Bell Media News Executive To Take Leave After Lisa LaFlamme’s Departure

etcanada.com:

Bell Media’s vice president of news Michael Melling will be taking leave from the company following the exit of Lisa LaFlamme, an internal memo obtained by Global News says.

In the memo, Karine Moses, senior vice president of content development and news, said Melling “has decided to leave from his current role effective immediately to spend time with his family.” “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,” the memo read. Read more: Wendy’s Canada backs Lisa LaFlamme, swaps mascot’s red hair for grey Melling, the former general manager of CTV News Toronto, CP24 and BNN Bloomberg, joined Bell Media in 2003.

The news comes just weeks after LaFlamme, the long-time anchor of CTV National News, announced she would be leaving the network.

Bell Media said at the time the move was a “business decision.” Moses said Richard Grey, who is currently the regional general manager of the network’s eastern region, will step in as acting VP of news. “Working with Richard, we will keep the team updated on next steps as we move forward,” she said. “I want to thank everyone for your ongoing focus over the past two weeks to deliver the important stories Canadians rely on from this strong team.” Read more: Lisa LaFlamme removed as CTV National News anchor: ‘I was blindsided’ LaFlamme said she was “blindsided” when she saw her contract end after 35 years.