By Dan Lalande | Photography by Sean Sisk
“Human beings are complex and dynamic. I didn’t want my career to define me or turn me into a one-dimensional public figure.”
In other words, there are many keys to Stefan Keyes. Turn the first one, the shiny new one, to reveal the latest anchor for CTV News at Five and 11:30, taking over from respected colleague Matt Skube. Keyes will also be appearing regularly on CTV News at Six, reporting live, local, and breaking stories.
Insert the next one in the many locks to his multi-faceted personality and you’ll find an accomplished singer and actor who’s been practicing both crafts since childhood; Keyes has performed live and on-screen for audiences in Canada, the United States, and Jamaica.
Behind yet another door is Keyes the committed community activist, the big-hearted volunteer who gives his time to not-for-profits and other groups focusing on youth, the arts, and the BIPOC community. Keyes, a survivor of economic hardship, is a firm believer in giving back.
That’s a lot of keys/Keyes, a diasporic disposition of which he is, understandably, proud. “I don’t believe in boxing myself in,” says Keyes. “When I started this straight-laced, white-collared career, many said I would have to give those other things up. I failed to understand why.”
Stefan Keyes, longtime journalist, performer, and community advocate, now leads CTV News at Five and 11:30. | Photo by Sean Sisk
Maybe because he was so good as a TV journalist, a career path whose first step was Carleton University’s renowned journalism program. “The most valuable part of Carleton’s program for me,” Keyes reflects, “was attention to detail and ethics. The junior years weren’t my favourite because I was eager to streamline into broadcasting and the program is built with print as the foundation. But the emphasis these days is on being a multifaceted journalist, so it’s more important than ever to have a command of the English language to write an online article. You really can’t escape it. “In addition, the ethics course gave me an irreplaceable understanding of the weight of words and how easy it is to find yourself in a conflict of interest position. The philosophical discussions around objectivity, bias, subconscious bias, and fair comment grabbed my attention big time.”
Itching to get into the industry, Keyes took his first job—an unglamorous position working from 5 A.M. to 9 A.M. typing out local headlines for the scroll at the bottom of the national Canada A.M. broadcast—while still in school. Within a year and a half, however, he had transitioned to on-air reporting on evenings and weekends on CTV Ottawa.
“I started in the CJOH/CTV Ottawa newsroom at 20 years old during my third-year of undergrad,” Keyes specifies. “After three years studying journalism, I quickly realized that experience was going to be the best teacher—a brutal teacher, but the best one nonetheless.”
True to the transparency of his character, Keyes admits to suffering, at that time, from imposter syndrome. “I had insecurities. I was the youngest person on payroll, I was the only Black person in the newsroom, and my upbringing meant that I didn’t have a lot in common with my colleagues. Marry that with how introverted I was back then, and I will tell you I had trouble relating.”
Photo by Sean Sisk
“On a professional level, though,” he counters, “I learned a lot in a very short time. Everyone wanted me to succeed or have me produce strong work because they were gatekeepers of the audience and everything we put out there was a reflection of the station.”
The apprenticeship took, spawning the opportunity to jump to morning news in Calgary. “Global gave me a chance to anchor in one of Canada’s major markets at age 27. It was also the opportunity to get to know the country from a Western perspective. Professionally, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Calgary is a great news market and the Western hospitality I experienced was wonderful. The newsroom was kind and welcoming. But for the first time in my life, even after being raised an only child, I felt lonely.”
Until, a few short years later, his ennui was lifted when he was welcomed back, both professionally and personally, home. “My mom acted like she won the lottery!” says Keyes of the influential woman he calls “the coolest person I know” (Fun fact: He has her name tattooed on his collarbone). His colleagues at CTV Ottawa were happy to re-embrace him, too. Keyes was impressed by how much they, too, had gone hyperspace. “The newsroom I returned to was even stronger than when I left it.”
And so, his career hit full stride. Keyes was on his way to becoming “An exceptional leader and journalist,” according to Jodi Hamilton, CTV’s Operations Manager for Local Radio/TV, Ottawa & Eastern Ontario. Keyes co-fronted CTV Morning Live and appeared on a variety of national news programs, bringing integrity, compassion, and flair to stories both political and cultural.
It’s been a long, sometimes rickety ladder, but the climb has culminated with the summit: the plum position as the face of Ottawa’s Number One nightly newscast. “Stefan is the perfect person to lead our 5 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. newscasts, along with reporting for our 6 p.m. news,” wrote Peter Angione, Director of News & Information Programming, Bell Media Ottawa. “He has years of experience as a reporter and anchor, and he is extremely well known in the Ottawa community.”
Says Keyes of earning the position, “It’s a true blessing and privilege to keep the National Capital Region informed on a daily basis. Ottawa is the place of my birth and my upbringing, and I use journalism to guard it to the best of my abilities.”
As for his other abilities, they continue to be of service to charitable groups of all kinds, including MASC, the local arts organization that offers creative opportunities to over 170,000 children, youth, and seniors annually. These days, its many supporters include Keyes, once a keen drama aspirant that MASC awarded with an opportunity to study Musical Theatre and Shakespeare privately at the young age of 12.
When Ottawa sings the praises of its diverse nightly news anchor, it’s in a variety of Keyes.