Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Kelly Linehan: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1959

Episode Date: August 25, 2026

In this 1959th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with former CP24 news anchor Kelly Linehan about why she quit the business and what she's up to these days.A version of this podcast without programmatic ads is available to all Toronto Mike'd Patrons at patreon.com/torontomike.Toronto Mike'd, an award-winning podcast, is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball, Ridley Funeral Home, Nick Ainis, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca.If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelly Kelly Kelly. Because you're a Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly of mine, mine, mine, mine. Welcome to episode 1,9159 of Toronto Mike. An award-winning podcast. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery. Order online at Great LakesBear.com for free, local, home delivery in the GTA.

Palma Pasta. Enjoy the taste of fresh. Homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Visit palma Pasta.com for more. Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball. Catch a game at Christy Pits this summer. No ticket required.

Fusion Corp's own Nick Aienis. He's the host of Building Toronto Skyline and Mike and Nick, two podcasts that you ought to listen to. Recyclemyelectronics.ca.cummitting to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. And Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Today was going to be Queens Park Borough Chief at Global News, Colin DeMello. But he just wrote me from Queens Park to say, there's a lot going on and he can't get out of there.

So he's going to visit the basement as soon as possible. It might be early September, but we'll get Colin DeMello back in the basement ASAP. In the meantime, the in-between time, I had the most delightful catch-up. Not catch up, catch up. With former CP24 anchor Kelly Linahan, where did she go? She left the business?

Any regrets? Find out in this compelling conversation. Hello. How's it going? Good. You can hear me okay? You sound great. Yeah. Okay, awesome. Cool studio, man.

Ditto. No, no, you got a nice look. Different vibe. I'm so sick of the virtual backgrounds. Like, I just like to see a real background and that's a charming background you have there. Okay, thank you. You see the rest of the room. It's like complete mayhem.

So this corner is fine. Give me a pen and scan. I want to check out how things are going. So what a pleasure it is to meet you. Yeah, thanks for having me. You too. Even though it's virtual. but I did when you were living in Toronto.

Okay, did you live in Toronto when you were on CP 24? Yes. Yeah. Okay. I did let the record show. I took a run at getting Kelly Linehan on Toronto, Mike. When you lived in Toronto, I struck out, but here we are. And I'm kind of excited to find out about your, like, very interesting career pivot.

Like, I'm really interested in your story. So I'm appreciating that you took some time to Zoom with me here. Oh, my. Yeah, no worries. Well, and I don't mean, you didn't strike out. I just was like, it was a crazy time. I struck out, Kelly. I'm trying to be polite.

I think I just didn't know what to say at the time because I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. Well, that's what we're, now we can talk about it. What was Kelly? So I got to ask you like, I'm contractually obligated to ask you a question off the top. Even though I know the answer, I need to ask the question. Okay, like a good lawyer, only ask a question that you know the answer to. Are you related to the patron saint of Toronto-Miked, Brian Linehan?

Imagine if I was. I feel like somewhere down the line, I must be. I don't know any other Linehan's. And then like he was so cool, I hope I am. But I need to do more ancestry. But as far as I know, no. But I feel like people thought I was like a Nepo baby because I came in Toronto Media with this last name. And no, my dad was a banker.

and there is no journalism in our family. Okay, because you might be the only line of hand I've ever talked to. Because I never, I mean, I, no, you know what, I was walking in a park near Runninete and Bluer, going to the McDonald's that used to be there, and Brian Linehan walked by me and I said, hello, this is like, I'm going to say, I don't know, mid, mid, early mid-90s. Yeah. So there you go. So I did, yes.

I mean, I always love like the Martin Short, his take on him too. Brock Linahan. Yes. Yeah. So I feel like there. And I actually, I didn't know like when I was younger, I lived out, I grew up out West. And so he wasn't as much of a household name. But I remember seeing the TV guide.

And there was just a show called Linehan. Like, oh my God. So maybe that was like some subconscious programming for me to want to go into that. But that makes, that's a good point. I wasn't sure if you were a Maritimer. I wasn't sure about the Kelly's story. So you're from out west? Like are you from where, British Columbia?

Where are you from? Yeah, I grew up in Victoria, mostly. Yeah. Okay, home of Steve Nash. Yes. And Nelly Furtado. You know what? Did I know?

Okay, that's amazing. Trying to think. I'm sure there's others. Well, there's some big names right there. And of course... I left at 18, so... Yeah, and Mile 1 or whatever is there with the Terry Fox statue. Yes.

Like I've been there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm going there in a few days, actually, back to see family. My whole family's there. So, all right. So, like, we're going to cover a lot of ground because I know you from CP 24, but of course,

how did you get there? And then the big question, don't even answer it yet. Like, we're building a little story here, Kelly. But I need to know you, you like up and you left. You're nowhere on my television screen. You're, like, what are you doing now for a living? I am a couple's therapist. now. Are you going to send me an invoice for this Zoom? Well, we'll ask your wife after if it helped.

Well, she's actually in Edmonton right now. We'll zoom her in and we'll figure all this out. Okay. Perfect. Yeah. Couple. Oh my goodness. The questions. The question. So, Victoria, you're from Victoria. And, you know, I think we'll start in Victoria because according to your official Bell Media bio, okay, this is in your Bell Media. It's still online, even though you're long gone, but we'll get to that. But your official, it says something to the effect that Kelly Linahan always wanted to work in television. So is that true? So true. I wanted to be Barbara Walters. And I asked for a video camera. I think I was like in grade five or something and started doing my projects for school in like my stepmom's

blazer in the park. And I would present my book report and make them have. to wheel in this big TV and they'd have to play. I was such a pain in the ass. But that is true. That is the only thing I wanted to do after being a country singer. I was like, I think I have an easier road to go into news. Okay. And so where do you go from there?

