CKNW has announced that award-winning journalist Lynda Steele will be their 2-6 pm talk host as of September, replacing the departed Michael Eckford.  She has been the Consumer Reporter with CTV Vancouver, and the host of the weekend 30-minute feature Steele On Your Side.
 has worked at CKVU-TV, CITV-TV Edmonton and CBC Edmonton. She was the anchor of Global Edmonton’s Early News and News Hour from 1995 to 2011.
Lynda has been repeatedly honoured and recognized for her television work. Her accolades include the Canadian Professional Television Associations’ (CANPRO) Gold Award for ‘Best Feature Reporting’ in Canada and Western Association of Broadcasters for ‘Broadcaster of the Year’ in 2008.
The Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association (AMPIA) named her ‘Best Female News Anchor’, ‘Best Host’ and ‘Best Journalist’, and she was awarded for the ‘Best Light Information Program’ for Lynda Steele Presents, a special half hour interview series.
Laptop Diaries, her first book, was published in 2007. It chronicles a collection of Lynda’s columns which originally appeared in the Edmonton Journal newspaper. All of the proceeds went to Edmonton-area women shelters.
Lynda was awarded the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) ‘Outstanding Community Service Award’ in 2007 for her community involvement and extraordinary leadership.
She was also awarded the 2013 Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) continuing coverage award for an in-depth investigation into defective Whirlpool washing machines.
The series uncovered flooding problems with one of Whirlpool’s most popular washer models, forcing the world’s largest appliance manufacturer to pay the expensive insurance deductibles of dozens of affected consumers and issue a public apology.
Good choice.
Brilliant. One of the best in the business.
Huge loss for CTV. She was, by far, the best element of their 5-7 block.
We will see, look at how many other people have hosted this time slot in the last ten years. A number of people have tried, and suddenly disappeared.
Super choice. She also should be the 6pm anchor on CTV. She has class.
A smart, wonderful journalist, broadcaster and woman.
Regardless of what those carrying PPM’s end up registering in the coming ratings…
Lynda and CKNW have just added quality and depth to Vancouver Radio and the AM radio band.
Let’s hope she isn’t handcuffed by a poor format crafted by the bosses.
Do you think she’ll bring back the feature “What the Eck”?
Could this move result in a small shift back toward the old ‘NW format?
Lynda will be a welcome addition to the NW airwaves. She has a great sound and is well experienced in producing her own material! That alone could put her out front in a hurry!
Might there be a consumer affairs component to the new show? At one time ‘NW did have a consumer affairs segment in the afternoons. Anyone remember Terry Moore’s show, and the book that came out of it? I seem to recall the word “toothpaste” as part of the title.
What a Steele for ‘NW !
I do hope this means the plans for time slot include an increase in substance, with less in-studio banter about pop culture and internet memes. If you’re going to hire someone with Steele’s journalistic skills, surely you’ll let her do some journalism.
Lynda Steele has a face for television, not for radio.
With Simi – that’s two female voices (perspectives?) back to back.
‘Not sayin … Just sayin.
Certainly never been done at ‘NW before.
One would hope she has a clause in her contract forbidding the Very PC IK and others from dictating what she can and can’t say and report upon.
Is she actually leaving CTV? or will she work at both?? She seems like a great reporter – total pro. but why go to NW??? Sinking ship… clearly..
If she was smart, she should keep both gigs… I like her as an anchor on CTV.. don’t know how she could do a consumer show on the radio..
Good luck..
Too bad she’s leaving – she hardly ever stutters or goofs up her segment unlike the other blond who just can’t seem to get through a segment without making at least 4 screw ups EVER . Good luck Lynda
Lynda should have replaced tamara taggart
Good luck, Lynda, we have trusted your reporting and enjoyed you from day one, we WILL miss you LOTS!!!
Best of luck Lynda! I agree with Jodi that Lynda could have done a super job anchoring at CTV. The only reason we watched CTV at all was because of Lynda. She is so professional and articulate. Tamara is likely a nice person, but oh my she is not anchor material. Now we will watch Chris and Sophia and listen to Lynda on CKNW.
Her first show was a breath of fresh NW air. It was a good show and will likely only get better. Her interview with the first nations beauty queen was good but it could have been longer and had an awkward ending. The little regular blurb chat with Galius was also weird. He seemed truly messed up. He was insecure and must have pointed out that Global was the news rating leader in the lower mainland often enough to make some wonder who he was trying to impress. It was a good show.
I never watched CTV so I don’t know Ms. Steele, Iistened to the first show, tried three times and hated listened to her. Thank God CBC is still available. Two women (and more particularly these two) in a row in this format is a huge mistake. Sean Leslie COME back!!!
Really miss Mike Smith. Please find a place for him. I am now listening to Linda Steel who is again talking about the poor little Syrian boy. Big, sad story, but it is time to change subjects.
Lynda would have been a good replacement for Tamara.
I have tried thrice now to listen to Ms. Steele, for whom I held great hopes. Sadly, the word which most often springs to mind is vapid. I got tired of the self-congratulatory maunderings the first day. Another fail for ‘NW in my view.
