Dutton is a graduate of Carlton High School and a former CKBI reporter and presenter. (Submitted photo/Chorus Entertainment)

By Alison Sandstrom

Hometown success story

P.A.’s Lisa Dutton returns to Saskatchewan TV screens

Mar 20, 2021 | 8:00 AM

Prince Albert viewers may have noticed a familiar face delivering their evening newscast this week.

Four years after she moved to Winnipeg, P.A.’s Lisa Dutton has stepped into a new role as multi-market anchor for Global’s 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. casts across Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The new setup, which sees Dutton broadcasting remotely from a studio in Winnipeg, went live on Monday.

“Getting this off the ground has been a lot of work, it’s been a challenge,” Dutton told paNOW. “But so far it has been well-received.”

Dutton is perhaps best known in Saskatchewan as a long-time morning anchor for Global Saskatoon, a position she held for 12 years prior to relocating to Winnipeg in 2017. However, her first job in the industry was as a reporter and presenter for CKBI Radio in Prince Albert.

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Born and raised in P.A., Dutton attended W.J. Berezowsky Public School, Riverside Public School and Carlton High School. She actually credits one of her teachers at Carlton for suggesting she go into broadcasting.

“It was at a time in my life I really had no idea what I wanted to do and it did take a teacher pointing out what I was good at,” she said. “Before that, a career in broadcasting hadn’t crossed my mind at all.”

(Submitted photo/Chorus Entertainment)

The years she spent as a dancer with Backstage Company and Performing Arts Warehouse also helped shape her as a TV newscaster, showing her how to perform and present things, she explained.

Dutton acknowledged that from a viewers’ perspective, the shift to remotely host newscasts “can sometimes be a bit confusing.”

“It’s a decision that Global doesn’t take lightly,” she said. “But the editorial direction for both Saskatoon and Regina remains local to the markets. The news directors in those cities are still in charge. The reporters are still there in the community on the ground and close to the action, and I’m simply collaborating and working with them throughout the day to deliver their work to our viewers.”

As for her personal connection to the province, Dutton said she hasn’t missed a day of news in Saskatchewan since moving to Manitoba.

She also emphasized she understands the importance of the person who’s “telling you your business” being engaged and invested in the community they’re serving.

“I don’t think you’re going to find anybody who’s heart is in it more than mine,” she said. “This is the city and province that I was born and raised in. I’m doing something that I love for a community that I love and I consider myself so lucky to be able to do that.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom