CTV News at 5 marks 40 years in the Maritimes with special anniversary show

On Sept. 13, 1982, CTV -- then known as ATV -- introduced Maritimers to the news-magazine format when it launched “Live at 5,” the first program of its kind in Canada.

The program would go on to become appointment viewing for Maritimers to learn about community-focused stories, entertainment news, and local arts and culture.

“CTV News at 5” has been home to 11 co-hosts, including Starr Dobson and Bruce Frisko, over the course of its four-decade run. Jayson Baxter and Maria Panopalis currently host the show.

With must-see segments like “Keeping Up with Katie Kelly,” the latest in news from Chief Anchor Todd Battis and the region’s most trusted weather forecast delivered by Chief Meteorologist Kalin Mitchell, CTV News at 5 remains the Maritimes’ most popular news and current affairs program.

“It’s the most recognized news magazine style program in the region. Watching ‘Live at 5’ daily has been a Maritime tradition that’s been passed down from one generation to the next,” said Dan Appleby, the news director at CTV News Atlantic. “I want to thank viewers for the trust they have placed in the ATV, now CTV, team over the years. The consistency with which you welcome us into your home daily means a great deal to us all.”

For Panopalis, “CTV News at 5” was part of her life long before she became part of the program.

“If you grew up in the Maritimes, it was part of everyone’s life, it’s part of the culture here,” said Panopalis during an interview with “CTV Morning Live” Tuesday. “You would finish school, come home and watch ‘Another World’ or ‘General Hospital,’ and then ‘Live at 5’ would come on and you knew that you were probably going to see familiar faces every once in a while on the show.”

Following in the footsteps of Paul Mennier and Nancy Regan -- “The Luke and Laura of the Maritimes ” -- Panopalis says working on “CTV News at 5” is “a dream come true.”

“I don’t know how to say any other way that I love this show. I loved it before I worked on it, and now that I get to work on it, I love it even more. I love how passionate all of the journalists are here and how much they actually care about the Maritimes,” Panopalis said. “We are Maritimers and we want to tell your stories, and I hope that we’ve done a good job so far through the years.”

Some of the show’s most popular segments include Weather Watchers and Milestones, where co-hosts celebrate the anniversaries and birthdays of Maritimers.

“It’s a rite of passage to get on the Milestones because you have to be married for 50 years or more,” said Panopalis. “I don’t take it for granted that we get to do this every night.”

The cast and crew of “CTV News at 5” aired a special anniversary show Tuesday to celebrate 40 years on air, with special guests, a walk down memory lane, and plenty of bloopers.

“This is a real celebration of the longevity and success of the show that Maritimers have built by supporting it through four decades. We hope they’ll watch, and remember, all the best ‘Live at 5’ has had to offer over the years,” said Trent McGrath, the general manager at CTV Atlantic.