Lisa LaFlamme says she was "blindsided"

 Veteran news anchor Lisa LaFlamme says she’s been “blindsided” by Bell Media ending her contract as the company shakes up its flagship CTV National News program with a new anchor at the helm.

In a video posted on social media, LaFlamme says she remains “shocked and saddened by Bell Media’s decision,” which cuts her ties to CTV after 35 years.

Bell Media announced her departure Monday, but LaFlamme says she was told of the exit on June 29.

In a separate announcement, Bell Media says Omar Sachedina will replace LaFlamme starting on Sept. 5. Sachedina is the CTV News national affairs correspondent and joined the network in 2009.

“Recognizing changing viewer habits, CTV recently advised LaFlamme that it had made the business decision to move its acclaimed news show, CTV National News, and the role of its Chief News Anchor in a different direction,” Bell Media said in a statement. (CP)

CBC's National back to single host

 The CBC’s National has gone back to a single host. It has named Adrienne Arsenault as its chief correspondent who will anchor the broadcast from Monday to Thursday. Ian Hanomansing will host Friday and Sunday and will be the permanent host of radio's Cross Country Checkup. He will also hold a weekly interview series on The National. Andrew Chang will host “a free-streaming” news channel to be launched in the fall. Obviously, the multi-host program that replaced Peter Mansbridge has not worked. It took several years to go back to a single host.

Russia closing CBC bureau in Moscow

Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was closing the Moscow bureau of Canada's CBC and withdrawing visas and accreditation from the public broadcaster's journalists after Ottawa banned Russian state TV station Russia Today (RT).

"With regret we continue to notice open attacks on the Russian media from the countries of the so-called collective West who call themselves civilised," Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, told reporters.

"A decision has been taken to make retaliatory, I underscore retaliatory, measures in relation to the actions of Canada: the closure of the Moscow bureau of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, including the nullification of the accreditations and visas of their journalists."

Zakharova said Ottawa had chosen what she cast as a "Russophobic" path including censorship of the media. Canada in March removed Russian state-owned channels RT and RT France, the French version of RT.

In a statement, the CBC and its French language unit Radio Canada said they had operated a bureau in Moscow for 44 years and were "deeply disappointed" in the decision. (Reuters)

Postmedia buying all newspapers owned by Irvings

Postmedia has announced it will purchase all of the daily and weekly newspapers owned by New Brunswick's Irving family

Brunswick News Inc’s stable of daily newspapers in New Brunswick includes the Telegraph-Journal in Saint John, the Times and Transcript in Moncton and The Daily Gleaner in Fredericton.

The proposed deal includes acquisition of Brunswick’s digital properties and parcel delivery business.

Postmedia has offered J. D. Irving $7.5 million in cash and $8.6 million in shares of Postmedia at an implied price of $2.10 per variable voting share.

The transaction is subject to various closing conditions, including approval by the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Brunswick News also owns the Miramichi Leader, Woodstock Bugle-Observer, Bathurst Northern Light, Kings County Record, Campbellton Tribune and The Victoria Star, which covers the Grand Falls area of eastern New Brunswick.

The purchase signals J.D. Irving’s exit from the media business, Jim Irving, co-CEO of J.D. Irving Ltd., said in a statement. (CP)

Michael Melling new head of CTV News

Michael Melling has been appointed vice-president of CTV News, the network has announced. Melling is the former general manager of CTV News Toronto, CP24 and BNN Bloomberg. In this role, he will take helm of all news, information and current events programming including CTV News, BNN Bloomberg, CP24, as well as the current affairs shows Power Play, Question Period and W5.

Melling joined Bell Media in 2003, working as an editorial assistant at BNN Bloomberg. Since then, he has held senior roles in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario and has helped grow the digital news formats of CTV News Toronto and CP24.

Melling replaces Wendy Freeman who was the head of CTV News for the past 12 years. She announced in December that she would be stepping down at the end of 2021.