You're from Victoria, but you went to the institution formerly known as Ryerson, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I went to Rai High. Absolutely loved it. And I should say, too, like, because I was so drift, in like i'm not joking like from like 12 on um rarson now tm u is like the only place i wanted to go so my portfolio i submitted was like 40 pages i put poems in there like it was crazy um so yeah did ryerison i knew the readers digest i hopped around from small radio stations like i was in campbell river

um and then got my first like tv break in prince george um and was up there and learned everything like had the best we still talk today and then got into CTV Winnipeg and had another great boss actually there too so I've been lucky but that's kind of how I got into more of like the mainstream news right after like small local stations and one of those small local stations was the I'm gonna hope I get this right C-Fax yes okay so alright I forgot I went back to Victoria up to my home town

Oh I see that's after Ryerson Yes so Ryerson Campbell River, Victoria, back to C-Fax. And that was like boot camp for vocal training because I was on every 15 minutes for eight hours doing traffic weather. But I sucked so bad. My people used to call. And there was no one else in this newsroom but me at night.

And they were like, she's awful. Like, I will pass it on. And then I would walk home falling my eyes out. So I actually almost didn't survive that job because I thought I was going to have to quit because I was so bad. Okay. But Kelly, let's see. So you're, everybody knows, you're much younger than me. So I don't know your age, but you're not, you're a lot younger than I am.

But you're, you're in Victoria overnights doing live. Yeah. Yeah. So this is C-Fax, right? So I wonder, like, how does a Kelly line a hand who maybe at the beginning needs to work, put some reps in, get better, right? You've got to get better by putting some reps in. Like in 2026, there's no overnight.

I mean, maybe 680 news. Like that might be the only station in the country. Maybe CBC is a live news update. That's it, right? But you have, where do you go now to put in your reps where like very few people might be listening in the middle of the night so you can suck and then get better? Yeah, well, believe there were enough people listening

that were angry about me. But yeah, now I don't know, right? Because the landscape has changed so much. And even then, like this is, you know, 15 years ago now, there already wasn't Christmas parties. Like the budgets were already drying up. And so, so C-Fax went until midnight.

I was on air till midnight. And I should say I was 21 or 22 and all my friends were at the bar downstairs. Like having the time of their life and I'm up there. At the bar getting tipsy. Yeah. And I'm reading like tennis players last names, cold. Like these like long Russian names and butchering everything.

And oh man. Yeah. And it was Prince George was at a Bell Media station? No, Jimmy Patterson. Okay. Oh, this is like a big, big deal at West, the Patterson. Yes, Patterson Group, yes. And so that was the school of Hard Knocks. I was a VJ, which means you're like your own videographer. And that's how I started actually was like as a camera person for others.

And then became a VJ and then became an anchor. And I think it all happened within like three months because turnovers at small stations are like this. So felt like I had made it. But during the day, like you're still like, I had to write three radio stories, had to do a web story, had to do my full TV story, and then I had to go and anchor weather at 5 and then do my 630 newscast. So how do you end up at CTV Atlantic? Yes, okay.

So I was in Winnipeg at the time and then... Oh, so you're going, you're Prince George to Winnipeg? Prince George to Winnipeg. That was a big break. Yeah, well, Winnipeg sounds like a big city to me. Like, wow, let's go. Because Prince George, nobody heard of Prince George out here. Like, what's Prince George? But I happen to know it's like the middle of British Columbia, like the hub or something.

It's like in the middle. Yes. Yeah. It smells like Palm Mill, but they say it smells like money. So it's a big pulp mill town. And yeah, it was awesome, though. Because after being in like smaller centers, I thought I had made it actually in Prince George. But then I, my dad and I drove to Winnipeg.

Yeah. And he was like really pissed that I got this job. It's like, you're farther away now. Like, I can't help you out here. Oh, little did you know. You were just going to keep moving east. I know. Yes.

And bigger. And like, yeah. So I'm driving into Winnipeg and seeing like big billboards and being like, whoa, this is the real city. Like, and I remember like being really, really scared. Because I got a job on the morning show. So I was starting like that Monday. Okay.

And this would be, I mean, I'm trying to understand like in, is this like a, I don't know, like a Canada AM type thing? thing or what is this morning show? It's just a win-up. Yeah, CTV morning live. That's what I think it's still called. Maybe it's CTV Your Morning now. Oh, it is called. It's your morning. But that's like there's the national year morning, but then there's these locals. Okay.

So yeah. And then I learned everything about how to be unscripted and learn from some of like my colleagues there are for the best. And so I learned how to just like kind of have some personality. You have a great story. And the twist hasn't even come yet. But like, because you're sucking in, you're sucking on the air in Victoria, right? And my hair was this big. Like I would tease it to high heaven because I watched some YouTube video about like, again, you're like 23. You don't know what you're doing and just teaching yourself.

But you've had this dream since you were young and you only had one school you wanted to go to for this dream and you got in there and you graduated. And then you're, you're kind of, you're still very, like relatively very young, but you're getting better and you keep moving up in the world. You're now in the big in Winnipe. for goodness sakes. Like this is,

they have an NHL team and they have a CFL team. Like this is a big deal. You're in Winnipeg. But then you, how long do you stick around in Winnipeg before you get the call to go to CTV Atlantic?

I think I was there a little over a year because this is the other thing too when you are new and upcoming in that business. Like you just hop from Matley to Matleaf. So I was on a Matleave technically in Winnipeg.

And then, but not your Mat leave. You're doing something. one else? No. Yeah, yes, yes. Gotta keep track of all these things. Okay. Yeah, that was basically how you get in initially is, you know, just these short-term contracts.

And then took a role in Halifax. Yeah, so, yeah, Halifax. Sorry, Winnipeg to Halifax and Toronto. Okay, so I'm curious, is it like, what was, like, when you're a minor league baseball player and you get the tap, like, okay, you're coming to the big show, like Bull Durham or something? So when you're doing, we are in Halifax, and this is C-T. TV Atlantic, right? And

what, you're on the morning show, right? Yes. Well, and yes, I was kind of, I did everything. I did a mat leave on the 5 o'clock to reported, anchored the, like I kind of moved all over in Halifax, yeah. Okay, so and I'm guessing like if there's a story

from the Maritimes, like a national story, you'd get on with, I guess it would have been God, Lisa LaFlam, I guess, you get on the big show, right? Um, did I ever? I'm dying to know if you got on the big show with Lisa LaFlam. I mean, I met her.

