I joined TVO in 1992, but before that, I spent seven years doing various jobs at CBC-TV. One day, I bumped into the legendary broadcast journalist Barbara Frum, and we struck up a conversation. Somehow, we got onto the topic of the relative popularity of various television anchors and she said to me, “You’ve gotta know when to leave, Steve. Because one day, the viewers just wake up and get sick of looking at you!”
Even though I was barely 30 years old and hoped Barbara’s advice wasn’t meant for me just yet, those words have stayed with me for more than three decades. They were a constant and useful reminder that it’s always better to leave the party an hour early, rather than a minute too late.
It's now time to take Barbara’s advice.
Diane Rowe was our make-up artist for 30 years.
Nearly three years ago when I signed my current contract, John Ferri (TVO’s vice-president overseeing current affairs) and I both agreed that this would be my final deal as a full-time employee with the station. As much as I have loved hosting The Agenda for the past 19 years (and hosting four other programs for TVO over the past 32 years in total), anchoring a daily program is a seven-day-a-week job. When the show is on the air, you’re studying research, vetting questions, booking guests, and writing a weekly column until 11 p.m. (or later) pretty much every night of the week.
The Agenda's coverage of election night on Ontario, October 2007.
I realized that if I ever wanted to tackle some of the other things on life’s to-do list, I just couldn’t do them and host a daily show at the same time. Something’s gotta give.
So, by mutual agreement, this will be the final season of The Agenda. Our final show will be on the last Friday in June.
Nineteen years is a helluva run. I don’t want to overstay my welcome and, as Barbara said, have our viewers get sick of looking at my face.
Before The Agenda I hosted Studio 2, and had the opportunity to interview Mikhail Gorbachev.
However, I’m thrilled to say I’m not leaving TVO entirely. John and I worked out a really wonderful arrangement in which I’ll scale back my workload — but not leave.
I’ll continue to co-host the #onpoli podcast with my pal, JMM, John Michael McGrath, which will still air on TVO at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Friday nights. I’ll still contribute a weekly column to TVO’s website. I’ll continue hosting the town hall series TVO Today Live, which airs every month or two. And I’ll still front the YouTube show Ontario Chronicle, which delves into some of the neat, untold stories of our province’s history. TVO has just been too important a part of my life to walk away entirely, so I’m delighted our relationship will continue in a part-time way.
But now, I’ll (hopefully) have some time to create some other podcasts of my own, on subjects that fascinate me. Having written a bunch of books, maybe I’ve got another one in me. Having been chancellor at Laurentian University, I’d love to explore having a role on another post-secondary campus. The point is, while I’ve got a bit of runway and a lot of energy still left, I need to find out what else is out there that I can contribute to, as I celebrate my 65th birthday in June.
Producing The Agenda is a team effort. Here's some of the team after an interview with Jean Chretien.
You’ll hear more in the days ahead about the new show TVO will launch in the fall to replace The Agenda. Rest assured: solid journalism isn’t going anywhere. It’ll continue to be part of TVO’s raison d’être.
More members of the Agenda team: Nam Kiwanuka, Chad Cassel, and Hilary Clark
When I was a kid, I watched a lot of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Johnny’s last year of hosting that show was my first year at TVO, so I always remembered his final, parting words: “I found something I always wanted to do, and I have enjoyed every single minute of it.”
Couldn’t have said it better.