The Lynne Russell Show - host biography

Lynne Russell, as evening anchor of CNN Headline News, was the first woman to become the regular, solo anchor of a daily evening US prime time newscast on a television network. During her 18 years with CNN, she developed a cult following of men and women who admired her objective, authoritative delivery and her non-conformist on-air personality and demeanor. When she moved to Toronto she was hired as a part time anchor on CBC Newsworld.

Now she can be heard Saturday afternoons 1pm to 3pm on Newstalk 1010 CFRB and filling in for The Motts when they are away.

Never standing still, Lynne joined the real estate firm of Royal LePage at the Royal LePage West brokerage in Etobicoke. As an agent she is bringing her consumer-oriented on-air skills down to earth.

Her long-standing dedication to the people’s right to know was recognized in the New York Times, which called Lynne a “just-the-facts stalwart of CNN Headline News.” In The Washington Post: “We are, frankly, devastated by the news… Lynne Russell is leaving…the future seems a little sadder.”  Lynne hosted the first U.S. cable in the classroom project, as her CNN Week in Review was introduced in schools. She was the first recipient of the Russell P. Jandoli “Excellence in Journalism Award” presented by St. Bonaventure University. Before CNN, Lynne anchored and reported investigative/general/medical assignments at television and radio stations from Florida to Hawaii, and programmed talk radio: KENS-TV, San Antonio, TX; KHON-TV, Honolulu, HI; WTLV-TV, Jacksonville, FL; WKAT Talkradio, Miami FL; KCOL radio, Ft. Collins, CO. She majored in nursing at the University of Colorado, in Boulder and Denver.

Yet Lynne’s world is more than meets the eye. For years, she successfully balanced her journalism career and motherhood with her other “occupations”: Deputy Sheriff in Fulton County [Atlanta] Georgia as jail officer, and licensed private investigator. She holds two black belts in the martial art Choi Kwang Do, is a certified open water SCUBA diver and keelboat sailor, and classifies herself an enthusiastic – if clumsy – ice hockey skater.

All of this prompted her to write her inspirational first book, How to Win Friends, Kick Ass and Influence People (Dec.1999, St. Martin’s Press). She explores the liberating concepts of appreciating and utilizing one’s own abilities and talents, peaceful coexistence with the opposite gender, and the celebration of la difference. Actor/comedian Richard Belzer says, “If Xena, warrior princess could tell her story, this would be her book.” The New York Times review quipped she’s “a news anchor with the personality of a professional wrestler.”

Since CNN, she has  launched Lynne Russell Red Lipstick on LynneRussell.com.

And she is the proud creator of the Benevento Lampshade Co., featuring personally handstitched, one-of-a-kind luxurious Italian silk lampshades, showcased at BeneventoLampshades.com. A nod to her Italian heritage and the romance of the Old Country. A la famiglia!