CTV announced today that veteran newspaper columnist Don Martin will join CTV News as the new host of POWER PLAY on CTV News Channel. Martin comes to CTV from The National Post and Calgary Herald where he was the National Affairs Columnist for 32 years. Martin is expected to start with CTV mid-December.
“Don Martin is one of the most respected journalists on Parliament Hill,” said Robert Hurst, President of CTV News. “As the new host of POWER PLAY, he will cut through the rhetoric to deliver the best and most comprehensive political picture in Canada.”
Airing weekdays at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET on CTV News Channel, POWER PLAY is the political television show of record for Canadians, highlighting the people and players that dominate the political scene in Canada. POWER PLAY is also available on demand on the CTV News Video Player at ctv.ca.
“There was only one way to get me to give up a dream job as a newspaper columnist. That was to offer me a dream job as a CTV host,” said Martin. “There’s no way to resist the opportunity to bring the personalities and the issues to a show I’m hoping will turn Canadian politics into water-cooler conversation. My goal is to help make POWER PLAY must-see television.”
“Don’s in-depth understanding of the landscape, larger-than-life personality, and irreverent style make him an ideal host for POWER PLAY,” said CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.
Martin brings three decades of experience to his new job as the host of POWER PLAY. Previously a national affairs columnist based in Ottawa, Martin wrote regularly about federal politics for The Calgary Herald and The National Post with a special eye on western issues of interest to his favourite province, namely Alberta. He has spent the last 30 years covering politics, starting with Calgary city hall and moving to the provincial legislature before heading to the nation’s capital in 2000. He authored the bestseller
King Ralph in 2002, a biography on the life and times of Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, and in 2006 published Belinda on the private and political life of Belinda Stronach.
POWER PLAY airs Monday to Friday at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET on CTV News Channel, Canada’s 24-hour all-news network. CTV News Channel draws on the vast resources of Canada’s #1 news organization, CTV News, to deliver breaking news the second it happens from communities across Canada and around the world. CTV News Channel also has strategic alliances with CNN, ABC and APTN to bring Canadians the latest in politics, business, entertainment, sports, and weather. CTV News Channel is wholly owned by CTV Inc., a division of CTVglobemedia.
