CTV National news anchor Lloyd Robertson catches up on e-mail and phone calls in December, 2001.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
As a TV news anchorman, no one has lasted longer than Lloyd Robertson. When he formally passes the baton next year to Lisa LaFlamme, the 76-year-old Mr. Robertson will have logged - at the CBC and at CTV - 35 remarkable years in what is perhaps the toughest job in television. That's longer than Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley or anyone. The Globe's Michael Posner talked to Mr. Robertson the day after he made his surprise retirement announcement to CTV viewers.
How much were you pushed into retiring?
Not at all. In fact, I had to do the pushing. Ivan Fecan [president and chief executive officer of CTVglobemedia and chief executive officer of CTV Inc.] was absolutely clear. He said publicly and privately many times that I was "anchor for life." So I had to talk him into him this, and say, "This is what I want to do." There is a time. Life is all about timing, and this turns out to be the right time. Thirty-five years is a kind of marker.
Did you negotiate the timing?
They wanted a contract for two more years, and I said, "Let me think about it.' That was in April. So [my wife]Nancy and I had a long conversation. ...We went down to the Florida gulf coast for a week. And she was very good about it. She said, "You have to make the decision. I don't want an unhappy guy hanging around." So I said, "Suppose we wind it down over a year?" So that's what we're going to do. We don't have a final date, but some time in the middle of next year.
Did you get a vote on your successor, Lisa LaFlamme?
I didn't get a vote, but I'm very happy with the choice. In fact, I spotted Lisa working as an anchor in Kitchener in 1996 and told our news director at the time, Henry Kowalski, to take a look at her. And he did and came back to me and said, "Boy, are you ever right."
When veteran anchors leave, ratings tend to fall.
We're all aware of that. ... So one of the reasons we are doing this the way we are is so while I'm off on vacation or on assignment or on Friday nights, Lisa can fill in and people will get more familiar with her.
You got your start in Stratford at CJCS at the age of 18. How did that happen?
Actually, I started hanging around the station at 16, just a kid, and eventually they threw me out. But a friend of mine knew the program director, and at 18, they took me back, running the board after school and on Saturdays. I wanted to be on the air, doing news, and they felt it was too early, but they eventually let me do musical programs, then the evening news and then, my big break, the 12:30 newscast.
Any memorable gaffes on your record as an anchor?
Oh, yes. There was a really good one when I was at the CBC. [Then U.S. president]Lyndon Johnson announced that he was planning not to run again and made a plea for peace. Only I said, "a pee for peace." My colleague Joe Schlesinger had a banner made and hung it in the newsroom: 'Robertson's paean for peace.'
What was your worst or toughest interview?
It was when I was working in Winnipeg. ... The singer Tommy Edwards was booked, and it was clear he did not want to be there. Those were the toughest nine minutes. I was sweating. Some politicians can be difficult because they skate around and use up the time. I think my most fascinating character was Brian Mulroney. He was garrulous and jovial off camera and then [with the cameras rolling]he changed into a stuffed shirt. I wanted to say to him, "just be yourself," but, of course, that wasn't my role. But he was a great story teller. And Jean Chrétien was a lot of fun. He'd invite me and [CTV Ottawa correspondent]Craig Oliver over to the house for a drink. Another memorable one was Lester B. Pearson. I interviewed him at Expo '67 and I was very nervous and his then cabinet minister Judy LaMarsh had earlier made some inflammatory statements about "rotten management at the CBC," and Lester came into the makeup room, a very disarming man, and said, "So Lloyd, how's your rotten management?" And we all had a good laugh.
How did you acquire the great voice and how did you care for it?
Well, the voice has always been there. I was big in public speaking contests and dramas in high school and we had one wonderful teacher who would go to the back of the auditorium and say, "Now I want to hear you way back here, but I don't want you to shout.' So that was my first lesson in using the diaphragm to breathe. But I learned early on that the voice isn't enough. You need a lot more.
What do you think explains your extraordinary longevity in the anchor chair and your rapport with viewers?
I've always felt that on the air, you try to be the best at being what you are and hope people will lock in. My old buddy Craig Oliver and I have discussed this and it comes down to "you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time." So anybody who survives for a long time in this business has to be themselves, especially in news. You've got to be real.