She was very nice. But they would have tapped like our anchor when I was there with Steve Murphy, who was like this Atlantic institution. So he would be the guy that would do like the big hits, unless you were, you know, working the weekend and the only option. You'd remember. You'd remember if you're at CTV Atlantic and you get on the big show, you'd remember. So this means it never happened.

But yes, they would pick up my story sometimes. Okay. Yeah, that kind of thing. No, I don't think I ever did like the big show. Okay, now I need to ask you because we've lost a broadcasting legend in this country, Kelly. Okay, because I heard. Yeah, so I mean, we mentioned Lisa LaFlam organically, but of course, FOTM, like his proper title, FOTM, Lloyd Robertson, that means friend of Toronto, Mike. Lloyd Robertson has passed away.

Did you ever meet Lloyd? I did. Yes. Very, like, such a truly a gentleman. And I worked with his daughter at CB24 as well. well. And she was, I don't know, I think she'd made, she was a director when I was there and she was awesome. And so like just, yeah, he's obviously an institution and, um, it runs in their family. He's a class. I only, I had a Zoom with him, but I can only get a zoom with Kelly Linehan.

So I'm used to this, right? But I had a, it was pretty couple years. No, when was it? To the early 20, 23. But the man, I don't know what he was at the time, uh, late 80s or whatever. And he gave me 90 minutes. And I literally felt, you mentioned Barack Linehan. earlier. Well, there was Floyd Robertson on SCTV as well. And I mean, I went everywhere. And I had no fear with the man because he seemed so, he was classy,

but so giving of his time. And this is just my little 90 minutes with Lloyd. But he seemed like a true gentleman and he'd make time for you whether you were Lisa LaFlam or watering the plants. Yeah. Yes. And I felt like,

I don't know if you picked this up, but he has such like a very gentle air. Like he was, nothing was rushed about Lloyd, which I think maybe was healing for me because I'm a very, like, friend of that person. And so meeting him just briefly, I'm like, oh, he felt like a nice, like, warm hug or something. Yeah. You know, I asked him in my episode of Lloyd, I asked him if he thought maybe Kent Brockman from the Simpsons was based on him, because I always felt, I don't have any, like, evidence of this sort, but Ken Brockman, to me, felt like it might have been inspired by Lloyd Robertson, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure

Lloyd knew who Kent Brockman was. Well, I think there's a lot of Canadian writers on The Simpsons, so you're probably right. That's my vibe on it anyway. Shut out to Kent Brockman. Okay. So, you're in CTV Atlantic. Is there a moment where you get called in a room? I envision it, like maybe the lights are a little dim,

and there's a man of his cigar in the corner, and he's like, Kelly, you just got the call. You're going to the big smoke. Okay, that's how I used to envision it, too. I was like, surely I will be discovered. Like, I will be plucked. That is not what happened. I had to apply to CB 24 several times and got so close to a job.

And then it went to somebody else. And then I got the next one, which again, you guessed it was a mat leave. Oh, funny. All right. Okay, so what year do you arrive at CP 24? And what was it like to, because, you know, you're bouncing around. Oh, I mean, I'm in the big city now. Winnipeg. It's like, okay, and I'm guessing Halifax is smaller than Winnipeg, right? Yes.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So the cool thing about that market is, it serves the whole Maritimes and Newfoundland. So you kind of, you get like four provinces. But yes, it is. So I don't know. I also. I think so, but... I think so, but... You know, they don't have a CFL team in the Maritimes. That's how I base everything. Like, did you get a CFL team? So I'm thinking Winnipeg's bigger, but maybe a lot bigger. I think it is.

I guess, yeah. Okay. And good on you, because I used to think maybe Newfoundland was part of the Maritimes. I was educated by Heather Bambrook, and I've never made that mistake again, but you know, of course, that's Atlantic, Canada, not the Maritime. I did learn that, yeah. And then I had to learn a lot of crazy place names moving here. like Kedjima Kujik and like all like all these names that don't look like they're spelled.

Well, I did a little road trip there once and I kept getting confused because I'm going to Antigonish and now I'm going to Gnish and it was like all these different kind of issues going around but you know in Cape Breton. Yes. Tignish. Yes, there's a lot. A lot of that going on. Okay.

I never got the tap, Kelly. Okay. I'm still waiting. It's never too. Maybe maybe maybe somebody will see me and tap me for this chat with Kelly line of Okay, so what's that like? I just want to know what it's like when you realize, okay, this is now officially the largest market in this country.

I'm about to be visited by a woman who was on the air at Much Music, and the tap she got came from New York City, because that's the next stop. And by which, she was a videographer, too. Rebecca Rankin is her name, and she's going to drop by in a minute. And we're airing these out of order because she'll drop right away, and you'll drop later, is all very inside baseball.

But okay. Yeah, yeah. What was it like when you got the call to go to the largest market in the city? You're going to be on CP 24. That's like, give me a little taste of what that's like. Very surreal. And I think I always had these big realization moments because I would drive everywhere, right? Like I would put everything I own in whatever car I had.

It was a Jeep in this case, so it didn't fit a lot. And drive into Toronto. and like driving with my sister this time and driving from Halifax to Toronto. So you have like 18 hours to like really think about it. And then you get there and you're like and I saw the population sign when I showed up to like the outskirts of Toronto and like, you know, have like a little mini heart attack at the moment. But yeah, there's this weird thing that I think I'm lucky to have or was in that business lucky to have that I pressure actually I really like it. Like I do well under it and I don't like kind of the more of the better. for me, which is, I don't know, like, maybe I need to do some therapy on that.

You have ice in your veins. Okay. No, you know what? Yes. Yeah. I think this is a positive attribute. I mean, it served me well. I will be, yeah, like there was some tough times in Toronto media, too, I'll say.

