Keith Morrison
Encyclopedia
Keith Morrison is a Canadian, veteran broadcast journalist. Since 1995, he has been a correspondent for Dateline NBC
.
before moving on to radio and then television. He was a reporter or anchor at local stations in Saskatchewan
, Vancouver
and Toronto
.
He joined CTV
's Canada AM
in 1973 as a newsreader and also worked as a reporter and weekend anchor as well as a producer. As a reporter at CTV he won awards for his coverage of the Yom Kippur War
. From 1975 to 1976 he was a reporter on CTV National News
and served as national affairs correspondent and substitute anchor on the show from 1976 to 1979.
Morrison joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
in 1982 as substitute anchor and chief political correspondent for The Journal, the network's nightly public affairs program, remaining until 1986. He also co-hosted Midday
, the network's noon-hour newsmagazine from 1984 to 1985.
He moved to Los Angeles
in 1986 as the 5pm and 11pm news anchor for KNBC-TV. In 1988 he joined NBC News
as a west coast correspondent for the NBC Nightly News
and Today Show. Morrison covered the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
and later contributed hour-long documentaries and magazine segments to various NBC programs while concurrently continuing as KNBC's anchor.
Morrison returned to Canada in 1992 to become co-anchor of the leading national morning news program, Canada AM on CTV. He also hosted The Editors on PBS and a syndicated program, Down the Road Again. He was the substitute anchor for CTV National News
and the heir apparent to anchor Lloyd Robertson
until 1995 when he was ousted in a network shakeup. It was believed, at the time, that he was campaigning to replace Robertson. While at Canada AM, then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
cancelled a live appearance after Morrison jokingly referred to him earlier in the show as "whatshisname." He returned to the U.S., joining Dateline NBC.
Morrison has won numerous awards including an Emmy
, Christopher
, Sigma Delta Chi and Edward R. Murrow Award.
He is married to Suzanne Perry, onetime press aide to former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
, and is stepfather to actor Matthew Perry
. They have six children.
Morrison appeared as a newscaster in an episode of Seinfeld
, "The Trip
." In the episode, he reported the arrest of Kramer
as a serial killer.
by cast member Bill Hader
. On the March 30, 2009, episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
, Hader, referencing the fact that Morrison works in the GE Building
, where both Dateline NBC
and Saturday Night Live are filmed, jokingly stated that he lived in fear of getting into the same elevator as Morrison.
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
.
Career
Morrison got his start in 1966 working for the Saskatoon StarPhoenixSaskatoon StarPhoenix
The StarPhoenix is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and is a part of Postmedia Network.The StarPhoenix was first published as The Saskatoon Phenix on October 17, 1902 . In 1909, it became a daily paper and, in 1910, was renamed the Saskatoon Capital...
before moving on to radio and then television. He was a reporter or anchor at local stations in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
He joined CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
's Canada AM
Canada AM
Canada AM is a Canadian breakfast television news show, which has aired on the CTV Television Network since 1972. It is currently hosted by Beverly Thomson and Seamus O'Regan, with Marci Ien reporting from the headline news desk and Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports...
in 1973 as a newsreader and also worked as a reporter and weekend anchor as well as a producer. As a reporter at CTV he won awards for his coverage of the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
. From 1975 to 1976 he was a reporter on CTV National News
CTV National News
CTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
and served as national affairs correspondent and substitute anchor on the show from 1976 to 1979.
Morrison joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
in 1982 as substitute anchor and chief political correspondent for The Journal, the network's nightly public affairs program, remaining until 1986. He also co-hosted Midday
Midday
Midday is a television show that aired on Australia's Nine Network from 1985-1998. The show aired, like its title suggests, at noon on every weekday and was a 90 minute variety programme with international and local guests. It featured interviews, musical performances and comedy spots...
, the network's noon-hour newsmagazine from 1984 to 1985.
He moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1986 as the 5pm and 11pm news anchor for KNBC-TV. In 1988 he joined NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
as a west coast correspondent for the NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
and Today Show. Morrison covered the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
and later contributed hour-long documentaries and magazine segments to various NBC programs while concurrently continuing as KNBC's anchor.
Morrison returned to Canada in 1992 to become co-anchor of the leading national morning news program, Canada AM on CTV. He also hosted The Editors on PBS and a syndicated program, Down the Road Again. He was the substitute anchor for CTV National News
CTV National News
CTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
and the heir apparent to anchor Lloyd Robertson
Lloyd Robertson
Lloyd Robertson, OC is the currently the co-host of CTV's weekly magazine series, W5. Robertson previously served as the chief anchor and senior editor of CTV's national evening newscast, CTV News with Lloyd Robertson, until September, 2011, when he retired from the CTV National News...
until 1995 when he was ousted in a network shakeup. It was believed, at the time, that he was campaigning to replace Robertson. While at Canada AM, then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
cancelled a live appearance after Morrison jokingly referred to him earlier in the show as "whatshisname." He returned to the U.S., joining Dateline NBC.
Morrison has won numerous awards including an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, Christopher
Christopher Award
The Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
, Sigma Delta Chi and Edward R. Murrow Award.
He is married to Suzanne Perry, onetime press aide to former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
, and is stepfather to actor Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry (actor)
Matthew Langford Perry is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on the popular, long-running NBC television sitcom Friends...
. They have six children.
Morrison appeared as a newscaster in an episode of Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, "The Trip
The Trip, Part 1
"The Trip" is a two-part story of NBC's popular sitcom, Seinfeld. Airing on August 12, 1992 and August 19, 1992, it kicked off the fourth season of the show.-The Trip, Part 1:...
." In the episode, he reported the arrest of Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
as a serial killer.
Saturday Night Live Parody
Morrison's reporting style has been parodied on Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
by cast member Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
. On the March 30, 2009, episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
, Hader, referencing the fact that Morrison works in the GE Building
GE Building
The GE Building is an Art Deco skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the midtown Manhattan section of New York City. Known as the RCA Building until 1988, it is most famous for housing the headquarters of the television network NBC...
, where both Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
and Saturday Night Live are filmed, jokingly stated that he lived in fear of getting into the same elevator as Morrison.