A fixture of Canadian living rooms for over four decades, he set a standard for broadcasting longevity, dignity, and grace

The list of Canadian national news anchors is relatively short and exclusive. Early examples in the 1950s and 1960s included Stanley Burke, Earl Cameron, Warren Davis, Larry Henderson and Peter Jennings (who achieved greater success in the U.S.).

When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, some familiar names included Peter Kent, Harvey Kirck, Peter Mansbridge, Wendy Mesley, Keith Morrison, Knowlton Nash and Sandie Rinaldo. They’ve been followed by Dawna Friesen, Ian Hanomansing, Heather Hiscox, Lisa LaFlamme, Kevin Newman, Evan Solomon, Nancy Wilson and others.

Then, there was Lloyd Robertson. The face of CTV National News (1984-2011) and co-host of CTV’s W5 (2011-2016) was the longest-tenured national news anchor in North America. He was also, in many ways, one of the last true gentlemen in the news industry of his generation—and one of its finest representatives.

Robertson died on Aug. 4 at age 92. Tributes came pouring in from the two worlds of politics and the media. Many Canadians signed a book of condolences posted by CTV. They wanted to pay their final respects to the legendary newsman who had appeared on their televisions each night, told them about Canada and the world and, in a sense, became part of their families.

Robertson was born on Jan. 19, 1934, in Stratford, Ont. His father was a machinist’s helper for the Canadian National Railway, and his mother was a homemaker. The family’s home life was far from ideal. His father, whom he described as a “philosopher-king,” died from cancer when Robertson was only 21. Even worse, his mother suffered from mental illness and underwent a lobotomy in 1948. According to Robertson, it stabilized her mood swings and obsessive-compulsive behaviour but “flat-lined her emotionally … She has haunted me all of my life. When you’re the child of a mentally ill patient, you’re always looking for something in yourself.”

Broadcasting turned out to be Robertson’s one true salvation.

He was enamoured with a radio broadcast on his local station, CJCS-FM, related to soldiers of the Perth Regiment returning home from the Second World War. He felt that he was a witness to “something much bigger than myself” and wanted to be part of it. Robertson convinced them to let him work at the station after school. He started spinning 78-rpm records and later became a news reader at the stroke of midnight.

He finished high school and stayed at CJCS until 1954. He moved on to CJOY in Guelph, Ont., auditioned for the CBC and got hired. He started in Windsor, Ont., and joined CBWT-TV in Winnipeg in 1956, which was his first television role. (Robertson also got married to Nancy Barrett, his high school sweetheart, that year.) He shifted to CBOT-TV in Ottawa in 1960, and moved to Toronto to host CBC Weekend in the late 1960s. He was also an anchor for CBC’s The National from 1970 to 1976.

Robertson left CBC after 22 years due to, as the public broadcaster itself fully admitted in an Aug. 4 obituary, “increasingly outdated union strictures involving studio and field work.” He felt quite limited in terms of what he could and couldn’t do in broadcasting. He apparently “once shared his workplace frustrations with Walter Cronkite on a trip to the U.S.,” CBC News’s Chris Iorfida also wrote, and “recounted that the CBS news titan was incredulous that CBC anchors couldn’t write their own copy, and were limited in reporting outside of the studio.”

The decision to shift to CTV was the best choice he could have ever made. His career trajectory in the Canadian news industry went through the stratosphere.

Robertson started off as the co-anchor of CTV National News with Kircik in 1976. He became the senior anchor eight years later and never looked back. With his distinctive voice and calm demeanour, he quickly became one of the most trusted voices in Canadian news. He covered federal elections, political personalities, royal weddings, foreign policy matters, wars and military skirmishes, natural disasters—and more.

“For a kid from Stratford, Ont., who didn’t have a lot of formal education, never went beyond high school,” he said in a 2011 interview, “here I am in this job which puts me right here on the cusp of history and I’m able to experience all of this … there is not a better job in the world.”

When Robertson retired in 2011, it ended an incredible 41-year run as a national news anchor at CBC and CTV. He lasted longer than his North American colleagues, including news legends like Cronkite, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley and Edward R. Murrow. Based on the volatility and rapid turnover of modern news anchors, it’s a record that no one will likely ever come close to breaking.

The number of people that Robertson knew, mentored or befriended in his long, illustrious career is far too numerous to mention. I’m fortunate to be among them.

Robertson and I met during my tenure at CTV News Channel as a political commentator from 2012 to 2015. He was a host on W5, and we would occasionally speak in the green room. Our conversations were always pleasant and upbeat. A little dash of politics here, some current news events there—and a cornucopia of other topics of mutual interest. It was always a pleasure and honour to speak with him, and I’m glad that I had many opportunities to do just that.

Robertson ended his broadcasts on CTV National News with the same memorable line, “And that’s the kind of day it’s been.” The glorious days we had with this warm, friendly, serious, humorous, intelligent and fun-loving giant of Canadian broadcasting won’t soon be forgotten. Rest in peace, Lloyd.

Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.