{"id":847040,"date":"2026-08-05T14:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T14:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/847040\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T14:00:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T14:00:17","slug":"lloyd-robertson-former-ctv-news-anchor-dies-at-92","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/847040\/","title":{"rendered":"Lloyd Robertson: Former CTV News anchor dies at 92"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadian journalist Lloyd Robertson, who covered everything from\u202fthe fall of the Berlin Wall to the 9\/11 terrorist attacks during 35 years as chief anchor of CTV National News, has died. He was 92. <\/p>\n

According to his family, the veteran broadcaster died on Tuesday evening. <\/p>\n

Robertson\u2019s more than six-decade broadcasting career began in 1952 at a local radio station in his hometown, Stratford, Ont. Robertson made his national television debut in 1956 with the CBC, where he rose to prominence before moving to CTV National News in 1976. When Robertson\u2019s CTV News co-anchor retired in 1984, Robertson took the helm of the nightly news show, which he led as chief anchor and senior news editor until 2011. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s been a rare privilege to have been able to serve in this position for so long. It\u2019s been a front-row seat to history,\u201d Robertson said in 2011 during his final broadcast as CTV National News anchor. \u201cMost of all it\u2019s been fascinating to watch our country grow in confidence and stature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Lloyd Robertson Lloyd Robertson at CTV News headquarters in Toronto on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011. (Nathan Denette \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS) Robertson on his most memorable stories<\/p>\n

In a 2018 interview with CTV News film critic Richard Crouse, Robertson credited his father for giving him the news bug.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father used to talk about current affairs all the time: he was very interested in politics, as I turned out to be,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cHe would make the people real for me and I could identify with them.\u201d <\/p>\n

Speaking to Crouse, Robertson cited the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as the most \u201cremarkable\u201d event he covered in his storied career.<\/p>\n

\u202f\u201cI remember thinking at the time, this is something that we have never seen before in my time and covering North American news,\u201d Robertson recalled, after describing rushing into the studio that day. \u201cThis one was really big because it changed the way people lived. The next thing we knew\u2026 security became very important in our lives to an extent that it really hadn\u2019t been before.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"Lloyd Robertson anchoring the Moon Landing in 1969 Lloyd Robertson anchoring the Moon Landing in 1969. <\/p>\n

Other memorable events included covering Neil Armstrong\u2019s first footsteps on the moon in 1969 and Terry Fox\u2019s inspiring attempt to run across Canada in 1980. <\/p>\n

1980: Lloyd Robertson describes CTV\u2019s Terry Fox Marathon of Hope Telethon 1980, Lloyd Robertson says the CTV-hosted Marathon of Hope Telethon was a \u2018television event of a unique variety\u2019, which raised $10 million. <\/p>\n

The hardest story to tell, Robertson added, was writing about his mother\u2019s mental health struggles in his 2013 memoir \u201cThe Kind of Life It\u2019s Been<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cShe had a very, very difficult time with what we would now call bipolar, OCD, paranoia, all sorts of things,\u201d Robertson explained. \u201cThey eventually performed a prefrontal lobotomy, and growing up with that as a young boy, it was a pretty difficult time.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u202fIn a 2017 CTV News Channel appearance, Robertson reflected on the changes Canada has undergone since 1967, when he covered the country\u2019s centenary celebrations.<\/p>\n

\u202f\u201cIt was really \u201867 that made (Canada Day) into a national celebration,\u201d Robertson said in the lead-up to Canada 150 celebrations. \u201cIt was really a coming of age for Canada in 1967. I\u2019ve never seen birthday party like it before or since.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"CTV News Special Correspondent Lloyd Robertson CTV News Special Correspondent Lloyd Robertson speaks next to his damaged SUV following a collision on Toronto’s Don Valley Parkway, Thursday, March 29, 2018. <\/p>\n

In 2018, Robertson even reported live from a multi-vehicle collision on Toronto\u2019s Don Valley Parkway<\/a>. Uninjured after being hit and spinning out of control, Robertson seized the opportunity to cover the accident when television crews arrived on the scene.\u202f<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty bad accident as accidents go,\u201d Robertson said while holding a CP24 microphone. \u201cWow. I\u2019m still standing.\u201d<\/p>\n

To Robertson, the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy made him truly appreciate the power of the then-burgeoning television news industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the Kennedy assassination did for all broadcasters who had a part in it, however small, was make us realize that we could be a part of stories bigger than ourselves and paint the world for people,\u201d Robertson said in a 2011 documentary. \u201cI felt that I was now involved in something that really mattered to me.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"Lloyd Robertson Lloyd Robertson poses for a photo to promote his memoir ‘The Kind of Life It’s Been’ in Toronto on Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. (Michelle Siu \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS) Rising through the ranks<\/p>\n

Robertson\u2019s broadcasting career began in 1952 at a local radio station in Stratford, Ont.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always had a fascination with radio because radio would transport me into a world of the imagination,\u201d Robertson said in a 2012 interview<\/a>. \u201cYou had that sense that this was a huge world that you could inhabit, which was much brighter and better than the world you lived in every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1954, he became a staff announcer with CBC television, working in Winnipeg and then Ottawa before moving to Toronto. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I left, I remember thinking, I\u2019m never going to see this building again,\u201d Robertson said of his initial CBC audition in a 2011 documentary about his career. \u201cFrom the time I started in television at the CBC in Winnipeg, I began to think that where I wanted to go was the pinnacle of Canadian broadcasting in this country, which would mean, for English Canada, going to Toronto.\u201d <\/p>\n

