Citytv announced today that Roger Petersen has been named co-host of Toronto’s longest-running morning show, Breakfast Television. Starting today, Petersen officially joins co-host Dina Pugliese, along with fellow newcomer Stella Acquisto, and the rest of the celebrated BT family of Frank Ferragine, Winston Sih, Melanie Ng, Tammie Sutherland, and Kerry Prunskus to wake-up the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. Breakfast Television airs weekdays from 5:30 to 9 a.m. ET on Citytv.
“No stranger to GTA audiences, Roger has delivered the local stories that matter most to this community for close to two decades with his signature approachable and trustworthy demeanour,” said Dave Budge, Vice President, News and Information, Citytv. “His down-to-earth approach, paired with Dina’s quick sense of humour, make them a great team to wake up BT Toronto audiences.”
Petersen is a familiar face to Citytv audiences having covered some of the largest stories to unfold in his hometown – from the horrific van attack earlier this year to the G20 and G8, SARS and the Papal visit. Petersen joined the Toronto Citytv team in 1999, undertaking a variety of roles including reporter, anchor and host of the car show Autoshop. Petersen then moved to Vancouver to anchor CityNews at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., before moving back to his hometown as a CityNews Toronto reporter and anchor. Petersen began his broadcasting career in radio, having studied Radio & Television at Seneca College.
“I’m so excited to join the BT Toronto team,” said Petersen. “Waking up with the city of Toronto is a dream come true, with a commitment to break down critical stories and keep audiences updated on the fun events and trends happening around the city.”
In addition to his broadcast career, Petersen also volunteers his time to many causes, including Cardiac Health Foundation and Victim Services, and is a proud father to son McKenna.
A member of the Citytv family since 2011, Stella Acquisto also joins the BT Toronto family as the community correspondent. A first-generation Canadian, Acquisto was born in Toronto where she studied Journalism at Seneca College and earned a Political Science and Communications Studies degree from York University.
