LEADERSHIP
The hallmarks of good leadership: bold ideas, big picture vision, effective team building, goal setting, and clear direction.
As founding News Director for the Sun News Network I played a major role in creating, building and launching the Canadian news and talk channel.
It was huge undertaking: recruiting and hiring more than one hundred people across Canada, overseeing broadcast design plans for Sun News’ main studios in Toronto, Ottawa, and Winnipeg, as well as news bureaus in Calgary and Vancouver. There was also the planning and developing of news programming, newsroom design, assignment workflows and news gathering processes, as well as team building.
And it was all done pretty much from scratch.
As founding News Director, pictured in centre, overseeing main news studio build in Toronto, with Managing Editor Cara Schayer and Andrew Kinsella of AKA Designs.
These were my guiding principles when taking on the biggest executive position of my career.
In green shirt far centre, leading the team in the early days of Sun News
One of the design plans for main news studio in Toronto
With news anchors Alex Pierson and Pat Bolland, hosts of the morning news program AM Agenda
Anchor Pat Bolland on the set of AM Agenda
The set of Brian Lilley's primetime show Byline, in the main Ottawa studio.
There was also the integration and convergence of Sun Media print assets and journalists into the new broadcast operation. With our tiny management team working flat out, and with the guidance of senior broadcast executives at parent network TVA, we overcame difficult challenges. In seven short months Sun News Network hit the airwaves coast to coast on April 18, 2011.
A group shot of Sun News stars, at the official launch of the network April 18, 2011. On hand were Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau, centre, and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford
Toronto Sun front page on the day Sun News Network hit the airwaves. Pictured centre are Sun News Vice President Kory Teneycke and Luc Lavoie of Quebecor.
From that day on I directed and managed editorial staff in day-to-day operations across Canada, oversaw news specials and big event coverage, and was involved in administration, forward financial planning and budgeting for multi-million dollar network operations. I left the role as News Director in the spring of 2014.
News anchor Caryn Lieberman on set with Sun News pollster David Coletto during coverage of BC election night May13, 2013
Toronto Sun full page ad for "Fight Night"
the charity boxing match between Liberal MPJustin Trudeau and Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau. Airing exclusively on Sun News, it was a huge ratings hit
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford with his brother Councillor Doug Ford and host Joe Warmington during taping of "Ford Nation". It happened during media storm surrounding Rob Ford and was a huge ratings hit for Sun News
Former federal NDP leader Jack Layton at Sun News during the 2011 election campaign which was underway just as Sun News launched
With Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, at his arrival at Sun News studios for taping of "Ford Nation"
News anchor Sneha Kulkarni at the Hard News Desk in Toronto
Newsroom at Sun News broadcast centre in downtown Toronto.
Screen grab of Sun News live coverage of Saskatchewan election night on November 2, 2011
Screen grab of Sun News live coverage of Quebec election night on September 4, 2012
Screen grab of Sun News live coverage of Alberta election night on April 23, 2012
Multi screen shot displaying the news and opinion shows on Sun News
Multi screen shot diplaying Sun News bureaus and reporters across Canada
Here’s a retrospective video of Sun News programming:
