This interview has been 5 years in the making. I’ve wanted to interview Tracy Moore – the host of Cityline, ever since I started Words With Michelle.

 

I’ve wanted to document her story because I find her incredibly inspirational. I’ve seen her transition from videographer, to Breakfast Television reporter, to capturing the role of Cityline host for the past 10 years – which by the way, is a Canadian daytime institution. (I can’t forget, her show is syndicated in the US, too!)

 

After years of asking begging, I came home from work not too long ago, and on a whim, I DMed Ms. Moore’s Instagram account asking if I could interview her. Within seconds she responded and said she would love to be featured on my blog. #thatwaseasy

 

I couldn’t believe it!! I freaked out, but had to remain calm because I had to remind myself that I am a writer and I got this!

 

I ecstatically confided in my mom and told her that my next interview would be with the one and only Tracy Moore. I didn’t want to tell my friends just in case the interview didn’t happen. But guess what? Doesn’t my mom blab to all her friends that I will be chatting with Tracy?! Lucky for me, the interview actually happened.

 

The Interview

 

After trying to arrange a time to speak (both our schedules were hectic), we decided to conduct it on a random Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 pm. Since I work during the day, I had to somehow devise a plan to sneak away from my desk, and have the phone interview. I would think about the logistics later.

 

As luck would have it, on the day of the scheduled interview, my boss and one of my co-workers left work early, which made it super easy for me to take my “lunch” at 3:00 pm. All I needed was 30 minutes for the interview, and then go back to work. No one would know.

 

All that sneaking around paid off, and I was able to have the chat. It was so worth the wait! Tracy was an absolute pleasure to speak with. She was incredibly candid yet chill, gracious and unpretentious.

 

The highlight of the interview for me was that Tracy answered every single question I threw at her. I wanted to include all her answers, but seriously, this interview would take you forever to read!

 

One of the burning questions I had to ask was what it was like for her to land the coveted hosting job on Cityline. I know you want to know too, so keep reading to find out!

 

Birthplace: Toronto, ON, raised in Richmond Hill

Astrological Sign: Capricorn

Fun Fact: Tracy doesn’t watch much TV – she’s an avid reader. She does watch her show to see what worked and what didn’t, and to make sure she doesn’t look “crazy!”

 

What did landing the hosting job for Cityline mean to you?

It means a lot and meant a lot, but it was never my goal. I’m a trained journalist and I went to school for that and did my Masters degree in journalism. I was very much on the road to doing hard news. I was a reporter/ anchor for many years and I was a huge news junkie.

 

I didn’t watch lifestyle television. I was 100% committed to the news and I wanted to help our community and report on things like poverty and gun violence. I really pictured myself being Diane Sawyer on 20/20 or 60 Minutes.

 

When the opportunity came around, I was actually leaning towards no. I was 8 months pregnant and going to have my first child. I was a live reporter/ anchor on Breakfast Television. I had been courted by ABC news and offered a job in London, England. I signed the contract, but after the company suffered a lawsuit, I was told that there were no foreign hires and they put me on hold.

 

I did like working on Breakfast Television, but after the baby I thought I would continue my time with my agent and see what I can get.

 

One day my news director pulled me aside and said, “Cityline is looking for a new host and I think you should audition – I think you would be a good fit” and I was like, “really?”

 

I had never thought about it. I went home and told my husband and he said, “it could be good. We’re at this place in our life where we’re embracing that whole thing that Citlyline is about – making food on a budget, putting a wardrobe together as a new mom, parenting, and fitness.”

 

When my son was three months old, I was out of my postpartum and I was itching to get back to work. When the auditions came about, I was happy. After 2 or 3 auditions, I was like, “I kinda like this!”

 

That’s when this whole thing became solidified in my mind. I ended up doing 3 months of auditions. I feel like they wanted to be 100% sure. It was a big deal for a Canadian daytime show to go with a Black host.

 

Finally I got the gig. I don’t think at the time I realized how big a deal it was. I think it was my brain protecting me.

 

Over the years, I have begun to realize that there are so many people loyal to the brand. It means a lot to me. It’s been a real gift to be a part of Cityline.

 

What gave you the strength to speak out about recently being the target of racist and body shaming comments on social media?

I feel like they caught me on the wrong day because there are a lot of comments I get. For the most part, I am very happy that I have a very positive platform and I don’t get a lot of hate mail.

 

I read it and it gave me pause. This white man feels entitled enough to come on my page and tell me about my body and tell me about this pseudo-racist science, and he’s doing it on my page to inform people about me? Or to make a point about me and Black women? I just felt, “who gave you the right to do that?”

 

Tracy fearlessly responded to the post on social media, and let the commenter know that she was not taking his insults lightly.

 

Click here to read Tracy’s response to the body shaming post.

 

I wrote a post and rewrote it. I sat on it for a while. I’m in the position so I can talk about stuff like that. I sent it out and I wasn’t expecting the response. I knew people would be like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe people are saying that!” But I didn’t expect the level of shock, and then THAT made me upset again. People are completely oblivious of the world we are living in. How privileged are you to float through life to think people don’t get targeted this way?

 

It was a good opportunity to start a conversation about things that have been going on forever. We have so much freaking work to do.

 

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who wanted to get into media?

I would say that it starts with work, then there’s work in the middle and ends with work.

 

Every single step I took in this industry was backed by so much hard work. So much begging and pleading for me to get to the next level. There was no shame in my game. I basically came out of school, realized that as an intern that no one would care anything about me until I learned to speak up for myself. I felt overwhelmed and very mediocre when I was put in the newsroom. I had to give myself a little pep talk to really go out and talk to people.

 

What has been your proudest achievement so far?

I would say raising my kids. They are polite. I’m really happy about their manners.

 

Isn’t she fantastic? Truthfully, I could’ve  written a lot more, but had to hold back. The 2 things you need to know about this awesome lady is that 1. She’s a hard worker, focused and my new best friend (in my head!), and 2. She is the consummate professional. Thank you so much for chatting with me, Tracy!

 

To find out more about Tracy Moore, please visit the following sites:

 

URL: www.cityline.tv

Instagram: @tracymoore

Twitter: @thetracymoore

Facebook: click here