CHCH-TV Announces Retirement of News VP Mike Katrycz

Press Release
August 30, 2021

CHCH-TV announced today that Mike Katrycz, VP of News, will be retiring at the end of September 2021 after 21 years at the station.

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. Morning Live quickly gained a loyal following by showcasing the vibrant culture of the Golden Horseshoe region. Now a flagship program on the CHCH schedule, Morning Live is at-present celebrating its 20th anniversary year.

Other career highlights at CHCH and Channel Zero include the creation of all-day news programming in 2009 – a first for over-the-air television in Canada – as well as developing and managing consistent, quality news programs that thrive in the Toronto-Hamilton region, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers every day in Canada’s most competitive market.

“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.

“Mike’s been an influential news personality in Southern Ontario his entire career, both in front of and behind the camera. News viewers on CHCH have loyally tuned in to programming that Mike played a significant role in bringing to air,” said Chris Fuoco, VP of Sales and Marketing, Channel Zero. “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 at CFTR radio (now 680 News) in 1975 as a reporter and newscaster. For more than twenty years, he covered everything from crime and courts, to municipal and provincial politics, health and medicine, and entertainment, interviewing the likes of Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Tina Turner, Luciano Pavarotti, Goldie Hawn, James Brown, Charlie Watts, and many more.

The thrill of breaking news struck early and never left, reporting live from calamities like the 1979 Mississauga train derailment that forced the evacuation of the entire city, and a deadly passenger jet crash at Pearson, to political conventions, crime scenes, dramatic court cases, and even the first sanctioned jump from the CN tower.

Katrycz soon afterward made the leap to television with CFTO News (now CTV Toronto) in 1980, where he served as 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.

Katrycz joined CHCH as News Director in 2000. He was named Vice President of News in 2011.

“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,” said Katrycz. “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.”

“Mike leaves our organization in a better place after 21 years,” said Romen Podzyhun, Chairman and C.E.O 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.”

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For more information, please contact:

Nick Bannard
Marketing Manager, Channel Zero Inc./ CHCH-TV
nick.bannard@chz.com
416-492-1595 x 249

About CHCH:

CHCH-TV started broadcasting in 1954 and is proud to be the news leader for Hamilton and the surrounding Halton and Niagara regions. CHCH produces over 24 hours of original local news programming each week. With a primetime line-up anchored by movies, news magazine shows, and hit dramas, CHCH is available to over 92% of Ontario households and is viewed by millions nationally each week. CHCH News is produced daily out of its broadcast studio located in Hamilton, Ontario.