The head of CTV News has gone on leave following the ouster of news anchor Lisa LaFlamme.
Michael Melling, the vice-president of the news division at CTV’s parent company Bell Media, “decided to take leave from his current role effective immediately to spend time with his family,” according to an internal memo sent Friday and obtained by CBC News.
“His decision reflects our shared desire to support the newsroom and do what’s best to help the team move past the current circumstances to focus on delivering the stories that matter to Canadians.”
Melling faced criticism over LaFlamme’s abrupt departure from CTV, which raised allegations of sexism and ageism. He took over as head of news in January.
LaFlamme revealed last week that she’d been “blindsided” by Bell Media’s decision to end her contract.
“At 58, I still thought I had a lot more time to tell more of the stories that impact our daily lives,” she said in an online video.
LaFlamme said she was ‘blindsided’ as Bell Media ended her contract after more than 30 years.