CP NewsAlert: Lloyd Robertson, one of Canada's most recognizable news anchors, dies

Lloyd Robertson, one of Canada's most recognizable news anchors, dies at 92

TORONTO — Lloyd Robertson, a stalwart of Canadian TV news for decades who earned the unrelenting trust of viewers, has died at the age of 92.

His family confirmed to The Canadian Press in an email that the veteran broadcaster died Tuesday evening.

Robertson joined CTV in 1976 and served as chief anchor and senior editor from 1984 to 2011, at the helm of one of the top nightly newscasts in the country and bidding viewers good night with his trademark sign-off: "That's the kind of day it's been."

For 11 consecutive years, TV Guide Canada readers voted Robertson the TV journalist they trusted most, an honour he took to heart.

"Conferred upon you is this mantle of objectivity and fairness, and you have to take that seriously,'' he said in a 2001 interview with The Canadian Press.

"And you're also aware in this business that as easily as you win it, you can just as easily lose it.''

He resented the assumption of some viewers that his work was nothing more than reading from a teleprompter. After two decades with the CBC, he left the public broadcaster in the 1970s because he felt constricted in what he could do there.

Union regulations at the time restricted CBC anchors to simply reading the news, and prohibited them from writing scripts or choosing stories for the newscast.

"I'm not a talking head,'' Robertson told The Canadian Press.

"Damn right it's important for me to be more than a talking head … I deal in the news every day. I ask questions. I do reports. I analyze. I edit. If that isn't being a journalist, what is?''

Bell Media, the parent company of CTV News, said in a statement that Robertson was a trusted and beloved broadcaster with the network for 35 years.

"Lloyd left an indelible mark on both CTV News and Canadian journalism," said Richard Gray, Bell Media's vice-president of news.

"Throughout his illustrious career, he forged a genuine bond with viewers, becoming a reassuring voice while reporting on some of the biggest events happening across Canada and around the world."

Gray said Robertson was a valued mentor and friend to those who worked alongside him.

"His enduring legacy continues through the standards and values he established at CTV News, and he will be deeply missed by all."

Robertson got his start in broadcasting in 1952 in his hometown of Stratford, Ont., at a local radio station. He worked for a Guelph, Ont., radio station the following year before landing with the CBC in 1954 and turning to TV work.

He married his high school sweetheart, Nancy, in 1956. The couple had four daughters together, including a set of twins.