Lisa LaFlamme chose not to bid farewell to viewers before ouster, CTV memo claims

Bell Media told staff in an internal memo that Lisa LaFlamme was given the opportunity to say farewell to viewers before being unseated from the anchor’s chair of CTV’s nightly newscast.

Karine Moses, senior vice-president of content development and news, says in an email to staff that the network wanted to give LaFlamme a “proper on-air send-off” to celebrate the highlights of her 35-year career.

But Moses says LaFlamme “opted not to say goodbye to the public” during CTV’s national news broadcast.

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In a video posted to social media Monday, LaFlamme said she was “blindsided” by Bell Media’s decision to end her contract in what executives described as a “business decision.”

Moses told staff that the shakeup at Canada’s most-watched national newscast was part of a shift toward digital content creation amid “changing viewer habits.”

Messages sent to LaFlamme through social media since she posted the video have not been returned, while representatives for Bell Media did not respond to requests for comment.