‘An icon who will be missed’: News anchor Lloyd Robertson dies at 92

Lloyd Robertson, the well-known Canadian broadcaster who anchored CTV National News for 35 years, died on Tuesday at the age of 92.

“When I was a little boy, of course, I watched the only channel we had, which was CBC, and Lloyd was a staff announcer in Winnipeg,” former 980 CJME news anchor Alex Docking said.

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This was before Robertson switched over to CTV. Though it was still the early in Robertson’s career, Docking said to himself, “‘Boy, someday I’d like to be doing that.’”

The same goes for another well-known Canadian anchor, Lisa LaFlamme, who used to stay up late as a kid to watch Robertson’s 11 p.m. newscast.

“Canadians of a certain age all have a connection to Lloyd, including myself,” she said on the Evan Bray Show on Wednesday.

Docking and LaFlamme have gone on to lead accomplished journalism careers, each working alongside Robertson in different capacities.

Even with all the milestones each has reached individually, Robertson’s two former colleagues remember what it felt like to hear the legendary anchor say their name on television.

“I’ve always said the thrill was, you know, many dozens of times you’d have Lloyd Robertson mention your name on the air as he introduced the story,” Docking recalled.

“I’m a nothing coming in from Kitchener, and he was quoting things I had reported on, and referencing stories I’d done, and it was just overwhelming,” LaFlamme said.

What set Robertson apart

While Robertson was a long-standing anchor, he did more than just read from a teleprompter. For LaFlamme, he was the leader of the room, known for being a great writer and researcher.

“Whatever story you were on, Lloyd quite often, no matter where in the world I was, would call and want to get a sense of what’s happening on the ground,” the former war reporter said.

Robertson also challenged reporters, getting them to defend their stories.

“He was willing, interestingly, always willing to have his mind changed,” LaFlamme said.

Docking remembers covering the 1984 election as a national news reporter for CTV while Robertson anchored.

He, “would ask me a question and I had an answer, which was probably a good thing,” Docking joked.

It wasn’t just Robertson’s passion for the job that his colleagues remember, though. LaFlamme said the former anchor used to bring in ice cream every Friday night for the entire national newsroom.

He was just a “very personable guy,” according to Docking.

“Always knew who you were,” he said, “which was quite remarkable because he’s the icon, and the rest of us are just, you know, hanging around and hoping to have a little word with him.”

That didn’t just apply to those who appeared on television, though. According to Docking, Robertson’s interest in getting to know people spread to those working in the background, like camera operators and technical staff.

“He helped educate me into how to be the professional, the serious journalist, the good, fair reporter, and more importantly, a good human,” LaFlamme said.

The end of an era

While Robertson lived long enough that his death doesn’t come as a shock, Docking said it still brings sadness because his passing represents the end of an era.

“He’s an icon who will be missed, both from everybody who knew him and everybody in the millions who watched him,” Docking said.

For many Canadians, the days of Robertson being on-air, are “something that we think fondly about,” he said.

Robertson would come on with his deep, authoritative voice and simply deliver the news, Docking said, doing with it with authority, conviction, and editorial integrity. People felt they could trust him.

The former chief anchor represented a time, “when there weren’t people questioning every word that was being said, that you must be coming from an angle rather than telling the news,” Docking said.

–with files from 980 CJME’s Geoff Smith and The Evan Bray Show