edmonton - a living history - august 2007

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it will be a nice town once they finish building it

Muttart Conservatory

Selected recent events in Edmonton's modern history.

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is Gord gone? | Hogles in and out of the news
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Is Gord gone? >permalink<


For Edmontonians August 21st, 2007 began with "darkling shadows" overhead: it was cool, windy and with a hint of rain in the air.


Gord Whitehead - Global Edmonton image

On the air in his familiar shift at 630 CHED was morning man Gord Whitehead. And just as he was about to sign off his show, at 8:58 a.m. listeners heard the following unsettling annoucement:

"Well a little note here ... I'm going to be taking some time off work and Syd Smith will be in in my stead. The usual cast of thieves will be assembled here weekday mornings at 630 CHED. I will just not be among them for some time."

While longtime listeners and fans of the veteran broadcaster were absorbing the news, Gord sent out an e-mail to his fellow staff at CHED. In it Whitehead suggested his absence would be longer than he indicated on the air [full details].


Hogles in and out of the news >permalink<


Just as local media observers were absorbing the announcement of the departure of 630 CHED's Gord Whitehead came word that for the first time in over half a century there will not be a Hogle in the CTV Edmonton newsroom.


Steve Hogle

As of August 2007, third-generation news director Steve Hogle accepted a position as the Alberta Research Council's vice-president of communications and public affairs.


“I love television news and wasn't looking to move, but this brand new challenge came up,” Steve told the Edmonton Journal.


During his thirty years in the business, Steve has seen a lot of change in the media landscape. Concentrated ownership and national re-branding (the local station no longer refers to itself as CFRN) are part of a long list of indictments of how the local news business has been altered [full details].



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