But I think I can BS well if I need to. Well, it's seemingly, again, when I, so what happened was here, let me just take a taking a note here, okay. But what happened was, so I did invite you on when you were, you were seemingly on CP 24 all the time. Like, I know this is not true,

but it just, no, I think it was true. I feel like I lived there. Like, so, oh, there's Kelly,

and again, this is going to sound bizarre, but like, I was attracted to your surname right away. Like, I was like, never, oh,

there's a line of hand on TV. That's only the second time I can remember a line of hand being on TV. And then I would wonder, and then eventually, And then we would, I think I wrote me an email and I just said, hey, I got this podcast. People like you come over and we have nice fun chats and you get like, you get Great Lakes beer and you get Palma pasta lasagna. And I can't remember.

You very politely blew me off or whatever. And I'm like, okay, peace and love to Kelly Linehan. But then. I did go back and read our exchange. I was like, oh, God, what did I say? But I did say, I'm like, thanks for thinking of me. But I just don't know what I like could say. Because I think when you reached out, I had just quit.

Oh, you know, that's a detail I might have forgot. Like maybe that is, yeah, that's a tough time to get somebody because I like these exit interviews, but it is tough to, you know, I do, you know, I'm fear. I don't care. What do I got to lose? Like Kelly could just say no, you know, but then what happened was. So I had a little time like the house was empty. This is not, never is this house empty, but like it was empty. And I had like a little bit of time. And then I said, well, let me go revisit some people who said no or ignored me and just say like, hey, last chance if you'd like to come on Toronto. I'm like, so I sent like a few emails. And one was to a guy named Andy Cregan, who apparently never got the first email, but I just said, hey, and Andy Cregan happened to be in town. He's an original member of Bare Naked Ladies, who he up and quit.

So he was in a band. They dropped two albums. They had some traction going in this country, at least. And then he up and quit, like the band, and it was a fascinating story to me. And then you replied, and I'm like, this is a similar story to me, because your lifelong dream is to be,

on television. You really hustle hard, you work hard. I watched, I looked at your bio and this progression, and then you're at CTV Atlantic, and then suddenly you're on CP 24 and you're seemingly on the television all the time, and then you piece out and go to the Maritimes, and you mentioned you're a counselor now, and that's going to be the very big question coming up, but I'm like very similar stories, and I think you said something like, oh, you wouldn't want to talk to me because I'm not in media anymore. And I'm like, actually, your story now is, far more interesting than it was before to me. I think your story is fascinating

because your dream is to be on TV. You get there. I think you did a great job. And then you're just, poof, you're gone. You're like Kaiser Soze, okay? Drop these references and people are like, what's he talking about? Okay, but Kelly,

before we find out why you left, what a teaser this is. I'm going to drag this out for like an hour. But okay. What can you tell me about your time at CP 24? Like, I don't know what you're allowed to say or what you will say, but just what was it like? It just seems like you mentioned you thrive under the pressure, but this seems like a frog boiling to death. Literally, yes.

You're partially right about that. It was hardcore. So I went from, because my last posting at in Halifax was a morning show host. So I would like get to go skydive with this like skyhawks and stuff. Like I had like the coolest random fun assignments. Like, you know, puppies would come on the show. And then my first shift at CP 24 was a fatal hit and run. And we sat and parked in front of a body covered by a sheet for eight hours.

I was like, I don't know. Like there's a lot of moments from like, can I do this? Right. And because it was a very hard turn and a major market. And again, a big learning curve there. I think all my hits for the first month or two sucked so bad too, but they were all, they believed in me. But I'm like, I'm getting fired and then I've got nowhere to go.

Like, there was that thought a lot. And then something clicked and I was able to, like, the skill picked up and I could do those like a minute and a half hits. But yeah, it was, it's competitive. It's super fast-paced. Like, you get your assignment. And I don't know what it's like now, but I imagine probably the same. But you maybe have like 30 minutes to get your.

kind of like assing gear and get to a scene and then you're life. Yeah. So you have to figure it out on the fly. That's an interesting point you make where you're skydiving with skyhawks or whatever and then you're eight hours beside a, you know, a dead body. Yeah. And I learned that night that people get knocked out of their shoes. So the shot you get is the shoes lying in the road. Like just like dark stuff. you do develop kind of a dark sense of humor eventually because that's how you survive, right? But yeah, very hard turn. And like in Halifax, like these are all my best friends I worked with.

And then in Toronto it felt more like there was competition. Like you would go in there be scrums before you just show up and you were the only media there or your buddy from Global would show up. Here was like you were jostling for a position with your mic and it was, yeah, like I don't know if I had the tough skin. obviously coming into it right away that you need. But I would imagine, you know, because you're a hard worker and you, like you mentioned, you put in your reps, you got better at it, obviously.

But like, it would, you'd, I would, the analogy I would use is you would develop like calluses. Like protective calluses. Like you'd sort of be, I mentioned the boiling frog, but you'd become a little hardboiled yourself, Kelly. Totally. And I think that you have to. otherwise you're just this walking open wound and you're talking to people on the worst day of their lives you're seeing like this horrific stuff and like you can't be crying on the news right like you kind of have

you got to hold it together so there is an element of like i've got a job to do i remember actually i had a boss i think about this to this day it was kind of hard advice but he said um like nobody cares if you're sick nobody cares you the cold no one cares you got dumped like you just need to read the news and so i really took that to heart being like this isn't about me And so you kind of do have to separate yourself. And it's, you almost like disassociate from what you're seeing and you just focus on like what the facts are. But in that, do you lose a little of Kelly Linahan? Yeah.

I think you have. Yes. I don't know how like she can stay intact. Right. Like especially doing this work now. I'm like, oh, wow, interesting. Like there was like the more they know basically. But also there was safety in it though.

Sort of like go so deep on you. but because there was this like persona. And so like if people didn't like me, that's okay because that's just Kelly Linaham from the news. That's just like that's the anchor. It's not really me. And so I felt removed from it in a way. And then leaving that was really hard because it's like,

whoa, it's just me. I don't have anybody to hide behind. I don't have this persona. You're wearing a mask when you're in front of the camera. Yeah. But I was still like, I feel like I hope that it came across. I was always myself. like I was always authentic, but I just, I felt like I could be removed from that part of me,

like the Blazer Bob haircut version. But I would imagine, how long were you at CP 24? I think almost two years. Oh, you know what? That felt like a lot longer. That's because it was COVID, man. Part of it was COVID. So there was a lot of, we were watching TV more.

