Feature Story: ShawTV in Alberta "Your Local Voice"
Shaw TV is a locally-based community channel service operated by Calgary-based Shaw Communications and is available to Shaw Cable subscribers in most major communities throughout western Canada. In Alberta, they operate local channels in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. Each station runs programming one hour of local programming each day produced by staff and/or volunteers. Most stations broadcast a variety of programming, including news, live studio shows, city council meetings, high school/college sports, and community bulletin board/scrolling news advertisements.
As someone always on the lookout for publicity opportunities for client’s projects and publicity workshops participants, I spent some time with over the Christmas holidays checking out publicity opportunities at ShawTV. I was pleasantly surprised. I started watching ShawTV Edmonton, also known as Channel 10, in earnest, on Wednesday, December 23, 2009. I caught the ShawTV "Drive Home Show" at about 5:30pm. For those who haven’t heard the term before, drive home is a term used almost exclusively in radio to denote the period from 4:00 to 6:00pm when typically workers are driving home from work. And also typically, it is the period in which advertisers pay the highest rates.
I found it curious that Shaw used the term "The Drive Home" on their Channel Directory. I cannot imagine many of their viewers were driving home from work and watching ShawTV along the way. I also found it curious that they integrated live video from the 15 traffic cameras installed at major intersections throughout the city with their program lineup. Perhaps this is why they the call the segment "The Drive Home"? Again, I cannot imagine that workers are checking out the live videos of their favourite intersection on ShawTV before they leave the office. Nevertheless, it was impressive to be able to watch live video from Edmonton’s streets interspersed with news programming.
ShawTV's programming format is varied and the programs often repeat which I found to be both good and bad. The varied format, a mix of news and promotion that is softly covered with advertising from the sponsors, seems a good promotional opportunity for a wide range of situations. Early on in the first segment I watched was a feature on the Cloverdale Community League hosted by Nancy Rempel who writes a column on community issues for the Edmonton Examiner. Following this piece was a piece on the Edmonton Humane Society promoting their annual Companion Week campaign. Between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, they offer “adoption incentives” to prospective pet owners. Featured was Ralphie the Rabbit. His claim to fame –he’s was the society’s longest term tenant.
After these two segments followed a number of sponsored segments such as Beauty Moments, sponsored by Eveline Charles, this one on the effective use of hot irons on your hair. Then Health Tips sponsored by New Life Clinic, Jewellry Talk sponsored by Independent Jewellers hosted by Seanna Collins and recipe demos sponsored and demonstrated by Fiore Restaurant. The recipe demo I caught featured one their chef’s concocting a chicken avocado egg salad with passion and flare. As for Seanna Collins, she’s one busy lady. Not only does she put together pieces for ShawTV, she’s a morning host and blogger at EZ Rock, and the host for Global TV Edmonton’s Out There Segment.
At the end of the run of the sponsored segments viewers are invited to contact Kayla Hanrahan at (780) 490-3506 at ShawTV to sponsor a segment. If I had a small business and could figure out a way that I could demo my wares without looking like someone from the Shopping Channel, I’d give her a call. Over the week or so, I turned my tv to Channel 10, I caught some interesting special features. I caught three or four of the interviews with the Mayors in Alberta, including an interview with the Mayor of Beaumont on December 23 and the mayor of St. Albert on December 26. It was interesting to contrast their comments with each other’s and to pluck out the news that was specific to their communities. Other special features, such as the Made in Alberta segments, focus on new technologies now being developed in Alberta like the new Waste Management Research Facility. At a price tag of $29 million and set to open in 2011 when it will turn waste materials into bio fuels is heralded as a “one of a kind facility in North America.”
Another segment under the technology theme was about Edmonton’s bid for Expo 2017. The segment explained the origin of its theme: “Harmony of Energy for our Future Planet” and showcased architectural renderings of the proposed site for the event: the University of Alberta’s South Campus. On January 2, 2010, the technology theme appeared again in a segment sponsored by Solar Alberta on passive solar heating in house design. After many of the technology segments viewers were invited to provide feedback under the “Alberta Speaks” banner. A reporter would pose a question such as “is Edmonton on a sustainable path?” and then conduct street interviews to solicit answers, a format not unlike its closest counterpart, Alberta Primetime. As for the repetition of the programming, it was incessant and sometimes annoying. Many times the shows would run for an hour and then repeat immediately thereafter.
