Hey now! After two decades of bringing the news to Edmonton and area viewers, Friday is Shaye Ganam’s last day in front of the camera.
Ganam is well-known in Edmonton as the co-host of both Global News Morning and Global News at Noon on Global Edmonton, which was called ITV when he first began 21 years ago.
“It’s a big change. A tough, tough decision,” Ganam said when announcing his job change.
While Shaye will no longer be in front of the camera, he isn’t going very far — just down the road, actually, to Corus Radio: which is part of the same company as Global Edmonton.
On Tuesday, Sept. 3., 630 CHED Mornings with Chelsea Bird and Shaye Ganam will debut.
“I’ve always loved talk radio, I’ve always wanted to do it, I’ve always wanted to be part of that world,” Ganam said. “And you know, 21 years — it’s a long time. I started to think, ‘Where can I go from here, what else can I do? Am I going to stay here until I retire? No I don’t think that’s possible.’”
WATCH: Shaye Ganam had several co-anchors on the morning news, however Andrea Engel was the first. She joined him on his last day to take a trip down memory lane.
In recent months, Ganam has filled in for various radio shows at 630 CHED. At the beginning of August, long-time morning show host Bruce Bowie announced his retirement.
“So this opportunity sort of presented itself and it’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around very often, so I figured I’d be crazy to pass this up,” Ganam said, adding he wasn’t in a rush to leave television but wanted to take on a new challenge.
WATCH: Shaye Ganam says farewell to viewers at the end of his final morning news show
Ganam said the radio show, which will air from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., will be a mix of news of the day as well as in-depth conversations.
“We’re building this from the ground up. A lot of the stuff that has been incorporated in that show is going to change,” he explained.
“We’ll have a chance to explore things and get deeper into topics, which is going to be great.”
Viewers know Shaye for his quick wit and call-it-as-it-is personality — and among his colleagues, he is also respected for his flexibility and poise during rapidly changing breaking news situations.
LISTEN BELOW: Chelsea Bird and Shaye Ganam live on the Ryan Jespersen Show
A native to the city, Ganam attended the University of Alberta and NAIT before starting his career as an anchor and reporter in Saskatoon and then Calgary. He returned home to Edmonton in 1998, where he has been ever since.
Ganam said saying farewell to his coworkers was a difficult decision.
“Leaving you guys is by far the only barrier,” he said, gesturing to co-anchor Erin Chalmers, weather specialist Mike Sobel and traffic reporter Daintre Christensen.
“Everybody who works on this show, the people in the control room and the newsroom, it’s just… it’s not work. It’s a joy to come here every day, I have a blast and look forward to it.”
Below is a collection of videos showcasing some of the fun moments had on the morning news.
WATCH: From producers and anchors to control room staff and reporters, we say farewell to morning and noon news anchor Shaye Ganam.
WATCH: Gord Steinke interviews Shaye Ganam and Chelsea Bird who are becoming the new hosts of 630 CHED Mornings.
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