CKVR alumni reunite
Familiar faces were brought back together as more than a hundred CKVR alumni gathered at Donaleigh's Irish Public House in Barrie Saturday night for a special reunion.
Those in attendance included former news anchors Keith Radford and Sharon Burkhart, as well as sportscaster George Bryson.
Bryson and former control room supervisor Jeff Burtch co-organized the event.
"We had an idea six months ago, wouldn't it be great to get all the old CKVR people back together," said Bryson. "We put it out on social media, and we were shocked [about] how many people responded that they wanted to come."
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Radford's first job in television was at CKVR before spending two years at CTV Toronto, five years at NBC Salt Lake City and 34 years at Eyewitness News Channel 7 in Buffalo. He recently retired.
"It's good to see these people I hadn't seen in 40 years," said Radford. "[Bryson] looks exactly the same, except his hair turned all white for some reason."
Burkhart spent 15 years at CKVR as a reporter and anchor.
"It was always the people," she said. "We all grew up together, and so many of us are still fast friends."
Behind-the-scenes alums included longtime technician Bob Hebden and Susan Laycock in promotions.
"When there's a chance to see them all again, you jump on it," said Hebden. "I'm enjoying seeing everybody here."
Laycock referred to her former colleagues as family.
"We hung out together; we were friends. We all kind of had children at the same time," she said. "We really liked each other, and we missed each other."
"I just think that the people that I had a chance to work with up on the hill were so talented and so good at what they did and worked so hard to put the best product they could on the air every day," added Bryson. "I just really appreciated working with them."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates: 'Extremely dangerous' Hurricane Milton brings high winds, destructive waves
U.S. forecasters are warning of destructive waves, devastating winds and flash floods through the week as Hurricane Milton makes its way from the Yucatan Peninsula toward Florida.
Harris calls Trump 'incredibly irresponsible' for spreading misinformation about Helene response
Kamala Harris called Donald Trump 'incredibly irresponsible' for spreading falsehoods about the federal response to Hurricane Helene's destruction, offering especially sharp words as a new storm bears down on Florida with just weeks until Election Day.
University of Toronto's Geoffrey Hinton wins Nobel Prize in physics
A British-Canadian researcher has won the Nobel Prize in physics for work developing the foundations of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The University of Toronto's Geoffrey Hinton was awarded the prize Tuesday morning, along with Princeton University researcher John Hopfield.
Most fathers say they spend equal time caring for their child — fewer mothers agree, survey says
When it comes to raising a child, the majority of fathers say they share tasks equally, but fewer mothers tend to say the same thing, according to a Statistics Canada survey.
Beware of scams during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sales event: cybersecurity firm
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
'They are just ruthless': Toronto senior loses $27,000 to roofing scam
A Toronto senior says she can’t believe that two roofers took advantage of her, despite knowing she was recently widowed and suffering from a painful disability.
Is Disney World still open as Hurricane Milton strengthens to a Category 5?
Despite Hurricane Milton evolving into a Category 5 storm, Walt Disney World Resort remains open to the public and will operate as normal. However, the park announced Monday a few closures in an abundance of caution.
Kathy Bates shocked she forgot this moment in her 1991 Oscars speech
For years, Kathy Bates has believed she missed thanking someone pivotal during her acceptance speech after she won the Oscar for best actress in 1991 for her performance in 'Misery.'
Tampa Bay hasn't been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921. Milton may be the one
Florida's Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for the impact of Hurricane Milton's winds and expected massive storm surge, which could bring destruction to areas already reeling from Helene's devastation 12 days ago and still recovering from Ian's wrath two years ago.