Lloyd Robertson, longtime CTV National News anchor, dies at 92

Lloyd Robertson, whose decades behind the anchor desk made him one of the most recognizable and trusted figures in Canadian television news, has died. He was 92.

Robertson died Aug. 4, according to his family. Bell Media, the parent company of CTV News, announced his death Tuesday night, remembering him as a journalist who developed a close connection with viewers during a broadcasting career that spanned more than six decades.

Robertson spent 35 years at CTV, joining the network in 1976 and becoming chief anchor and senior editor of “CTV National News” in 1984. He remained in the anchor chair until Sept. 1, 2011, leading what became Canada’s most-watched national television newscast.

His tenure placed Robertson at the center of Canadian television coverage of many of the defining events of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He anchored coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Gulf War, the 1980 and 1995 Quebec referendums, 14 Canadian federal elections, numerous U.S. elections, nine Olympic Games, royal weddings, state funerals, papal visits and the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope.

Robertson later described the Sept. 11 attacks and their aftermath as among the most difficult stories he covered during his career.

His nightly broadcasts became closely associated with his signature closing line, “And that’s the kind of day it’s been.”

For 11 consecutive years, readers of TV Guide Canada selected Robertson as Canada’s most trusted television journalist, an honor that reflected the reputation for stability and credibility he developed with viewers.

Robertson’s move to CTV also helped redefine the role of the Canadian television news anchor.

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Before joining the private network, Robertson spent more than 20 years at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. He began anchoring CBC’s national newscast in 1970 but left the network six years later, frustrated by union rules that restricted anchors from writing scripts, selecting stories and reporting in the field.

Former CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge said Robertson’s departure forced Canadian television news organizations to reconsider what anchors could do, helping establish the expectation that national anchors would also work as reporters, writers and journalists rather than simply read prepared scripts.

“I’m not a talking head,” Robertson once said. “I deal in the news every day. I ask questions. I do reports. I analyze. I edit.”

Robertson began his broadcasting career in 1952 at CJCS-AM in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario. He moved to CJOY-AM in Guelph, Ontario, the following year before joining CBC television in 1954. His CBC career included assignments in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Ottawa, Ontario; and Toronto, Ontario, before he reached the national anchor desk.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Robertson was a familiar and reassuring presence who helped Canadians understand major events for more than six decades.

“For more than six decades, Lloyd Robertson helped Canadians make sense of the world,” Carney said. “He was a familiar face in our living rooms, a reassuring voice in moments of uncertainty, and a calm and steady presence through the moments that shaped our nation.”

Lisa LaFlamme, who succeeded Robertson as chief anchor of “CTV National News,” called him a friend and mentor and said he helped shape both her career and her life.

Robertson was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1998 and was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. In 2007, he became the first journalist inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame. He also received three Gemini Awards and lifetime achievement honors from the Radio Television Digital News Association and the Canadian Journalism Foundation.

Retirement from the nightly newscast did not immediately end Robertson’s television career. He continued with CTV as a special correspondent and co-host of the network’s “W5” newsmagazine until 2016.

Robertson married his high school sweetheart, Nancy, in 1956. They had four daughters.

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