That's a great point because my mom's the big CP 24 head. Like if something airs on CP 24, I get a Google message in real time, like something about that. But it'll be like, oh, I heard this is how, oh, OzFest is happening on Ossington or whatever. And it's like, oh, they must have just did a live hit from OzFest on CP 24. The one I get is, oh, I heard there's a good movie with whoever, whoever that we should see or something. And I'll be like, oh, Richard Krause just mentioned a movie on CTV. I love Richard. I like them too.

Okay. So, all right. So two years. When did you realize, Kelly, that your dream of being in television, maybe that wasn't the final destination of Kelly Linahan? Like, when did you start to have doubts that? Maybe I should be doing something else. Oh, it sounds cliche, but like, I think COVID shook a lot of people up.

Right. And so, I will say, too, like, all of this was kind of happening. my, I met my now husband at SIPB 24. He was a camera guy there. Oh. Yeah. And so we had just started, like we were friends for a long time and then started dating. And there's something about like being with the right person where you don't feel like there's this like big gaping hole. Like you have something to prove. You're just like, oh, I feel actually okay on my own. So there was that happening in the background. But then there was COVID. And so what they did is they made inside teams and outside teams. And I remember telling them like, hey, like I, I, I, I,

you don't know this, but I'm dating one of the camera guys and we live together. And so you might want to put us together on an outside team so that like you don't get infected. Like remember all the bubbles. I remember the bubbles. Yes. You add people to your bubbles and then whoever their bubble would be added yours and we ended up just being big blobs.

Yes. So what they didn't decide to do that, they put me inside so I would read the news. And so that it became months of reading. So this is the funny thing about this format. And as far as I'm the only person that like really struggled with this. I think everyone else like it's totally fine. But like I can't read the same thing every half an hour for eight hours.

I like my brain I felt like it was like just falling apart. Oh it's tedious. Yeah. Yeah. And like it sounds super glamorous because it looks that way. But for me I'm like I need to be creative and because I was always like making like do my own stories and that kind of thing or at least being outside. you're talking to people and seeing the world. So that was happening. I was not getting a lot of joy out of the job anymore. And then we're running these stories about these poor, you know, people in these long-term care homes.

And like, man, like, at the end, am I going to love how I've lived my life? Like, there's so much life to live. And my whole 20s was in a studio somewhere in Canada, grinding it out all evenings, all weekends. like my friends are backpacking Europe or or literally at the bar downstairs and I'm upstairs up and reading the news terribly at the radio station. And so I just was kind of like, is this what I want? You know, like, do I want more out of life? Like do I want to, like, not just work, do I want to actually live? Like an epiphany or, like, I guess at some point

you just realize, oh, like, this is no longer my dream. This isn't what I thought it was. Like, was it just, you, I think a lot of it. I think a lot of it. I think a lot of, of people do think it's kind of glamorous. Like, oh, you're on the TV. You're in the coffee shop up on the screen or whatever. But I mean, I've talked to enough people in your position to know, like I know how the sausage is made. It's not nearly as glamorous as you think. Although, I also thought that the rock band I heard on 102.1 and saw in much music that they'd be very wealthy and well to do and doing well. And then I would have them over to my basement and they'd bum a TTC ticket off me so they could get home. And I realized,

oh like things sometimes you need to peel back the the the curtain and see how things really are so maybe you just realize it wasn't what I thought it was yeah and it wasn't going to give me what I thought it would like I'm not going to this is not going to like make me feel successful or accomplished or whole or happy even right like you know perfect on paper does not feel great unless it's you know also fits your life but Kelly oh I'm sorry for interrupting that's rude of me but like did you have a plan? Like, for example, I'm just going to name somebody

who came on when she was just like a 10-10 CFRB news reporter, not that that's anything small, but that doesn't exist anymore, by the way. There are no pin-in. Okay, but Chavon Morris came over. Probably 100 years ago. But like, and she was, you know, very driven, but she had a similar dream to you or whatever,

but she was really into the news part of it all, whatever. But then, like, she segued from this, and she did this Ottawa thing. And the next thing you know, she's like the Queens Park person for CTV Toronto. But I'm guessing, like, she's got probably like a vision board at her home or whatever. And I'm guessing she's got, I don't know,

anchoring the CTV national news or something is probably the goal. Like, did you figure, oh, I'll just do this for a couple of years and then I'll get to, I don't know, CTV Toronto, Toronto, and then I'll get to CTV National News and that'll scratch the itch? Or did you realize I need to... Oh, I wanted to... Yeah, I wanted to be Lisa LaFlam.

Like that would be the vision board of like you want to be... Right. You want to be like the person. But I should say, so I'm not... I don't run totally on vibes. I know. It kind of seems like, oh, I'm not happy more I'm out.

Right. But around this time, they had... We're cutting a lot of camera guys at CTV Toronto. And so I'm like, if I did move up, I'd be doing my own. camera. So it didn't feel like an easier or like a promotion. It felt like I'd be signing up for a harder job and a harder life. And so I couldn't see the runway anymore. Before it was like, you know, the bigger market you go, you don't have to do all the hard, like all of it.

You get people that are super talented to what they do and you can just be good at your thing. Instead, it was like, you're going to move up, but actually like here's your camera and you're to drive in all this Toronto, you know, traffic while calling all these people and then editing on your iPad. I don't know if it's, maybe they, I'm hoping that they have more cameras and editors now. Are you kidding me? It's gone the other way, Kelly. You know this. Like, well, okay, I, yeah, I was, I was hoping. But yeah, it's hard to watch local news now because I'm like, oh man, I know that's on your cell phone. It's funny only because I've been doing a lot of reading lately about the Moses Chum City Empire that was built at 299 Queen Street West, right?

