Global Calgary is celebrating 60 years of broadcasting! Below, Global Calgary’s Linda Olsen reflects on what such a momentous occasion means to her:
As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on some of the interesting and entertaining moments in television that I remember and have also been part of through my career as a broadcast journalist.
CICT has been the heart of Calgary for six decades now, not only as a place to be informed and entertained, but also to learn and feel connected to the community.
As a first generation Canadian, and born and raised Calgarian, I’d like to share my perspective on how television influenced our lives.
GALLERY: How it all began at Global Calgary
My parents emigrated from Denmark in 1957. My mom had studied English for five years prior to moving to Calgary but my dad only knew four words; hello, work, money and hamburger – so there was a very steep learning curve ahead for him. But one day, their landlady upstairs asked if they wanted to come up and “see TV.” What better way to learn the language of their new homeland than through this strange new thing called television, she thought. And in the end, it helped them both learn English and learn about their community.
Growing up in our northwest Calgary home, I remember watching the children’s program Romper Room and wishing I could be on that show. It felt so far away, like it was done in Hollywood or something. I didn’t realize it was a program produced right here in Calgary at the TV station I would eventually work for. In addition, no lunch hour was complete without watching magician extraordinaire Dale Harney.
I also remember watching Charlene Prickett on ‘It Figures,’ long before others had made the aerobics and fitness movement a big hit.
Fast forward a few years, and in 1995 I was fortunate to be hired at what was then called Calgary 7, anchoring News Hour Final for several years as well as the News Hour, Noon News Hour and the Early News.
GALLERY: Notable Global Calgary TV programs through the years
So many stories have stayed with me over the years, but there are some that stand out, beginning with the floods that hit Southern Alberta in 2013.
Gord Gillies and I were on the air for the better part of ten hours that day. As a born and raised Calgarian, it wasn’t easy to watch all that video coming in depicting this devastating event. We were doing our jobs as broadcasters, but we were watching this unfold as citizens as well, and the images are still very clear in my mind.
I also remember the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, a story that reverberated around the world. It happened in America, but Calgarians, as many others elsewhere, were affected and needed local coverage to help inform them and understand.
Election nights have always been fun and exciting for me. It’s an event that impacts all of us, and it’s interesting to be part of the process as we watch the results come in.
TIMELINE: 60 years of Global Calgary
As I look back on my nearly 20 year career at Global Calgary, I consider myself very fortunate to have worked with some of the most talented and fun people in the business, especially my constant companion, Gord Gillies.
Gord’s professionalism and wonderfully fun personality have been a gift and a highlight in my career and life, as we have worked alongside each other in the newsroom and on the anchor desk.
We are both thrilled to be celebrating our station’s 60th anniversary and sharing in the stories and moments that made CICT a significant part of the Calgary community, way back in 1954, and going forward from today.
Comments