Ken Shaw Announces His Retirement from CTV News Toronto

Tags: @CTVToronto; @CTVNews

TORONTO (December 6, 2019) – Veteran news anchor Ken Shaw announced this evening during CTV NEWS AT SIX that he will be retiring from the anchor chair following his final newscast on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. With a career spanning six decades – from the 1970s and into 2020 – Shaw has been a welcomed guest in millions of homes each week throughout the GTA. Co-Anchor of Toronto’s #1 newscasts CTV NEWS AT NOON and CTV NEWS AT SIX since April 2001, Shaw first joined the CTV News Toronto team in 1979 as a breaking news reporter. He later moved to the national beat as National Editor for the station, and then as Weekday Anchor for CTV News Channel, before returning to CTV News Toronto to become its anchor. “There have been so many changes over the decades and I’ve been privileged to have a front row seat for all of them. I’m so thankful for the trust viewers put in our team to document the stories of their lives,” said Shaw. “Although I’m leaving the day-to-day duties of the anchor desk, I’m excited to work on a number of special projects at CTV News.” Following Shaw’s last broadcast from the anchor desk on Jan. 6, he will assume a new role with CTV News Channel where he will provide special reports on a number of key issues of importance to him, including the environment. The reports and accompanying podcasts and digital stories will be available on CTV News properties across Canada. “Ken is a respected journalist, leader, and community member whose work both on and off screen is unmatched,” said Michael Melling, General Manager, CP24 and CTV News Toronto. “CTV News thanks Ken for his steadfast leadership and commitment over the decades, and for setting the standard for journalistic excellence that defines our organization. Though he will be missed in the anchor chair, we’re pleased that he will continue to share his passion for key issues with Canadians through special reports for CTV News.” “From the moment I took the co-anchor chair next to this legend – truly the best in the business – I knew I could not have asked for a better mentor and friend,” said Michelle Dubé, Co-Anchor, CTV News Toronto. “He is genuinely wonderful, on screen and off. Like our viewers, I will miss seeing him every day, but wish him the very best as he begins a new adventure.” A look back on highlights from Shaw’s career is now featured at CTVNewsToronto.ca. Viewers wanting to send their best wishes can also post messages to the site. The multiple award-winning Shaw has guided Torontonians through some of the most memorable and momentous local and international news headlines, earning CTV News Toronto its distinction as the most-watched local newscast in the GTA. From coverage of the G20 Summit in 2010, the ice storm that left thousands of Torontonians without power in December 2013, the deadly Toronto van attack in April 2018, the closing of GM Oshawa in November of 2018, and countless provincial and municipal elections, to breaking key revelations in the Toronto mayoral scandal, viewers consistently turn to Ken Shaw and Co-Anchor Michelle Dubé for the headlines that matter most. An announcement about a new co-anchor for CTV News Toronto will be made on Monday, Dec. 9. More about Ken Shaw Ken Shaw brings not only a wealth of journalistic experience to his role at CTV News Toronto, but also an exceptional record of community service. Since April 2001, he has served as Co-Anchor of Toronto’s most-watched local newscasts – CTV NEWS AT NOON and CTV NEWS AT SIX. Shaw was named Best Local News Anchor at the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards, and was part of the CTV News Toronto team that was named Best Local Newscast at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards. CTV News Toronto won the RTDNA’s Best Local Newscast Awards in 2014, 2017, and 2019. Shaw was named to Canadian News Hall of Fame in 2018. Shaw joined CTV News Toronto as a reporter in 1979, while at the same time reporting on major Canadian news stories for American network news programs including ABC’s GOOD MORNING AMERICA and NIGHTLINE, and NBC’s THE TODAY SHOW. He was named anchor of the 11:30 p.m. newscast at CTV in 1981, and was named the station’s National Editor in 1998. From 1999 to 2001, Shaw became familiar to viewers across Canada as the Weekday Anchor for CTV News Channel. Shaw made his first foray into broadcasting in 1972 when he became a technical trainee for Baton Broadcasting, which later became part of CTV. From these humble beginnings, he became a co-writer and actor for the sitcom SHH! IT’S THE NEWS. On March 31, 1981, Shaw conducted a special report about gun control in Canada that led ABC’s NIGHTLINE. The story aired the day after the assassination attempt on U.S. President Ronald Reagan. As a reporter, Shaw was on the ground to cover many significant breaking news stories, including being the first television reporter on scene of the Mississauga train derailment and subsequent evacuation in 1979; reporting from New York after the shooting death of John Lennon in 1980; and covering the evacuation of Northern Ontario communities due to forest fires in 1980. Off-air, Shaw devotes a great deal of time and energy to various local charities and community events, and has served as emcee for more than 1000 community and charitable events over the years. Shaw is an Honourary Chief of the Toronto Police Service, and a past director of Variety Village; the Empire Club of Canada; the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Canada; ProAction Cops & Kids; The Duke of Edinburgh Awards; and The Hinks Dellcrest Centre. An avid golfer, Shaw and his wife Nancy host the annual “Nancy and Ken Shaw Charity Golf Tournament”, raising funds for Providence Healthcare. Shaw also served as chair of the Abilities Centre, as the organization worked to build the 125,000-square-foot “Centre of Excellence” in Whitby, Ont., to assist people of all ages with special needs. The Centre officially opened in May 2012. In 2010, Shaw received the Order of Ontario for his track record of excellence in volunteer service in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as the Legends Recognition Award from the City of Oshawa, an award for outstanding positive impacts on the Oshawa community. In 2008, Shaw was presented with the Gold Ribbon Award by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. In 2012, Shaw received an honourary Doctor of Laws from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.