“I’m blessed to work with an amazing team in my hometown, people like Toni Wiseman, Glen Carter and Eddie Sheerr – all of whom I really admire.”
— NTV’s David Salter
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It’s been a busy few months for NTV’s David Salter.
The St. John’s native, who’s filed stories all over the country throughout his career, played a significant role in NTV’s national-quality coverage of the recent snow storm that ignited a week-long state of emergency. Salter, 50, was one of several NTV reporters who also led CTV’s national program, joining anchor Lisa LaFlamme.
“It was an honour to be part of our NTV team as we told this story to the nation,” says Salter, who joined NTV in the fall of 2019.
Poise & experience
Salter may be new to NTV but he’s certainly no stranger to the industry. His career began in 1989 at what was then The Evening Telegram, filing sports stories while pursuing an English degree at Memorial University. He’d graduate in ’91 and make the move to Nova Scotia to study at King’s College where he’d later graduate with a Bachelor of Journalism degree.
His career has been a whirlwind ever since, from journalism to high-profile communications jobs, both provincially and in the private sector. “I think it all led me to here,” says Salter, bringing poise and experience to the province’s most-watched newscast.
Diversity is perhaps a fitting description. As a journalist, he also worked for the Halifax Daily News for several years and would sit alongside Krysta Rudofsky to pioneer Out of the Fog, then considered the top Rogers program in the country.
Public relations
He’d soon make the transition to public relations, working with the Danny Williams government as a director of communications – a position he would later fill with the Government of Nova Scotia. He would reunite with former premier Williams when the St. John’s IceCaps hit the ice in St. John’s in 2012, leading the professional hockey team’s communications branch.
His love for journalism, though, was always there, but the perfect opportunity wasn’t. It came last summer when former Telegram colleague Mark Dwyer, now NTV news director, made him an offer he couldn’t refuse – a chance to return home and work as a reporter with the province’s top news team.
“It’s a life-long aspiration to work with NTV, a station I grew up with and a company I truly admire,” says Salter. “I’m blessed to work with an amazing team in my hometown, people like Toni Wiseman, Glen Carter and Eddie Sheerr – all of whom I really admire.”
Every day is different
The father of two – Madeline, 14, and James, 12, – admits the pace is quick but, well, so is the industry itself. He’s covered municipal and provincial politics, filed a series of stories on the controversial aquaculture disaster that killed millions of farmed salmon, and fronted the story where the auditor general slammed the NLC over the questionable purchasing of fine wines in this province. He also regularly reads OZFM’s top news stories and, on occasion, is at the anchor desk for NTV morning checkpoints. “Every day is a little different. That’s what makes this career so exciting,” says Salter.
Natural story-teller
He’s a natural story-teller with a keen sense of curiosity. He’s also intrigued by much. Salter has interviewed many heavyweights throughout his career, from former prime ministers to Hollywood actors. He’s sat down with some of the world’s sports star, including the likes of Gordie Howe and Guy Lafleur, but much prefers the news business nowadays. “I feel motivated more by hard news these days. There’s certainly plenty of that here in this province,” says Salter.
You can catch David Salter, and the rest of the award-winning news teams, on NTV each day.