Shortly following becoming head of CTV News, Michael Melling reportedly raised questions regarding host Lisa LaFlamme’s hair, according to reports from The Globe and Mail.
• Read also: Anchor Lisa LaFlamme’s contract terminated by Bell Media
According to a senior CTV official who witnessed the scene, Michael Melling asked in the meeting who approved the decision to “let Lisa’s hair turn gray.” The latter also told The Globe and Mail that the question of Lisa LaFlamme’s hair color came up on set one day, when Michael Melling noted that she was taking on a purple hue in the studio lighting.
Michael Melling is also the one who announced to Lisa LaFlamme her ousting from her role as presenter of “CTV National News”. A withdrawal that the presenter did not expect. Normally, he had almost two years left on his contract. She had worked for the network for 35 years and had been in this position since 2011.
The Globe and Mail recalled that in 2020, the presenter made headlines and received praise from women across the country when she decided to stop dyeing her hair.
Lisa LaFlamme explained in a CTV special that due to the pandemic, she was unable to visit her colorist and so had to spray her roots every day before going on air. It was from there that she decided to keep her gray hair.
His sudden ousting sparked strong reactions of anger and confusion within CTV itself. Tensions between the presenter and Michael Melling have notably been reported by current members of the company’s staff, to the Globe and Mail.
According to these testimonies, the tensions relate to their vision of the priorities of the network and the use of its resources, in particular with regard to the coverage of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the war in Ukraine.
