Wed Aug 31, 2011
People

Lloyd Robertson: veteran newsman

The retiring CTV anchorman signs off from the evening broadcast for the last time this Thursday night, following a documentary about his career, Lloyd Robertson: And That’s the Kind of Life It’s Been. We stole a few minutes with him during his last week of full-time work.

BY: Courtney Shea

It’s 11:30 a.m. Is it too early to ask you what kind of day it’s been?

Ha. Probably, except that every single day this week has been busy. I’m doing interviews and appearances in addition to my regular work, which has me showing up at the newsroom every day at 3 p.m. to prepare for the broadcast at 11 p.m. Before that I generally read up—newspapers, websites and other news broadcasts. I don’t like to come in cold.

When was the first time you used that catchphrase?

Sometime in the early ’90s. I tried out a few that didn’t work, and then I started with “That’s the kind of day it’s been,” and it just seemed to stick. I thought I should change it for the new millennium, but when I did, we got a lot of phone calls insisting that I bring it back.

Does your successor, Lisa LaFlamme, have a signature sign-off yet?

She doesn’t, and I don’t think she should feel any pressure to develop one off the bat. I had almost 40 years in the business to come up with mine.

What about advice for keeping your cool on air? How much emotion should a news-anchor show?

I think it really depends. In times of mass crisis, something like 9/11, it is so important that a broadcaster avoid panic. If viewers see you panic, they’ll do the same and that can have large implications. On the morning of 9/11, the U.S. cut off its news supply, so for a while we were dealing strictly with rumours and gossip—would the White House be hit? For me, the crazier things get, the calmer I become behind the desk. Lisa has that, too. She’s going to do a great job.

Have you experienced your own version of a Walter Cronkite/J.F.K. moment?

I remember my voice cracking as I reported from Terry Fox’s funeral. When we started covering his run, no one even knew who he was, and then to go through the whole experience with him…it was just incredibly sad.

On the other end of the emotional spectrum, Anderson Cooper recently had what might be described as an on-air giggle fit. Has that ever happened to you?

Harvey Kirck and I used to crack each other up on the air back in the early days. When you have a co-anchor, that will happen. I’ve never experienced what happened to Anderson, though.

I guess you’ve been lucky not to be covering too many celebrity public urination scandals.

Is that what happened?

Yes. Anderson Cooper was reporting on Gérard Depardieu, who urinated in the aisle of an airplane.

That reminds me of the time I was reporting on Lyndon Johnson’s plea for peace and I said “pee for peace” by accident. I kept it together, though.

You probably didn’t expect to leave your anchor position on the heels of such a huge week in Canadian news. Were you glad to be behind the desk to cover Jack Layton’s death and funeral?

Well, of course I wasn’t glad, because it was a huge tragedy. But it was an honour.

Do you think you’ll feel the pull of the anchor’s chair whenever a major news story like that happens?

Oh yes, of course. There will always be that wrench, but I’m ready to move on.

What are your views on the shift toward a 24/7 news cycle? Is it a change for the better or worse?

News consumers today have maximum choice of where they get their information, which is a good thing. I do believe that the nightly newscast still plays an important role: People tune in to get the digest of the day from a news source that they trust. I think that will remain for the next 10 years or so. After that, who knows? My granddaughter doesn’t have a television.

Do you enjoy covering the fluffier stuff or are you a hard-news man at heart?

I am first and foremost a hard-news man, but we’ve broadened the scope of what we cover. I think it started with the O.J. Simpson trial. I remember Peter Jennings didn’t want to cover it. It was such sensationalism. But then the other networks did and everyone sort of got on board. There is still a line, though. At a certain point, I will say, “Enough Lady Gaga.”

What are your plans for semi-retirement?

I’ll still be working on a number of projects for CTV. Other than that, I’d like to spend more time in Stratford, which is where I’m from. I might also take up golf again. I tried it once and I was just so god-awful.

Your wife, Nancy, must be looking forward to having a husband who keeps somewhat regular hours.

Who knows? We may start to argue over the remote.

Any idea what you’ll be doing at 11 p.m. on September 2nd—your first night off?

Watching the news, I think. But with my feet up.