CBC Vancouver News at Six anchor Anita Bathe has announced she won’t be returning to the anchor desk, following 18 months of maternity leave.
Bathe, who was named Best Local News Anchor at both the 2022 and 2023 Canadian Screen Awards, had anchored the News at Six since 2018, initially alongside Mike Killeen, and then solo from May 2021 onward when Killeen left the industry.
Bathe revealed in a post to Instagram on Thursday that she’s also made the difficult decision to leave journalism to pursue other opportunities.
“After 18 months of maternity leave with my second daughter, I’ve made the difficult decision not to return to CBC News as host of Vancouver’s 6pm newscast,” wrote Bathe. “This also means I’m leaving journalism altogether and pursuing a new and exciting opportunity.”
Bathe got her start on locally-produced youth series, Gen Why, going on to work with the street teams at Corus Entertainment’s Vancouver radio stations, CFOX, Rock 101 (CFMI-FM) and CKNW. Reporting and anchoring stints followed at Shaw TV, Star FM (CKSR-FM) Chilliwack, Mountain FM (CISQ-FM) Squamish, Country 107.1 (CKQC-FM) Abbotsford, CFAX 1070 Victoria, and News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver, where bath was a reporter for four years before joining CBC Vancouver in the spring of 2016.
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“I think it’s safe to say I’ve achieved my goals and then some…,” wrote Bathe. “Now it’s time for a new adventure and new goals. This next step will allow me to have more balance, spend more time with family and friends and take on a brand new challenge that I’m really excited for.”
“For now, I want to say thank you to everyone who picked up the pieces when I rushed off to cover breaking news, to everyone who taught me so much along the way (hopefully you know who you are), and thank you British Columbians for trusting me and letting me into your lives again and again,” Bathe continued. “I’m so grateful for all of the adventures, adrenaline, joy and relationships.”