And the big constant thread is basically do whatever you want as long as it doesn't cost any money. Like this is literally like constant thread in this hearing these. And that's why I'm interested to talk to Rebecca Rankin about this. But literally way back in the day when you're at Bell Media owned CTV where you did have your camera person, your producer, all this stuff. But Citi TV kind of always did it that way. Like it's like, no, the videographer, you're going to go point that camera at a car window where you can see your referrals. reflection in it and you're going to read the news piece. It was like you did it all at City TV.

That was because they didn't want to spend any money over there. But it's just interesting to hear how, oh, that's how everyone's going to do it now because it costs less money. Yes. And to the detriment of the product. Of course. Right? No, of course. Yeah.

Yeah. So I have thoughts. But I'm not a business person. But there's not like, you know, you're watching like the degradation of journalism. south of the border too, and it's really terrifying, right? Like, we need, we need news, we need good news that people want to watch and when it's hard to watch. And I think we've lost a lot of, like, really experienced people.

That's why if you want to get tapped, Mike, like, people need to experience. There's a lot of, like, you know, young blood coming out and good, like, right? We need people that want to do this. But there's something to be said for people that have been around the block can, you know, not get the wool pulled over their eyes by a politician. or like, you know, having those, we just, like, lost a lot of those people because it got really hard.

You can't teach experience, right? Like, in a lot of these, I don't know, I have chats with people like, I don't know, Robert Fisher or whatever, I'll just name check some of these like cagey veterans who have been around the block of a hundred times and have seen it all. And you're right, you need somebody to mentor the up-and-comers.

I was that young, like, super green reporter. I get it. I've been there. I just think you also need to have those mentors, those vets like you're saying. But it's so hard. Like it's during your golden years and now it's like, hey, you're now a VJ. You're like, you're 55, man. I'm not, right? Or you're still working weekends. Like there has to be some kind of progression in your career to, otherwise you're going to go work at Metro Links. Right? You're going to go do certain commas for somebody. Oh, you're 100% right about that. But yet in the other big problem is that, and this is going to sound terrible, but when you're, you'll probably relate. but when you're 25 years old and you're working your ass off and you've got no kids, you're not married, whatnot, and then you will

work your ass off for a low wage to build something and when you're, I'll make it up, when you're 45 years old and you've got a mortgage and you got a couple of kids, you simply can't afford to work for the rate that it's now. I'm always shocked now

when I find out what some of these jobs are actually paying. And you know, from living here for a couple of years at least, and then you went to school here. This is an expensive city to live in. Yes. And you're right, though, except at the time, I'm like, I would have done it for free. Like, I love it so much.

But they need that. They need to, like, kind of exploit that in a way so that they have people that will do these hard jobs. But you're right, when you're 45, and you've got two kids you never see and you've got to pay for their braces. It's like, or could I go work for, like, a hospital comms team and make double?

Right? Lisa needs braces. Yeah. Dental plan. Yeah, I need a new job. And I get it now. At the time I was like, oh my God, how could you be? Now I'm like, yeah, of course.

Okay, so here we are. A couple of years, I guess you've made a decision. So like where does, like did you also have it like a parallel dream that I will one day help couples by becoming a counselor? Like you need it, you need an education for this to get this. you know, where did this? Is this concurrently happening on the side? Yes. So I started working remotely for your morning as a producer, which was an awesome job. We ended up working there for two plus years behind the scenes.

And I went back to grad school and got my master's in counseling. But this all came up because, like, you know, in journalism, like, you talk people every day all day. Like, I love people. Like, I really am like, obviously I'm a people person. but like I and so this you get to talk them for like two minutes worth of their life see ya thanks for the clip and now I get to actually sit with them in that time and it feels less transactionary and just feels um good and but I've always been really intrigued about like

why we do what we do like why like what made us right and um so it feels like a really nice like natural fit and a lot of skills I actually I feel like have transferred Well, you're an excellent communicator, and that's a big part of your current job. And there's some things you can't teach, I suppose, like empathy and compassion and stuff. But if you're naturally disposed to such attributes, yeah, that's a great career. Yeah, and I think that you're right. Like, you need to, a big part of counseling, a lot of studies show, like, it's how you get along with the person that you're in the room with. Like, that's the healing factor, not just.

but that's a huge one. And so to be able to relate to people kind of quickly, right? And like build trust quickly. That's really important. And then also, I don't just do mainly couples, but relationships in general. So sometimes it's just people. But like if things get heated to being couples, like I'm kind of hard to face. Like I've seen some stuff. You know what I mean? So like I'm not going to, I'm okay with it. I can like again like kind of you turn the pressure up and I'm okay. Well, you've spent eight hours beside a dead body. So it's, you know, this is, you More than one. Yeah.

Right. Okay. So I didn't realize, though, okay, so you're on CP 24 and you're on basically 24-7. Okay. It's the Kelly Linehan channel. Okay. You're always on. But I didn't realize.

So then there's a period of time when you're behind the scenes producing for your morning. So I don't think I even had this intel. But and then you move back to the Maritimes or were you able to produce from the Maritimes? Like, when does this move back to the Maritimes happen? Yeah, so this is all COVID. So I came on there as like a, I don't know what they call like temp or casual, just like as needed producer. And so I never actually ever worked in the office at your morning because it was so once you're remote, it was COVID. So yes, I ended up moving out to Loonberg and stayed with them.

And actually was great. There's a big viewership in the Maritimes for that national show. So I was able to like be more locally plugged in, which helped. and yeah and they they were wonderful to like kind of move with that and yeah and so then up and then I graduated and like had clients and so like had to really actually like end that part of my career which at that point was like 10 plus years of what I what I did did you ever consider just I can be a counselor and a producer for your morning yes I did I am I kind of wish I had done that actually.

But the thing is, like, I had also in this period, like, I've had three little kids. So at the time, like, I could have worked after my nine to five seeing clients, but that's when I see my kids. And they were really little. And so I couldn't do the tradeoff. No, that's a great point. Now, this begs the question. So did our husband, camera person leave CP-24, or did he get lucky? He did.

