Rita Celli

Who is Rita Celli?

Rita Celli is a journalist and radio presenter with Canada's national broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, hosting the province-wide daily noon-hour program, Ontario Today.

Celli took over as host of Ontario Today in September 2006. With Celli at the helm, the program has grown in popularity and has won several international competitions. Ontario Today is estimated to reach half a million listeners. On May 1, 2012, Celli announced that she was taking a yearlong maternity leave.

Celli has held numerous positions with the CBC. Prior to hosting Ontario Today, Celli was anchor of the supper-hour newscast, Canada Now, on Ottawa's CBOT. From 1991 to 2001 she was the field host of CBC radio's local morning program, Ottawa Morning, and was a reporter in both Ottawa and Sudbury.

Awards

Celli has collected many awards in her broadcasting career. In 1999, she and a team of CBC radio journalists won a national investigative award from the Canadian Association of Journalists for an expose into the sexual abuse of boys in Cornwall, Ontario. In 2008, her show was named International Winner New York Festival's Silver Medal in the Breaking News Category.