Climbing through the ranks at the CBC, Robertson would go on to prominently anchor The National news show between 1970 to 1976. Union rules at the time, however, prevented CBC news readers from writing and editing broadcast copy, which became a source of frustration for Robertson. <\/p>\n

\"\"Lloyd Robertson joined CTV in 1976 and became co-anchor of CTV National News, a position he held until 1984 when fellow co-anchor Harvey Kirck retired. Lloyd Robertson joined CTV in 1976 and became co-anchor of CTV National News, a position he held until 1984 when fellow co-anchor Harvey Kirck retired. <\/p>\n

A 1976 job offer from CTV promised the kind of editorial input Robertson had long been seeking, and after 22 years at CBC, Robertson made the decision to become co-anchor of CTV National News, a position he held until 1984 when fellow co-anchor Harvey Kirck retired. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1984, to me, it was the equivalent of being knighted,\u201d Robertson reminisced. \u201cI was made senior editor of the newscast.\u201d<\/p>\n

As one of the longest-serving news anchors in television history, Robertson\u2019s deep reassuring voice became familiar to generations of Canadians as he covered everything from royal weddings to wars to natural disasters.<\/p>\n

After handing the reins of CTV National News to Lisa LaFlamme in 2011, Robertson co-hosted CTV investigative and current affairs show W5 until 2016 and remained a frequent commentator on CTV News Channel.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a kid from Stratford, Ont. who didn\u2019t have a lot of formal education, never went beyond high school, and here I am in this job which puts me right here on the cusp of history and I\u2019m able to experience all of this\u2026 there is not a better job in the world,\u201d Robertson reflected in 2011.<\/p>\n

\"\"Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, talks with then-CTV chief anchor and senior editor Lloyd Robertson during a celebration in downtown Ottawa on Tuesday April 15, 2008, for CTV’s 50th year in business. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sean Kilpatrick Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, talks with then-CTV chief anchor and senior editor Lloyd Robertson during a celebration in downtown Ottawa on Tuesday April 15, 2008, for CTV’s 50th year in business. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sean Kilpatrick \u2018The end of an era\u2019<\/p>\n

When Robertson signed off from CTV National News in 2011, then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper called it \u201cthe end of an era.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u202f\u201cYou\u2019ve been delivering the news since I was barely more than a boy,\u201d Harper said at the time. \u201cYou\u2019ve been doing it for so long and so authoritatively, you\u2019ve almost become a part of Canada\u2019s geography, and I know that Canadians from coast to coast are going to miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob Rae \u2013 then-interim Liberal leader \u2013 previously said the best word to describe Robertson is \u201cintegrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis word is everything,\u201d Rae said in 2011. \u201cHe is authenticity, he is authority, he\u2019s a good humoured guy, he\u2019s a great Canadian, he\u2019s a great broadcaster, and dare I say it, he\u2019s a good friend.\u201d <\/p>\n

Friend and former CTV News colleague Craig Oliver credited Robertson with helping grow the network\u2019s audience. <\/p>\n

\"\"Lloyd Robertson and Craig Oliver share a smile enjoying the outdoors in this undated photo. Lloyd Robertson and Craig Oliver share a smile enjoying the outdoors in this undated photo. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Lloyd did is gave us instant credibility,\u201d Oliver previously said. \u201cOur numbers began to climb and we\u2019ve never retreated really. That\u2019s Lloyd\u2019s legacy. He took this news department and put it on the map.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u202fRobertson has received numerous recognitions throughout his celebrated career, including the Order of Canada in 1998, an honorary Doctor of Laws from B.C.\u2019s Royal Roads University in 2006, and a star on Canada\u2019s Walk of Fame in 2007. A park is named after him in Markham<\/a> while hometown Stratford previously declared Sept. 1 \u201cLloyd Robertson Day.\u201d Robertson has also revealed that both the Liberals and Conservatives failed to woo him into a life of politics, and that he even rejected an offer of a Senate seat. <\/p>\n

Married in 1956 to high school sweetheart Nancy, Robertson had four daughters and seven grandchildren. <\/p>\n

\"\"Lloyd Robertson and his wife, Nancy Barrett, were married in 1956 and had four daughters. Lloyd Robertson and his wife, Nancy Barrett, were married in 1956 and had four daughters. (CTV News) <\/p>\n

Like many great news anchors, Robertson had a signature sign-off at the end of each broadcast: \u201cAnd that\u2019s the kind of day it\u2019s been.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI will miss coming in every day, I will miss seeing my friends,\u201d Robertson said during his last show as CTV National News anchor. \u201cI will miss that wonderful process of being able to sit down, sift through the material having heard what\u2019s on the go that day and then make decisions about how we\u2019re going to shape it for our Canadian audience, what\u2019s of interest, what\u2019s of importance to them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Canadian journalist Lloyd Robertson, who covered everything from\u202fthe fall of the Berlin Wall to the 9\/11 terrorist attacks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":847041,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[712,43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-847040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-apple-news","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}