But did he leave? like, oh, I'm taking a package or was it like I'm going to Lunenberg with my beautiful wife? It was that one. I wish he got a package. No, he ended up going on Pat leave and he didn't return. He's like, he loves being a dad. He's a wonderful dad. So we really lucked out with that.

But, I mean, that's an adjustment for him too because he was so, so good at that and loved it. But now we say, like, we'll watch the news sometimes together and we're like, we can't do this anymore. Like, you know, something about, it sounds cliche, but like having kids your heart is just like blown wide open. Like I would be an absolute mess talking to grieving parents or. Too much empathy, Kelly. You got to get hard-boiled like Steve Ryan, okay? That's the secret. Yeah, exactly.

Steve. Steve's the best. Well, he's been over a couple of times and he's probably the most hard-boiled guest I've ever sat across the table from. But at the same time, it's kind of remarkable because he's so hard-boiled. the stuff he's seen, right? He's written books about it. But, and then he'll sort of break into an air supply song. You know what I mean?

Like, it's sort of like, so this is like literally if you, central casting is looking for a hard-boiled detective. Okay, Steve, come on in. He has a job for you. And then all of a sudden he's kind of singing air supply. Not really singing though. He does a spoken word singing thing over the track or whatever. But it's like the softest easy listening music you could ever imagine.

You know, and it's almost like, oh, like this is like his coping mechanism. He sees some shit and then he listens to air supply to balance it all out in his. Yeah. Interesting. Okay. Yeah. I mean, character, but you're right. He's seen some stuff.

He like way before the news. Like was a toy detective. He was a homicide detective. So like bunk on the wire or something. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Take a note, Mike.

To get Steve Ryan back to sing more songs to you. Because it's unbelievable. The track plays. I play the track, Air Supply, whatever. And he sort of says the lyrics just before the singer says the lyrics. So he'll be like,

And I held you in your arms. No, sorry. I don't even know. I'm making this up. That's the worst lyric ever. And I held you in my arms. And I held you in my arms. Like, it's unbelievable.

I'm all distracted now. Okay. So you quit Bell Media, basically. It's like quitting drugs. Okay. Okay. So now, am I right? Like 100% of the Kelly Linehan income is coming from your personal counseling services. Like people could, and you could drop a link or something, but couples looking for counseling will basically hire you to help them. Yeah, I should say, like, quick plug, like I'm licensed in Ontario. So I probably have, half my caseload is on Toronto or Ontario.

So people can do it on Zoom or something. then, like, you don't have to be in Lunenburg. Is that where the blue nose is? Yes. I've been there. I've been to Lunenberg. It's beautiful. It's so beautiful.

But how are those winters? Sorry to interrupt there, but I was there in the summer and I'm like, oh, I could just live here. This is amazing. And then my brain remembers, oh, yeah. It's not like this 12 months a year. But I love the drama of it. Like, we get, it's not actually that cold, we get some good snowstorms. But like, then you all bat down the hatches together.

we go sledding down the middle of the street or like we get hurricanes and um you know as long as you don't get hit too bad like it's there's just like an excitement around that like everyone's at the grocery store together like yeah there's a big community you're an adrenaline junkie is what I'm hearing yeah so I need so grew up in Victoria there's like one season slightly rainy right like um and so now like having four seasons I love um but yeah Toronto winters are not they're no joke either like I was out reporting and that was free you know like they're so here it's not as cold, but snow here. Well, that's all I know is Toronto winters, but now my daughter

lives in Montreal, and I will make the odd trip to Montreal, and I actually leave Montreal and go, oh, Toronto winters aren't so bad. Yeah. They're not so bad. It's just, it's all you know, but okay. Do you do, like, do you and your three kids and your husband, do you see, oh, oh, the weather report or whatever, and you say, oh,

there's a biggest storm coming. Let's get our storm chips. Therm chips. 100%. Yeah. We need to be better about it, though, because we don't really watch the news anymore. So we're always like kind of surprised by it. You get the alert on the app. I actually, oh shit, we got to go. Well, the other day I got an alert on my app. I barely, I'm so jaded by him. I barely even read these things anymore. But I get this, I don't know, alert. And then I'm like, okay, what is it? It's like, oh, a tornado warning. I'm like,

oh my God. It's like, oh, finally. Like, that's an interesting report. I got on my phone here. There was no tornado. Spoiler alert. But, okay. So Kelly. That's what CB 24 is for. all the good weather stories. Oh, I call it City Panic 24 because if they get a smell, if there's even, I don't know, because I have an... I just go to the 24-hour thing from Environment Canada because I bike a lot and I kayak and I just want to know, am I going to regret this or whatever. So that's all I do. But then if there's like, I don't know, 20% chance of a snowstorm, my mom will tell me,

big storms are coming because I realize, oh, they're going hard on this on CP 24 because they need to get you all fucking amped up, man. It's like, yeah. Yeah. Well, you don't, your mom's your alert now. My mom also, if this is a big city, so I don't actually, I'm, I've kind of withdrawn from the news where I don't know now when there was a, I don't know, a shooting in Scarborough or something, right? Like, I'm kind of, I'm not sure anymore of all that. But if there's, there's a shooting in Scarborough, so CP24 is all over it. It really does. Like, my mom thinks, she'll start to think, oh, it's scary out there. It's a

dangerous city. Like, I think this is the part that really bugs me. and I'm not just picking on boomers, but it's typically an older audience where they're glued to the TV, they hear about, oh, there were two shootings this weekend in this massive city of Toronto. Oh, it's scary to walk the streets. Meanwhile,

like, oh, if you drill into the numbers, you're like, homicides are so down compared, like, for a city this size. Like, what a safe city Toronto is. I still feel safe to me. I got four kids. I don't ever worry about my kids being out and about in the city of Toronto, but

You get CP 24 leaning on that damn shooting and you start to think, oh, everybody's getting shot as they walk the streets of Toronto. Yes. Yeah. Because if it bleeds, it leads, right? Like if there's crime, if there's a pet story, I had a cat up a telephone pole. I literally covered that. Or if there's big weather. Like those are things that Pete, like those are good like watching hooks.

