Anchors away: Lloyd Robertson signs off tonight; Sylvia Kuzyk bids farewell tomorrow

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This article was published 01/09/2011 (5456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a rare thing and noteworthy thing in the TV-news game when an icon exits and an era ends.

It’s pretty much unheard of for such things to happen on consecutive days.

But that’s what viewers of CTV News in these parts will experience this week when two of the medium’s best-known figures — one national, one local — sign off their respective newscasts for the last time.

Lloyd Robertson of CTV National News will tell viewers that “That’s the kind of day it’s been” for the final time this evening, and Sylvia Kuzyk will bid farewell to CTV News at Six on Friday.

The Free Press spoke with each last week about their era-ending departures. Here’s what they had to say:

 

LLOYD ROBERTSON

After nearly six decades in broadcasting, the 77-year-old anchor and senior editor of CTV National News with Lloyd Robertson feels, finally, that the time is right.

“When (CTV) won the rights to do the (Vancouver) Olympics in 2006, I really wanted to do those opening ceremonies,” he says. “I wanted to stay on through that, but I felt that after that, I really had to take a look at things. We had people in the wings that were getting pretty anxious … and I also felt that I didn’t have unlimited time left. The idea of anchoring at 80 did not have much appeal for me, simply because you have to listen to your body and you know you can’t go on forever.

“The time to do it, in my view, was after the Olympics, so (wife) Nancy and I went away and talked about it, and I just felt that this was the time. So I said I’d do one more year, until late 2011, and that would be that.”

Robertson began his career in radio in his hometown of Stratford, Ont., in 1952, but made a rather forward-thinking move into television a couple of years later. After landing a job at the CBC, Robertson moved to Winnipeg and spent four formative years working as a TV announcer here.

“The time in Winnipeg was absolutely critical for me, because that’s where I started in television,” he recalls. “I had a great time there — everything was live, everything was in black and white, and you made your mistakes and it was very Darwinian, because you either did it or you didn’t, and the ones who couldn’t quickly fell by the wayside. The ones who kept at it and kept learning were able to move forward. It was a great training ground. I loved Winnipeg; we had a great time there.”

While in Manitoba, Robertson worked alongside some of this province’s TV pioneers, including the likes of weatherman Ed “Heart of the Continent” Russenholt and legendary sportscaster “Cactus” Jack Wells.

“Jack was wonderful; he was the one who would always take the new guys under his wing,” Robertson says. “He’d say, ‘Come with me to the ball game,’ or ‘Come with me, kid, I’ll show you where to get the best ribs.’ To me, Jack exemplified the real Winnipegger — friendly, open and just couldn’t do enough to help you.”

He moved on to Ottawa in 1960, and then to Toronto, the hub of English-language media in Canada. From there, well, the rest is either history or old news, depending how you look at it.

Robertson’s career — including the circumstances surrounding his headline-grabbing move from CBC to CTV in 1976 — is explored in significant detail in the hour-long documentary And That’s the Kind of Life It’s Been, which airs tonight at 9 on CTV.

He’s quick to point out that his exit from CTV National News does not mean he’ll disappear completely from the airwaves. Robertson will still act as co-anchor and regular contributor to the long-running newsmagazine W5, and will also work on special projects for the network’s news division.

“I’m not going to jump off the treadmill completely,” he says, “because I’d break my legs if I did that; I’ve been going 140 (km/h) for the last number of years. What I’m doing is slowing down … I’ll still be around, (and) I’ll see people along the way.”

Robertson is also writing his memoirs, which will be published by HarperCollins Canada next year.

When asked about the most memorable stories he’s covered, Robertson quickly summoned up a short list of four: the life and death of Princess Diana, the 1995 Quebec referendum, the 9/11 attacks on the United States, and Terry Fox’s run across Canada in support of cancer research.

“It’s hard to get by 9/11 as the top story of the past 50 years, because it affected an enormous number of people and our lives have changed as a result of it,” he says. “There is a new normal.”

And when asked how he’d like to be remembered by viewers, Robertson’s answer is quick and concise:

“I just want to be remembered as the guy who tried to get it right,” he says. “We spend a lot of time at that in this business. If people are going to put their trust in you, you’d better try to get it right.”

