Rosie Del Campo: Meghan, you’ve been at CTV Kitchener for more than 10 years and you had your final broadcast on Friday. How are you feeling right now?
Meghan Furman: I’m excited to start a new career in a new industry later this fall in this community.
But I should say I’ve been thinking over the past few days about my time at CTV Kitchener, the amazing people I was so fortunate to meet and the incredible stories that I was able to tell during my time there.
RD: You’ve met and interviewed so many different people in this community and continued to tell their stories from the 6 o’clock anchor desk. What stories will stay with you the most?
MF: There are so many stories that will stay with me.
I anchored a number of newscasts from the scene itself, including the Hampstead crash in 2012, the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market fire, and the closure of the Schneiders Plant on Courtland Avenue.
All of them such defining moments in this community, and I was honoured to bring our viewers the information that they needed to know.
RD: There are so many stories to cover and sometimes as a reporter, anchor and storyteller, you encounter very emotional stories and experiences. How did you handle that?
MF: Everybody in this community knows the story about Constable Dave Nicholson and how he lost his life in the Parkhill Dam.
Twenty years after his death, I sat down with his son, who opened up to us about his loss and I would say that that is a story that has stayed with me until this day. It’s amazing that people in the most trying times of their lives, when they’re dealing with grief and loss and tragedy, come forward and are brave and courageous enough to tell their story.
Dave Nicholson was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and I often think of that interview and how brave he was to talk to us about that.
RD: And of course there are all the moments our viewers don’t get to see. What are some of your most memorable moments behind the scenes?
MF: There’s a long blooper reel, I’m sure, at CTV Kitchener, that I’m involved in. But I would say that one of the funniest moments was when the show was going to air, everything was going on track, we did all of our tests, and I came up and started the newscast.
And as I’m speaking, somebody in my ear says ‘oh my gosh, Meghan, what’s on your face?’ I just I kept trying to continue, but then when I was off camera, I realized I had itched my forehead with my pen just before we went to air, so I had a dark circle of ink, so that was great.
There are just so many, and live TV comes with microphones going down, and video not working. I hope that I was able to keep my composure for most of it and viewers were none the wiser.
RD: As you’re beginning this new chapter in your life and career, what would you like to say to the viewers who’ve followed you throughout the years?
MF: I would just like to say thank you.
This has truly been an incredible journey. It’s the only career where you can go from flying with Ornge air ambulance once day to interviewing the prime minister the next day, and then even shooting open heart surgery. This has been such an incredible journey for me and I hope that I was able to do this community proud.
I have tried my very best to tell balanced and fair stories, and also ask the tough questions at the same time, and I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it.
