Longtime CTV anchor Lisa LaFlamme ‘blindsided’ as Bell Media ends contract

Open this photo in gallery:

Lisa LaFlamme was let go as anchor of CTV National News after 35 years at the network in a decision that the veteran journalist said blindsided her and one that prompted shock from colleagues and viewers.

CTV’s parent company, Bell Media, said Ms. LaFlamme‘s removal was a business decision intended to meet changing viewer habits, though it did not elaborate.

Ms. LaFlamme, who has been the face of CTV’s national broadcast since 2011, posted a two-minute video to Twitter on Monday in which she said she was told on June 29 that the network was ending her contract. She said she was told to stay quiet until departure details were finalized.

“I’m still shocked and saddened,” she said. “At 58, I still thought I’d have a lot more time to tell more of the stories that impact our daily lives. Instead, I leave CTV humbled by the people who put their faith in me to tell their story.”

The long-time anchor and foreign correspondent spent her career reporting on some of the biggest stories in Canada and the world, including the Iraq war and other conflicts, natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and global spectacles such as the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. More recently, Ms. LaFlamme covered Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Pope’s historic apology for the role of the Catholic Church in Canada’s residential school system.

Bell Media announced her departure in a news release on Monday and said Omar Sachedina will replace Ms. LaFlamme on Sept. 5. Mr. Sachedina is a national affairs correspondent for CTV News who joined the network in 2009.

“Recognizing changing viewer habits, CTV recently advised LaFlamme that it had made the business decision to move its acclaimed news show, CTV National News, and the role of its chief news anchor in a different direction,” the company said.

Bell Media did not make anyone available for an interview to explain the decision and instead referred The Globe and Mail to company news releases.

Earlier this year, Ms. LaFlamme was named the Best National News Anchor at the Canadian Screen Awards, having also won the previous year. In 2019, she was named to the Order of Canada and has many other honours attached to her name.

She assumed the top news anchor role in 2011 when Lloyd Robertson retired at 77. He had spent more than four decades as a national news anchor and reminisced on a storied career before signing off for the final time during a newscast on Sept. 1 of that year.

In her Twitter video, Ms. LaFlamme thanked her colleagues, viewers and loved ones for their “unwavering support” and said the video was likely her official sign-off from CTV. “While it is crushing to be leaving CTV National News in a manner that is not my choice, please know reporting to you has truly been the greatest honour of my life,” she said.

Her exit from the network ignited outrage on social media from industry colleagues and supporters, with some questioning whether gender discrimination played a role in her removal. Jeffrey Dvorkin, former director of the University of Toronto’s journalism program, said it’s a fair criticism and one that Bell Media will need to consider.

“I think they’re looking for a younger, different demographic and Omar Sachedina fulfills that,” said Mr. Dvorkin. “But I think Bell Media may not have appreciated, properly, the kind of loyalty that people have in radio and television audiences. There’s a real intimacy in broadcast journalism.”

Shari Graydon, the CEO and catalyst of Informed Opinions, an organization that advocates for women’s voices in media, called the treatment of Ms. LaFlamme “deeply troubling.”

“When you contrast Lloyd Robertson leaving at 77 and Lisa LaFlamme being essentially two decades younger than that, the optics are really bad,” she said in an interview, noting that Mr. Robertson had the opportunity to say his goodbyes on the network – as opposed to on social media.

Ms. Graydon also emphasized the significance of Ms. LaFlamme’s prior role within the public perception, both for women and girls considering the aspirations they can reach for, but also for boys and men, showing them that “women are as capable, as authoritative, as knowledgeable as their male colleagues.”

Concerns of discrimination against on-air journalists are not new. Almost 40 years ago, American TV anchor Christine Craft won a prominent case against her Kansas City station, alleging it demoted her for being “too old, unattractive and not deferential enough to men.” In 2019, five female anchorwomen sued the parent company of NY1, a well-known station in New York, alleging gender- and age-based discrimination. The anchors, who ranged in age from 40 to 61 at the time, settled their suit in 2020.

Robert Hurst, former president of CTV News, said in an interview on Monday that he was surprised at the announcement about Ms. LaFlamme but has no knowledge of what led to the decision. He declined to comment on the optics of her departure but spoke fondly of her career, having hired her at CTV many years ago.

“She was just a fabulous reporter travelling the country and the world for us and when it was time for Lloyd Robertson to step down, she was the obvious choice. I was obviously a big fan when we put Lisa into the anchor chair,” said Mr. Hurst. “Journalism was in her blood.”

Ian Hanomansing, who is one of the anchors of the competing CBC News national broadcast The National said on Twitter that Ms. LaFlamme’s departure left him speechless. “Lisa is among the very best at what she does. I know surprisingly arbitrary decisions can be made in this business but Lisa, you deserve better than this. Way better,” he wrote on Twitter.

Anchor Dawna Friesen of Global National similarity expressed shock. “Since we started working together years ago at CTV, I’ve watched you work your butt off and earn the respect of colleagues, competitors and viewers. None of us last in these gigs forever but seems to me you deserve better than this.”

Current and former politicians also sounded off on social media about Ms. LaFlamme being shown the door. Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley called her “a massive voice in Canadian media.” Former Liberal MP Catherine McKenna called the move to end her contract an “appallingly shoddy way to treat an incredible journalist.”

Former NDP MP Peggy Nash on Twitter that Ms. LaFlamme deserved respect and appreciation for her many years of hard work and success. “Instead, you got disrespect and dismissal,” Ms. Nash wrote.

Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.