That’s the Kind of Day It’s Been

Friday, 02 September 2011 | by Pat's Picks

For as long as I can remember, Lloyd Robertson was the national news anchor for CTV. He was the news anchor Canadians trusted, and long before I got into TV news it was clear that he was someone who set the standard. Lloyd retired tonight. Canadians will miss his familiar voice and his familiar “that’s the kind of day it’s been” signoff.

The photo above is from the Canadian Association of New York’s “Maple Leaf Ball” in 2006. Lloyd flew to New York to be given the association’s Arts and Letters Award, and I had the privilege of being Master of Ceremonies for the event. I shared some reflections about how “Lloyd Robertson” was a synonym for “successful news anchor” in my family. My parents called me “our little Lloyd Robertson” when I played with a microphone and tape recorder. And early in my career when I struggled through a live report they’d joke “he’s no Lloyd Robertson.”

Longevity as a news anchor is partly a result of good fortune. But it’s mostly about developing a relationship with the audience. Lloyd was a smart journalist, an authoritative yet warm presenter, and a man whose integrity was always clear. As his US contemporaries Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and the late Peter Jennings moved on, Lloyd continued to step into his familiar chair every night at 11 pm for the CTV National News. Lisa LaFlamme will ably take over, but Lloyd will be missed. I learned a lot watching him.

(Image from CTV National News, September 1, 2011)

Click here for video of Lloyd’s final sign-off message.