 

SYLVIA KUZYK

In this most transient of businesses, where almost everyone seems to be searching for an onward that will lead to an upward, Sylvia Kuzyk has opted to stay put.

“I’ve had opportunities to go other places, and there were times I felt tempted to try other things, but ultimately, family and a sense of community always overrode my desire to try other places,” she says. “For me, people definitely came first. I just couldn’t leave Winnipeg, because I have such strong connections and ties here.

“Winnipeg has everything I want in a city — there’s a steadiness about this place, with solid people who care about their community. I’m proud of this city, and I won’t just sit quietly while people speak ill of it. And all the people I love are here.”

On Friday, Kuzyk will step away from the local CTV newscast that has been her at-work home for nearly 38 years. The supper-hour show will be filled with tributes and, no doubt, tears, but the woman at the centre of it all is leaving with no regrets.

“I’m so excited,” she says. “I don’t think of it in terms of, ‘Oh, my God, it’s coming to an end,’ because I don’t feel that way at all. Some of my friends have been saying it’ll be a big adjustment leaving something I’ve been doing for so long, and maybe it will be, but all I’m feeling is a tremendous sense of adventure and freedom. When you’ve been doing something for so long, I think you crave new, exciting adventures.

“That’s where I am — I’m going to miss everyone here (at CTV), and I’m certainly going to miss the connection I’ve had with the community through my news role, but I just see this as a great opportunity to embark on all kinds of new adventures. I don’t feel sadness.”

Exiting on such a high note after a distinguished four-decade career wasn’t exactly what the younger version of Kuzyk would have envisioned when she took the job as local station CKY-TV’s “weather gal” back in 1974. A graduate of Red River Community College’s nursing program with an abiding interest in community theatre, she had given little thought to a TV career before the opportunity at CKY presented itself.

Her memory of that first newscast isn’t exactly warmly nostalgic. “I never had any plans to go into television back when I was in school, that’s for sure,” she says. “I wouldn’t have dreamed, in a million years, that I’d be doing this job. … That first day — the first month, really — I was so nervous; I really didn’t like it at first — I figured I would do it for a couple of years and then I would go back into theatre. I was still really shy, and because I was still in my theatre mode where I felt I had to become another character … I would rehearse and rehearse and rehearse the things I was going to say on the weather.”

But Kuzyk persevered, and quickly grew into the job.

“It wasn’t until I realized that you can only be yourself that things changed for me,” she says. “That’s when I started to feel comfortable in my own skin in front of the camera. After that, everything changed and I started to really feel a connection with the audience, it all began to blossom and I really started to love it.”

In the years that followed, Kuzyk became a beloved local-TV figure while working hard at expanding her career, hosting her own daytime interview shows, researching and hosting documentaries and, eventually, producing and anchoring the CKY newscast. Most recently, she has continued to share weather forecasting duties while also hosting the show’s popular Spotlight segment.

Looking back, Kuzyk says she’s proud she was able to endure the sexism and occasional coarseness of those early years and earn the respect of her media colleagues.

“There were some tough times,” she recalls. “I had to work really hard, because in the beginning, I knew I was a novelty. I really felt I had to prove myself, and I pushed really hard to expand my horizons.

“I’m proud I got through those early times — even when I was hired, it was like, ‘Well, you know, dear, we don’t usually hire women because they tend to be kind of temperamental,’ or ‘Hey, honey, could you make me a cup of coffee?’ There were times when I thought, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can do this,’ but I’m so glad I stayed with it. I love my job, and I feel so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had.”

As for career highlights, Kuzyk says she loved the live-TV energy of election-night coverage, felt honoured when interview subjects opened their hearts to her, and takes great pride in the station’s contribution to covering Manitoba’s flood of the century in 1997.

“I think that really underscored the importance of what we do in terms of providing information to the public,” she says. “That was probably the most memorable event I’ve been involved in. People really turned to the news, on us, for that information. We felt like we were a vital part of the community.”

While she’s still considering several opportunities for the weeks and months ahead, one thing that’s certain is that some of Kuzyk’s next steps will be rather flashy and rhythmic.

“I’m going to learn flamenco dancing,” she smiles, explaining that she has been invited to take part in the next edition of the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities’ annual Dancing With Celebrities fundraiser. “I’ve always wanted to learn Spanish dancing; I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

brad.oswald@freepress.mb.ca