TVO has announced that its flagship political affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, will end production with the season finale at the end of June.
“Deciding to sunset The Agenda with Steve Paikin this year was a collaborative decision we made with Steve three years ago when we signed his current contract,” said John Ferri, VP of Programming and Content for TVO, in an announcement from the Ontario public broadcaster. “We are thankful Steve will continue to be an integral part of the TVO family with a strong and influential presence contributing to TVO journalism and we are excited to bring Ontarians a new public affairs show this fall.”
The network says Paikin will continue in his role as co-host of the weekly #onpoli podcast, as a weekly TVO.org columnist, and as a host of public engagements, including the TVO Today Live series. The Agenda co-host, Nam Kiwanuka, will also continue at TVO with columns, podcasts, and various hosting duties.
Paikin elaborated on the move in his column, saying he “realized that if I ever wanted to tackle some of the other things on life’s to-do list, I just couldn’t do them and host a daily show at the same time. Something’s gotta give. So, by mutual agreement, this will be the final season of The Agenda. Our final show will be on the last Friday in June.”
“Nineteen years is a helluva run,” added Paikin. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome and, as [late CBC journalist] Barbara [Frum] said, have our viewers get sick of looking at my face.”
TVO says a new show will launch in the The Agenda timeslot this fall. The Rundown promises to feature original journalism, exploring social, political, cultural, and economic issues impacting Ontarians. Each episode will look at a single topic using a mix of hosted studio interviews and field segments, including streeters and explainer-style videos sharing diverse perspectives.
“The editorial standards that we are bringing to The Rundown will be similar to what our audiences have come to value on The Agenda, although the production style will be more varied,”said Ferri. “We will be featuring voices from a range of professional, cultural, and ideological perspectives, prioritizing guests with firsthand knowledge of the topics. The Rundown will maintain TVO’s non-partisan stance and help to connect global and national issues to local impact, ensuring stories are relatable for our audience. I’m confident that our Agenda viewers will feel right at home watching The Rundown.”
