A Legend is Dead

A true giant of broadcast journalism has signed off for the final time.

Canadian news legend Lloyd Robertson, who spent decades as the calm, steady voice informing millions of viewers as the chief anchor of CTV National News, has died at the age of 92.

For 35 years at CTV, and over six decades in the broadcast industry, Robertson was a masterclass in authority, integrity, and warmth behind the desk.

This one is a bit personal for me.

Growing up on the Canadian border, I spent countless nights watching Lloyd Robertson deliver the news. While most kids my age were tuned into American network broadcasts, I was watching Robertson on CTV. His calm presence, flawless delivery, and deep respect for the story made a massive impression on me.

Watching him navigate major breaking news with such poise was a huge reason why I fell in love with broadcast journalism and wanted to get into TV news in the first place.

Before CTV, Robertson anchored CBC’s The National (one of the best news shows on television) before making the jump to CTV in 1976. It was a move that fundamentally changed Canadian television news. He became the solo chief anchor and senior editor in 1984, a position he held until his retirement from the daily anchor desk in 2011.

Over his remarkable career, he anchored coverage of history's biggest moments: the 1969 moon landing, the assassination of JFK, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

When he finally stepped down from the anchor chair in 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called it "the end of an era," noting that Robertson had essentially become a part of Canada's geography.

In an industry that has changed so drastically over the years, Lloyd Robertson represented everything television news should be: authentic, reliable, and deeply trusted by the people sitting at home on the other side of the screen.

He ended every broadcast with his signature phrase: "And that's the kind of day it's been."