HAMILTON — CHCH-TV announced today its vice-president of news, Mike Katrycz (above), will be retiring at the end of September 2021 after working 21 years at the Hamilton TV station.
Katrycz joined CHCH as news director in 2000 and was named vice-president of news in 2011.
“Katrycz notably spearheaded the launch of Morning Live in 2001, not only a first of its kind for the local Hamilton, Halton, and Niagara regions, but also one of the first local morning shows in the country,” reads a press release from Channel Zero, owner of CHCH-TV.
He was also responsible for creating all-day news programming at CHCH in 2009, a first for over-the-air television in Canada, says the release.
“On behalf of Channel Zero’s management team, and the many employees of CHCH and Channel Zero, we want to thank Mike for his leadership and the influence he’s had over his more than two decades in our newsroom,” said Cal Millar, president of Channel Zero, in the release.
“Mike’s been an influential news personality in Southern Ontario his entire career, both in front of and behind the camera,” added Chris Fuoco, vice-president of sales and marketing at Channel Zero. “News viewers on CHCH have loyally tuned in to programming that Mike played a significant role in bringing to air. From the launch of Morning Live to the expansion of our digital news content, and most recently navigating the pandemic in those first anxious weeks and months, Mike has helped shape our news product for the better.”
Katrycz began his career in 1975 at radio station CFTR (now 680 News) as a reporter and newscaster. In 1980, he moved to television with CFTO News (now CTV Toronto), working as a reporter and producer for 17 years. Following that, he joined Global Toronto in 1998 as senior producer of the station’s flagship local evening newscast.
During his more than 20 years working as a reporter/producer, Katrycz “covered everything from crime and courts, to municipal and provincial politics, health and medicine, and entertainment” the press release says. He has interviewed “the likes of Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Tina Turner, Luciano Pavarotti, Goldie Hawn, James Brown, Charlie Watts, and many more.”
Some of the big news events Katrycz reported from live include “the 1979 Mississauga train derailment that forced the evacuation of the entire city, and a deadly passenger jet crash at Pearson.” He also covered “political conventions, crime scenes, dramatic court cases, and even the first sanctioned jump from the CN Tower,” says the press release.
Speaking about his time at CHCH, Katrycz said: “The most rewarding part of my job has been the people I’ve had the privilege of hiring and helping to develop. Many have gone on to great careers, and CHCH continues to have an outstanding team that makes not only me, but also our entire community, proud every day.
“I’ve long considered news programming to be like a mirror to the communities we serve, and at CHCH it’s also become a window through which others see us,” he added.
“Mike leaves our organization in a better place after 21 years,” said Romen Podzyhun, chairman and CEO of Channel Zero. “We wish him all the best in retirement, and we look forward to the next chapter of news leadership and innovation at CHCH.”
