City TV sportcaster leaving!
Kathryn Humphreys is leaving City TV.
The well-known sportscaster failed to come to terms on a new contract with City TV and she will be parting ways with the station after 10 years, Sun Media has learned.
When reached, Humphreys confirmed she is leaving City TV, but she didn’t want to get into the specific details of her departure or where she now is headed in the TV world.
“I’m not running off to join a nunnery — they wouldn’t have me,” said Humphreys, displaying the typical irreverent humour that has endeared her to TV viewers. “But rest assured, I will be back on TV.”
Stephen Hurlbut, City TV’s national vice-president of news, also confirmed that Humphreys is leaving.
“She is such a unique and gifted personality, she is going to be difficult to replace,” Hurlbut said. “But we do have some proficiency in finding characters and personalities. So the search is on.
“But if you’re wondering if we have someone in the wings and this was all part of a grand plan, absolutely not. We wanted a happy ending. But it’ll really, really work out for Kathryn. She’s a great girl.”
Hurlbut admitted it’s a sad day for City TV, which is losing one of its most recognizable faces. The 37-year-old Humphreys, who is married to Tragically Hip drummer Johnny Fay, had a knack for attracting viewers who weren’t necessarily sports junkies but who enjoyed Humphreys’ fun approach.
“We absolutely think Kathryn is a unique and special talent,” Hurlbut said. “She had been a part of our newsroom for 10 years. We shouldn’t forget the fact that we were the first people to put her on television and develop that talent. But in the course of people’s careers and ongoing professional development, perhaps City TV wasn’t a big enough stage for Kathryn and where she wanted to be.”
The five City TV stations across Canada were to have been part of CTV’s $1.7-billion purchase of the CHUM empire. However earlier this year, the CRTC ruled that the City TV stations could not remain with CTV, and subsequently CTV sold them to Rogers for $375 million.
“In our minds, we would have been very happy to have Kathryn with us for another 10 years,” Hurlbut added. “But we’ve had a very clear understanding of our positions and she thanked me very much for everything, and she has a very, very bright future. She leaves with nothing but our best wishes.”
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