The self congradulatory stuff is wearing a bit thin. I had hoped that she would be interesting and break out of the NW format of simply reruning the interviews and news from the preceeding show. Im not ready to toss her under the bus just yet. (mostly because shes light years better than Eckford). Ill give her a month to put her stamp on the 2to6 slot. Make it must listen radio.
I am too fussy. I expect too much. I do not expect a person carrying the credentials this person is said to carry to repeatedly say “gonna”. Of course, one hears this regularly on the CBC where, I seem to remember such gaffs were almost grounds for dismissal. Perhaps just more signs the end is near for professional broadcasting? Socialism is a social movement posing as a political party, the aim of which movement is to reduce everyone to the lowest common denominator so we all starve at the same rate. The socialist concept of social promotion in schools is making its results known and no more obviously than in broadcasting where few in the business these days can speak or pronounce proper English.
Well after about 3 weeks it seems that Steele could make a great radio show host. Shes entertaining and engaging. Bright and knowledgeable. The thing that is holding her back is the tired and far from true NW formula show. Her chats with Gailus were funny at first because it sounded as Galius was intimidated just talking to a CTV employee. The big 5 is wearing thin and its to bad she has to do that. Her banter with the production crew seems to be held to a minimum. I think if she didnt have to follow the NW formula she would truly be a great radio personality.
I agree 13. She has potential, but as I noted earlier here, my fears she’d be restrained by the troglodytes at ‘NW seem to have been realized. Heaven forfend ‘NW allow some real reporting and controversy.
Linda Steele is nothing other than a fracking light weight and should be known as Linda SPEEL due to her propensity to drone on about nothing all the while supporting the shit for brains running NW that continue to make certain its a irrelevant station in the format.
Linda is just another CBC/CTV/ good union poog spewing the same dam Main Stream Media / Media Party drivel that has polluted our News, Air Waves, News Sources for so many years. Just like Bill Good, Linda will not say “Bull Shit ” with a mouth full with out the general consensus of the NW office and like minded people on her “lets be news safe” phone tree.
It’s bad enough, one should have to suffer Silly Sara and her drivel, now we have to suffer the same shit for brains talking head in the next 4 hour segment. All the while, we are bombarded with the desperate all day long attempts of CKNW to pump up a person that is at best, an oxygen thief pretending to be a switched on commentator AKA Linda Speel. The only thing Linda Speel brings to the air waves is an incredible long standing Canadian media bias, exemplified by a disregard for the “old” media saying. “We report YOU decide”
Both Silly Sara and Linda Speel are contributors to the problem that has infected the Canadian main or should I say Lame Stream Media while further exacerbating the problem that is our 24/7 left of center news cycle.
Both these women, in conjunction with the present day format on NW are a refection of the very stupid /desperate people running NW but more so exemplifies the blatant disregard the CORIS Network has of the people that use to make up the strong loyal listening mass, that made it#1.
Please don’t start me on the shitty weekend programming concerning the assholes on the even more shitty NPR Ted, turn the fracking radio off hours.
Well, I must say that Glen on the left coast is the vilest, crudest poster, yet, even cruder than me ! LOL
Re: Lynda “the lightweight, I think that Lynda Steele will definitely bring ‘NW a new audience, namely her own audience, and not necessarily the “old boys network” audience that yearns for the good old days of the Top Dog.
Me thinks that Left coast is a jealous guy, a guy jealous of smart women like Lynda who could probably kick his ass in a real debate ?
What to say about CKNW, anymore. Nobody really knows what is the next step for AM radio.
Just because ratings get better, doesn’t mean that things will return back to normal or that the status quo will remain.
Sometimes, talent is brought in by large radio corps, not for permanent gains, but to fatten the hog before the ultimate trip to the slaughterhouse…
But. Lynda will likely succeed in talk radio, regardless of what NW does to her.
I dunno. I am trying to give her a chance, but Glen’s tirade certainly contains a germ of truth even if he did plagiarize my “Silly Sara” monicker. 😉 But, so far I have no qualms about changing stations when she comes on a starts in on another boring and irrelevant subject.
Interesting to see where the boundaries are on PSR. Did Glen push the envelope or can we ratchet that vile rant up a couple more notches?
If the suits at NW read this site (imagine they must) they should read Glens rant at least twice evry shift until it sinks in.
Agree with the poster that Steele will succeed in radio in spite of being employed at NW.
I just can’t find in her the fire and doggedness I was hoping for. There is no sign of a jack Webster or Rafe Mair gene in her. Sadly, she more closely resembles Bill Bland to my way of listening to her.
She sounds like a chain smoker. I tried to listen to her but the PTB at NW do not seem to allow good topics or debates anymore. I guess that is why NW is dropping and dropping and dropping. I never listen to the commercials. I button them off in a blink and only listen to topics that are “remotely” interesting. I was really hoping for someone other than Simi “the NW drone” Sara who just does exactly what she is told to do……
talk radio is dead…..