Okay, on that note, many, many moons ago before I had a podcast, I had a blog called TorontoMike.com. I still have it actually. but I wrote a post about if there's a smell of snow 680 news would start up what they call the storm center and I'm like really like I guess this is just they start playing like a stinger

like a little bit of dramatic music and then the guy who's behind the storm center he wrote me this long email explaining like 100% like basically if there's a sniff of snow all it is is this this stinger they play and they frame it I don't know I guess they have a sponsor maybe there's money involved but the storm

Center is up for 680 news. It's Toronto in the winter. And yes, there might be snow coming. So brace yourself. Anyway, I keep going on. Okay. I know you've probably got clients to attend to. So let's wrap this up like this.

Any regrets, Kelly Linehan, that you've left the industry that was your dream since you were a child in Victoria. Any regrets that you've walked away from it all? No. But I do miss parts of it. I wish that it was more part of my life still. Like in my dream, I'll just put it out into the universe, like to still like have a show.

But then like talk about life and love and like, you know, how to, you know, have a life that you really love. Like that would be, that would be cool. That would be cool synergy for me. Kelly, you're describing a podcast. I was going to say. I know, right? Yeah.

You need a Kelly Linehan podcast. And it would be good. You know what? It's probably a business expense because brought to you, by your, what was your website again? Kellylinhan.com? Kellylincounseling.com. Kelly Linahancounseling.com.

Two L's in counseling? Yeah, in Canada there is. Yeah, I know this. Okay, I went to, I was an English major at U.F.T. I remember we had a book and it had the differences. It just had like a page about these are the words in the UK, the same words in Canada and the same words in the U.S. And like you get this right or you're going to be a big trouble.

Okay. All right. In the world before, you know, AI or whatever. Okay. So everybody with marital challenges, I guess, reach out to Kelly and she can take, and this is because you're licensed, you know, you got a lot of people have jobs. I've learned this. I don't have one of these jobs, but a lot of people have jobs where they get like X dollars a year to spend on counseling. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And if you guys both have benefits and even better because then you can kind of trade off and I think for most people like the vast majority of it's covered. So that's

great. You can get your help. You know, I mentioned dental plan from the Simpsons. but you can get your health plan to cover like basically a Zoom with Kelly Linehan. Yeah, man. Yeah. And feel better after. That's the hope. We don't just hang out. Oh, I'm sure you're good at your job. I'm sure. And you have no regrets. And how's hubby doing? Is he okay? Like, does he have regrets? Is he have regrets? He's like, Kelly, you, is he from Toronto? Where is he from? Yeah, he's from Toronto, born and raised, live there his whole life. And no regrets that he's now in Loonenburg and, uh, he's like, uh, he's from Toronto. January?

No, he doesn't, but I think that he'd be the same as me where, like, there's parts of it that will always miss it. Like, I think also he was like, it has that adrenaline part, too, where it's like, you get the call and it's like, you're the guy. And like, he was on the, he was all the Dan for. Like, he was the first guy there all there all night for that. Like, he covered all the, all the really big stuff. And so there's, yeah, there's always, there's always a part of your heart that is like, there's like, there's maybe a little bit of a what if. or like I miss this or I wish it could have been but the trade-off we just

wouldn't do now like our kids get to go and then we know all our neighbors and they you know like all our windows are open at night please don't rob me but like nobody does like there's just it's I can see the ocean I don't know sounds beautiful to me it's so beautiful I have pinch myself

all the time it's awesome so that's like you know I get to be with my kids all the time and how old is the youngest how old's the youngest 10 months 10 almost three and five Okay. All right. That's, that's a fresh one. Okay. Yeah, he's napping right now, which is why I could like brush my hair for this, but. Okay. Wow. Okay. So I'm really happy you carved out a whole hour. Again, I hope you don't send me an invoice because I don't have this health plan because I just work for myself at TMDS. Ironically, same. Okay. That's interesting. Okay. So I got to say thank you because, uh, better late than never. And I honestly think the story is much better now. And I feel you can be more honest now. If I had talked to you back then,

you would have fed me some bullshit. Oh, really? I would have. And I'm allergic to bullshit, so I would have broke out in a rash. And I'd be like, oh. Oh, yeah. You got it to teach from your scars, not your wounds, you know? And so now it's healed over.

You've got the calluses, right? So, okay. So thank you, Kelly Linahan. Next time we chat, just tell me that you're like Brian's niece or something. Like, just make it up. Okay, I'm actually Brian's niece. You would spice up your story a little, your bio. I know.

I know. Before we hang up here So Winnipeg band The Watchman gave me this years ago And it's basically Dear Toronto Mike Thanks for all the support over the years

Brian Linahan would be proud of you And I put it up in the studio So like literally as I'm recording I glanced to my right And there's Brian smiling at me And it's a strange way It does remind me To always do your homework

Like Kelly's coming on have a vibe of where she came from, who the hell she is. Give a shit. You did. I appreciate that. And like, yeah, I don't, usually, like I spend the hour talking about somebody else. So this has been a nice treat. Well, I get to phone my mom and say, I talk, guess who I talked to today?

She's like, who? She's like, oh, I forgot about her. I'll have to send her a picture and say, and she'll be like, oh, yes. She was in my living room for a couple years. Okay, Kelly Linahan, congrats on the beautiful children you've created with this, a camera person, sounds like you're living the life in Loonenburg, and you walked away from it all with no regrets,

but just remember, you're still very, very young, and who knows what the future has in store for you? You'll be on my podcast next thing. Thank you, Kelly. Thank you. Thanks. And that brings us to the end of our 1,959th show. Go to Toronto mic.com

for all your Toronto Mike needs. Much love to all who made this possible. That's Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball, Nick Iienes, Recycle My Electronics.C.A, and Ridley Funeral Home.

My special guest tomorrow is an actress singer that I just saw in the tragically hit musical it's a good life if you don't weaken. Her name is Rebecca Auerbach. And we'll talk tomorrow at 1 p.m.