While Lisa LaFlamme knew she would be taking over for Lloyd Robertson as lead anchor before CTV made the official announcement, the local said it still didn’t feel real until the secret was out.
“Walking into the newsroom that I’ve been walking into every day for 15 years, everybody knew and stood up and was cheering.… That’s when it really became real for me,” she said.
LaFlamme began her career in journalism in 1988 as a radio news reporter in Kitchener, but by 1997, she had joined CTV as a reporter and weekend anchor.
While Robertson has been chief anchor of CTV National News for 34 years, LaFlamme — who currently works as a national affairs correspondent and is also a former Canada AM host and parliamentary correspondent — will officially take the seat in 2011.
She said she is looking forward to the position. Though it will keep her busier, she said it will allow her to spend less time chasing stories around the world and more time at home.
“I have an 11-year-old Labrador retriever, who sort of mopes around the door when he sees a suitcase sitting there,” she said. “I love the idea of being able to spend more time in Toronto, in my own neighbourhood.”