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BuzzPR bills itself as “Toronto’s top public relations agency” with a philosophy mantra of “Be seen, be heard, be buzzworthy.”

Mr. Roberts’ role is not noted on the firm’s website, which says it is built around a “creative, media-savvy, highly motivated team of professionals who are committed to the satisfaction and success of our clients.”

“We are a group of high-energy, charismatic professionals,” the website says.

Calls and emails to BuzzPR were not returned prior to publication.

The link between the firm and Mr. Roberts was revealed by the Toronto Star, which contacted Mr. Roberts with allegations of a conflict of interest this week, the newspaper reports.

“I agree this doesn’t look very good,” Mr. Roberts is reported as telling the Star. He said his role in the firm did not affect his news judgment.

“When I sit on the anchor desk I am in journalist mode and nothing comes between me and a story,” he is quoted as saying.

He said he never directly accepted payment from a client to be a guest on his show, nor a salary from the firm and was resigning from BuzzPR immediately, according to the Star, which described Mr. Roberts as a “creative director” at the firm with an equity stake in it.

Mr. Roberts helped clients craft “pitches” to help get them media exposure and provided “media training” to aid in television appearances, the paper says.

Some of BuzzPR’s clients — including law firms and smart phone apps — have been on Mr. Roberts’ news shows, some interviewed or mentioned by Mr. Roberts, and on other shows on Global and many other broadcasters and in several newspapers — including the Toronto Star and the National Post.

For a few months in 2008, when the company that formerly owned the National Post also owned Global, Mr. Roberts wrote a weekly column about Toronto for the newspaper.

Crystal Goomansingh, Global Toronto’s weekend anchor and reporter, stood in as host of Friday’s News Hour.