Photograph by Christopher Wahl
Sawyer is proving to be an excellent front man for ABC News. Anchoring from Haiti, she was warm and sincere—obviously alarmed and distressed by what she witnessed, and not afraid to show it—drawing in her audience, who could completely relate to how she was feeling. Unlike Couric, the comfortable and human Sawyer has been able to translate her early morning success to the anchor desk. She has true presence, and, as such, could be manning the ABC news desk for many years to come.
So the bra burners, the women’s libbers of the ’60s and ’70s, can finally relax. Even if “softy” Couric and “beauty queen” Sawyer were not who they had in mind, credible females are finally at the top of the news chain, after being bypassed for years. And with two of the big three anchor positions in the U.S. now held by “mature” women, all of a sudden aging female anchors are in vogue. The rules have changed.
Here in Canada, although a number of women have been competent fill-in and weekend national news anchors for many years (all the way back to Tennant in the ’70s), none have yet popped into that big permanent seat on a major network. In 1992 Pamela Wallin became Canada’s first female nightly national news co-anchor (with Peter Mansbridge) when CBC launched Prime Time News at 9 p.m. When the show fared badly and was moved back to its original time slot, there was only one anchor—and it wasn’t Wallin, perhaps because men weren’t even close to being pried out of that big anchor seat back then. Things are different now, and the winds of change are blowing from the south. So is there a woman anchor on television today who deserves the title of first permanent Canadian female national news reader? Hmmm.
At CTV, Lloyd Robertson is still king, and deservedly so. He’s an excellent interpreter of news, and a skilled communicator, probably why he’s universally referred to as just “Lloyd.” (Another sign of the times, Cronkite was certainly not known as Walter.) Long-time weekend anchor Sandie Rinaldo is competent, but doesn’t come close to having the presence of Lloyd. Substitute Lisa LaFlamme has more appeal, and seems to be gaining more confidence over time, but it’s still Lloyd who has the charisma.
At CBC, it’s a different story. Although Peter Mansbridge has been glued to the anchor desk for a long time, I believe he makes a better interviewer than an anchor, so maybe he shouldn’t be feeling too comfortable right about now. After all, he does have serious competition from one of his female replacements—none other than the ageless and engaging Wendy Mesley. Known mainly for her work on CBC’s Marketplace, and a regular contributor to The National, Mesley has that extra something, that star quality that Mansbridge has always lacked. Armed with all of the credentials for the job, including three decades of reporting experience, Mesley also connects big-time, diving headfirst through that lens and into the hearts of the audience. Just last week, when I ran into a friend who had been interviewed for a Marketplace story, and I asked him how it went, he replied, sadly, “not good, Wendy wasn’t there.” He talked about her as though they were long-time friends, when, in reality, they’ve never met. Crusty old judges and mean-spirited spinsters all like Mesley. A modern day Mary Tyler Moore—warm and human, making the occasional flub, as she tilts her head one way, then the other with that disarming grin, anchor Mesley keeps gaining fans. In an unofficial poll for this article, I couldn’t find one person to say a negative thing about her. Let’s face it, there’s just something about Wendy that makes you want to watch her—she’s interesting, and she has that mass appeal that can move mountains.
But can she move management at the CBC? Filling in is a consolation prize, and Mesley deserves much more. If the powers that be at The National don’t wake up, someone south of the border just might…and there she’ll go.
Perhaps her ex-husband Mansbridge can help. In 1988, as the folklore goes, Mansbridge was being courted by CBS, which “apparently” prompted then-CBC national news anchor Knowlton Nash to “give up” his position, so that Mansbridge could take it over and remain in Canada. It always sounded like a fairytale to me, but if it’s not, then maybe it’s time for Mansbridge to “pay it forward,” and step aside for 53-year-old Mesley, a seasoned television journalist who is still rising toward her peak, in mid-life. Mesley deserves the historic title of Canada’s first female permanent national news anchor.
Thirty years ago it never could’ve happened. Today, it very well could. Here’s hoping.
Pages: 1 2
