In the November issue of Avenue Magazine Calgary, you’ll learn more about Calgary’s Global News Hour at 6 anchor team.
You can read the extended interview below.
They’re smart, articulate, professional and friendly, and they anchor Calgary’s No. 1 News.
Linda Olsen and Scott Fee bring Calgarians the latest news and local stories every weekday evening during Global News Hour at 6.
Linda Olsen also anchors the lead-in Global News at 5 and Scott Fee anchors the late-night Global News at 11.
We spoke to this dinner-hour news duo about connecting with the audience, commercial breaks, dinner parties and more.
As a broadcaster, how do you connect with your audience?
Linda: As a Calgarian, when I go on the air I think about the city that I know and love, and the importance of telling people what happened that day. I always appreciate when people stop to chat on the street; it’s a great way to connect.
Scott: A piece of advice given to me for presenting the news was to tell it to one person. So I often think of my grandmother. In a more literal sense, I appreciate the connection with our viewers at any time on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter … and saying “hi” when they see me on the CTrain!
What do you love most about your job?
Linda: After almost 30 years as a journalist, I still learn something new every day! It’s a job that is always interesting and challenging. I also appreciate the responsibility of our role in sharing the news of the day with our audience.
Watch below: Mental health advocate Anna Sarkissova and Cathy Keough from the Calgary Counselling Centre join Linda Olsen to discuss the importance of depression screening.
Scott: I love that every day is different and I get to be surrounded by so many creative and dedicated people who are striving to make Global Calgary your No. 1 source for local news.
Watch below: A quick-moving grass fire has prompted the evacuation of some residents in Airdrie, Alberta. Scott Fee reports.
You have great chemistry on air. What happens during commercial breaks?
Scott: Sometimes it can be all business…our take on a story that we are running or coverage of the day. Sometimes we’re asking each other what we did on the weekend, or checking if a hair is out of place.
Linda: Scott and I have worked alongside each other in the newsroom for several years and now right next to each other on the air! I’m enjoying getting to know more about him every day! We usually chat about our news content and fun stuff, too. It’s nice to have a good chuckle once in a while!
What hidden talent do you think viewers would be surprised to know about your co-host?
Linda: I can’t wait to find out more about Scott’s hidden talents! Maybe he’s a great singer or plays an instrument? But what I do know is that he’s an exceptional journalist with a great curiosity about life, plus a hardy camper, setting up his home-away-from-home almost every weekend to enjoy the great outdoors.
Scott: Not sure how hidden it is, but Linda is incredibly strong at multi-tasking. She seems to be juggling six projects at once, all while being a top-notch newswoman with grace and integrity.
Looking back, what personal qualities led you to become a broadcast journalist?
Linda: I always wanted to be a writer. That’s what inspired me to get into this business and be able to tell stories. I like being with people and finding out what interests them or makes them tick! I went out on a date a while back and found out later he thought he was being interviewed for the news as I was asking so many questions! … My brain never stops working.
Scott: I was always in trouble for talking out of turn or asking too many questions. It was inevitable.
Read and watch more from Scott Fee here
Read and watch more from Linda Olsen here
How is social media impacting local news today and specifically your role as a news anchor?
Linda: Social media gives us a chance to connect directly with viewers, immediately. When I started in the business I would get phone calls or a snail mail letter. Now people share their thoughts and comments, good and bad, almost as soon as we’re done talking. I think it has made our world a lot more connected.
Follow Linda on Twitter here and Instagram here
Scott: I love it. It’s great having immediate connection with viewers. There are people I go back and forth with on social media all the time and I feel like I know them, but we’ve never met.
Follow Scott on Twitter here, Facebook here and Instagram here
Next to news, what are you most passionate about?
Scott: Camping, especially in the winter. Almost every weekend my husband and I (along with our dogs) head to K-Country for hikes in the snow, skiing or just sitting by the fire with a few friends. (Yes, even when it’s – 20 C.)
Linda: My kids! I have enjoyed watching them grow and helping guide them into adulthood. I also love to write and play the piano, although I never find (or should I say make) the time these days.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Linda: I was in my 20s and so nervous ahead of a live broadcast. My former colleague, and much loved broadcaster, the late, great Gord Kelly said to me: “Relax kid, it’s not brain surgery. It’s just TV.”
Scott: “Don’t worry so much”…Which only made me worry more that I didn’t know how not to worry.
On dinner: Who would you love to have on your guest list for a dinner party?
Linda: A big part of my job and volunteer work over the years has been working with, and for, women’s and children’s causes. I would be in my element to have a table full of inspiring and accomplished women who feel deeply about making our world a better place. And I can’t get enough time with my kids. They’re adults now and doing their own thing, but if they were free for dinner, it would be a date.
Scott: Jason Kenney, Rachel Notley, Brian Jean, David Khan and Eddie Lack.
What is your favourite meal?
Linda: Something Danish! My parents emigrated from Denmark and I’ve been there several times so my wonderful childhood memories are full of good Danish food, like a smorgasbord or frikadelle and kartoffel! (That’s basically meat and potatoes).
Scott: Wine.