Stefan Keyes named new anchor for CTV News at Five and 11:30 in Ottawa

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Introducing CTV Ottawa’s new 5:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. anchor

CTV Morning Live says goodbye to Stefan

Veteran broadcaster Stefan Keyes is returning to the evening airwaves in Ottawa after being named the new anchor for CTV News at Five and CTV News at 11:30.

He will also appear regularly on CTV News at Six, reporting live, local, breaking news.

Keyes is an award-winning journalist currently working on CTV Morning Live in Ottawa.

“My return to evening news comes with mixed emotions. There is a sense of joy and accomplishment of being able to do what I love Monday to Friday during a later time slot that, genuinely, makes me want to throw a party dedicated to smashing alarm clocks; however, I will miss my morning viewers who are loyal, dedicated, and extremely invested in our program,” Keyes said.

Keyes takes over from Matt Skube, who recently announced his decision to leave CTV News Ottawa.

• RELATED: Matt Skube signs off from CTV News Ottawa after 11 years

“As much as I joke about my friend and colleague Matt Skube ‘breaking up the band,’ we will miss him. Thankfully, he’s staying within the Bell Media family and just moving cities,” Keyes said.

From news anchoring, television producing, broadcast writing, live reporting, and social media journalism to appearing on national television programs as a panelist on a variety of topics from politics to lifestyle, he is known for his versatility and for tackling assignments with compassion.

“Stefan is the perfect person to lead our 5 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. newscasts, along with reporting for our 6 p.m. news,” said Peter Angione, Director of News & Information Programming, Bell Media Ottawa. “He has years of experience as a reporter and anchor, and he is extremely well known in the Ottawa community.”

Keyes is a 2009 graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program where he also minored in history. He has worked and lived in Calgary where he anchored a morning show for Global News.

Keyes was a teenager when he first started writing for a monthly newspaper called The Spectrum which catered to the needs and interests of the Black community. While still in high school, he produced a 13-minute segment for the former CBC radio program entitled “Outfront” as a freelancer. He volunteered as an audio board technician for the CKCU radio program called "Third World Players" while completing his undergraduate degree.

He was also able to launch his career with CTV News Ottawa during his third year of undergrad and has been climbing the ranks ever since. Aside from stellar reporting with a stylish flair, Keyes works diligently to give back to the community volunteering for several not-for-profit groups with a focus on youth, the arts, and the BIPOC community. His passion for the community partially comes from the lived experience of growing up in low-income housing and witnessing the hardships that come along with it.

“An exceptional leader and journalist, Stefan understands the importance of local news, of empowering people with the information they need to know, and ensuring everyone in our community is well informed and connected across our multiple CTV Ottawa news platforms,” said Jodi Hamilton, Operations Manager, Local Radio/TV, Ottawa & Eastern Ontario.

His talents also led him to become a vocalist and actor who has performed for on-screen productions shown around the world, including live audiences in Canada, the United States and Jamaica.

“The storytelling style of evening news will always be my first journalistic love. Its depth, sincerity, compassion, and ability to give weight to the happenings of the world on a local platform is what I was raised on. It’s a true blessing and privilege to keep the National Capital Region informed on a daily basis. It is one I don’t take lightly or for granted. Ottawa is the place of my birth and my upbringing, and I use journalism to guard it and its residents to the best of my abilities,” said Keyes.