Global Edmonton marks 50th anniversary: ‘ITV was a juggernaut when it went on the air’

Gord Steinke remembers when he started at ITV back in 1992.

“The immediate thing I noticed was just how vibrant the news organization was here and that’s what I was looking for,” Steinke said.

“I just dived right in, and they welcomed me in with open arms as a new news anchor and a reporter.”

For 30 years, Steinke told Edmonton’s stories before retiring in 2022.

“I’m proud to be part of that legacy,” he said.

Now, ITV/Global Edmonton is marking 50 years on the air.

“It’s a celebration for ITV and it should be; 50 years serving Edmonton and area with the great programming and lots of entertainment, but also it’s a huge news station,” Steinke said.

“The camaraderie was just something special here that I didn’t see at other stations, and that’s what kept me here for 30 years. It was a wonderful, wonderful place to work.”

6:05 Gord Steinke signs off from Global Edmonton for the last time

On Sep 1, 1974, ITV was born.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

It transformed the media landscape as Western Canada’s first independent TV station.

“ITV was a juggernaut when it went on the air,” Steinke said.

“It was on a satellite, it was seen all over the country, but the focus never changed — it was always local and surrounding community in Alberta.”

From award-winning newscasts to legendary programming, the station has produced a lot of content over the years – like SCTV.

The sketch comedy show starred big names like John Candy, Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty.

“John Candy had a house very close to where we were shooting, and he invited us all over to his house,” said Global Edmonton operations manager Peter Wugalter, who worked on that show.

“I never thought of that as kind of a great thing, but years later, I was like, that’s amazing – we actually hung out at his place.”

Wugalter was 13 when the station went to air and as it celebrates this milestone, he’s calling it a career.

“I always wanted to work here when I was a young kid. I was fascinated with television,” Wugalter said.

“I remember telling my parents: ‘I’m going to get a job at that ITV because that looks like a cool place to work,’ and I’ve been here 45 years.”

Tim Spelliscy reflected on what he called the most fun he had in broadcasting – 12 years of hosting “The Oilers on ITV.”

“I’ve often told people that if I had it all over again, I would do that 12 years and not get paid for it, because it was so exciting,” Spelliscy said.

“And of course the Oilers won five Stanley Cups when they were on ITV.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "And of course the Oilers won five Stanley Cups when they were on ITV."

Spelliscy had a number of different roles throughout his 38-year career, but would eventually go on to become the station manager at Global Edmonton.

“There was something special about working here – always was,” Spelliscy said.

“Whether it was in 1979 or 1999 or 2017 when I retired, it was always special to work at this television station.”

4:05 Global Edmonton’s Tim Spelliscy talks about calling it a career after more than 4 decades in news

To say a lot has changed over 50 years would be an understatement.

“I can remember going from satellite phones to live trucks and then into just going live from the field with the camera guys – it’s been amazing,” Steinke explained.

Through the evolving technology and the different faces, what’s remained is the commitment to our community.

“Over time, the reason this station exists is because of the strength of the local newscast,” Spelliscy said.

“People don’t realize how much they count on local news, but they’ll miss it if it’s gone.”