Sandie Rinaldo, Kevin Newman to be honoured at RTDNA awards

Trailblazing CTV News anchor Sandie Rinaldo will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award this May by the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada.

“In her 45-years with CTV News, calling Sandie Rinaldo an icon would be a major understatement,” RTDNA president Ian Koenigsfest said in a statement released Friday. “This RTDNA Lifetime Achievement Award epitomizes Sandie’s consummate professionalism and recognizes her outstanding contribution to journalism in Canada.”

Rinaldo first joined CTV in 1973, just one week after graduating from university. For nearly four decades she has been the weekend anchor of CTV National News, and has also reported extensively for CTV’s investigative news program W5.  A pioneering journalist, Rinaldo became the first woman to anchor a daily network newscast in Canada in 1980.

She will be presented with the award at a Toronto gala on May 26.

On May 25, another prominent CTV journalist will also be receiving an RTDNA accolade: the prestigious President’s Award, which “acknowledges an individual who has brought recognition and distinction to the field of electronic and digital journalism.”

“For more than 30 years Kevin Newman has contributed his valuable insights and extraordinary storytelling abilities to audiences on both sides of the border,” Koenigsfest said in a statement. “A pioneer in so many respects, the much decorated and highly respected Newman has provided context and meaning to the most important stories impacting our society during his vast career.”

Newman currently hosts W5 and has netted some of the industry’s top honours, including both Emmy and Gemini Awards.