TMU Alumnus Jeyan Jeganathan Becomes TVO Host of The Rundown

As TVO launches its brand new current affairs program, The Rundown (external link) , host Jeyan Jeganathan (external link)  still can’t quite believe he’s the one sitting in the host’s chair. 

“I never thought I would have a show. It was never in the realm of possibility. So it is a bit of a pinch-me moment to be offered this,” said Jeganathan.

Growing up as the child of Tamil refugees in a neighbourhood that “wasn’t the greatest,” Jeganathan learned early on about the power of stories, both the ones that were misrepresented and untold.

“There’s so much more than the things that we see on the news,” he said. “So it was like, okay, well, you can be a part of it and you can kind of share those stories.”

Jeganathan also loved sports, which is what initially drew him to Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) journalism program.

“I really wanted to do sports reporting,” he said. “I wanted to be a play-by-play for the Toronto Raptors. That is what got me into going to J-school.”

By focusing on hands-on reporting as well as trial and error, the program helped Jeganathan develop the practical skills and exposure to the realities he needed for the field. By second year, he was introduced to broadcasting.

“It felt like broadcast was kind of a place to go. I never dreamed of holding a microphone and reporting or being an anchor of a current affairs show,” he said. “Not that I’m a nervous or shy person, but I really love being behind the scenes producing, being a field producer,” he added.

After graduating in 2013, he went on to complete an internship at CBC Winnipeg and later worked briefly at CBC Toronto before joining CHCH in Hamilton. In those positions, he reported, wrote, filmed, and even set up his own live hits.

The fast pace and constant deadlines taught him how to work under pressure, but also revealed challenges of burnout in daily reporting.

“I kind of wanted to quit the industry after because I was like, this is so much work for so little pay,” he said. “I saw this position at TVO…I said, ‘you know what, let’s take a chance. It was really this whim of, let’s give it one last hurrah.’”

That last hurrah turned into eight years at TVO, where Jeganathan worked as a field producer and reporter for The Agenda (external link) .

“What I learned at TVO was that we have time to tell stories, but we also have the ability to craft beautiful narratives. So it wasn't just this puzzle piece that I was putting together in daily news; it was this beautiful story arc,” he said.

Now, he is stepping into a new role as host of The Rundown, a 30-minute current affairs program that takes a slower, more conversational approach to topics that are important to all Ontarians.

Each episode airs every weekday and focuses on breaking down a single topic to help viewers understand issues in an approachable way that invites curiosity.

He said, “I think it will provide a space for people to slow down, take a pause, and be like, ‘okay, why is this important today? Why do I need to know this as an Ontarian or as a Canadian?’”