional news from British Columbia, as well as national and international coverage. According to Shaw, the channel will also incorporating elements of social media and other online activities into the way its on-air staff delivers the news. "This is huge step towards providing BC residents with a 24-hour news channel from the province's most watched news brand," said Troy Reeb, senior vice-president of news and station operations at Shaw Media. "Global News: BC 1 represents our continued dedication to building a news powerhouse by servicing viewers with compelling programming and personalities."