The programming, at least during the time period I was watching, does not encourage watching for more than an hour at a time. To be fair, I am not sure how much the repetition was due to the holiday season programming and how much of the repetition is typical. Over the period of time I was tuning in now and then, I also tried to establish how much of the programming was local and how much came from other regions. It seemed that most of the programming in the early and late evening was local. Otherwise, throughout the daytime, I was apt to see pieces from other regions such as the Olympic Torch Relay winding through, at least at that time, CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick. The other thing I couldn’t quite figure out is the origin of the items in the news that scrolled on the bottom of the screen. It used to be that these new items were strictly local. Now it seems they are also pulling their content for the news scroll from Broadcast News. In Edmonton, they also have an entertainment segment, hosted by Brad Kelly and called “The Buzz” that many community organizations could put to good use. Examples of segments were the launch of a CD by a local musician, the latest offering at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre, and the latest display at the Royal Alberta Museum.
After a week or so of keeping an eye on ShawTV Edmonton Channel 10, I began my calls to the programmers from their other locations. I started with Joe Wilcox. When I asked him to point to the program that is most supportive of community organizations, he told me about “Weather on the Nines.” Every ten minutes, starting at 9 minutes after the hour, they have a weather segment forecasting local, provincial and national weather patterns, which they tie to local events.
ShawTV Calgary's locally produced segments include: "Wild Rose Experience" which highlights unique destinations in Alberta, "Stir" which highlights entertainment and lifestyle stories and "The Inside Edge" which highlights minor hockey in Alberta.
My conclusion from my review of ShawTV Edmonton is that it offers an excellent promotional opportunity for a wide variety of applications and budgets. Artists, community leagues presidents, scientists, politicians, museum directors, hairdressers and chefs demonstrate the range. If you have a small business focused on food, fashion or lifestyle, I’d consider sponsoring a segment and then get their assistance to record me or my staff conducting demonstrations of my products and services. It really didn’t matter to me that the chef was from Fiore’s and that Fiore’s paid for the spot. We all know that advertisers pay for what we see on TV anyway. Why not involve the advertisers in creating content? What mattered is that I learned about a recipe that seemed easy to make as well as nutritious and likely very tasty.
If you have an event to promote in your community, I wouldn’t hesitate to pitch a story to ShawTV. Like I have been over the years, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the response you’ll get and how many people will tell you they caught it. And, if nothing else, you can shoot a video of your interview and easily create a multimedia piece for your website’s online newsroom or your Facebook page or your YouTube channel or any other of your social media networks.
How to pitch ShawTV?
Contact the program manager below in your city with your story idea by phone, fax or email or via the contact form on their website. They are on the lookout for story ideas that are, according to Joe Wilcox, program manager for ShawTV Calgary, “local, timely and a little different than what you might see in mainstream media”. When I asked him for an example he suggested that a story on “Safety tips for around the water in spring and summer” would go over well in May. I guess you can tell what’s he’s thinking about on a cold winter’s day in January. You can also send a one line description of local events (event name, organization, date and ticket information) for consideration for their news ticker that scrolls at the bottom of the screen.
Who to pitch at ShawTV?
ShawTV - Calgary630 3 Avenue SouthwestCalgary, AB T2P Joe WilcoxManager ProgrammingPh: (403) 539-6678 Fax: (403) 765-6100 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.shawtv.com Community Announcement Billboard ShawTV Calgary asks for messages no longer than 150 characters in length submitted 30 days in advance of the event. They prefer to receive announcement via email.
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Erin Strait - Anchor
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ShawTV - Edmonton and Northern Alberta10450 - 178 Street Mark DoramManager Programming Community Announcement Billboard
Fax: (780) 490-3510 |
 Brad Kelly – Entertainment Reporter
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ShawTV Lethbridge1232 3rd Avenue, Jennifer EliasonSupervisor ProgrammingPh: (403) 380-7369 Fax: (403) 328-1131 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.shawtv.com Community Announcement Billboard Information still to come
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Sheila Nykwist – Anchor
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Shaw TV Medicine Hat954 Factory St. SE Patrick CookSupervisor ProgrammingPh: (403) 488-7056 Fax: (403) 526-6266 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or fax to (403) 504-4560. Community Announcement Billboard Announcements need to be 25 words or less and include who, what, where, why and when. They do not include ticket prices and is used strictly for nonprofit organizations.
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 Kayley Raffin
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ShawTV Red Deer4761 - 62 Street David ObergManager ProgrammingPh: (403) 340-6444 Fax: (403) 340-6414 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Community Announcement Billboard Information still to come
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 Joel Baycroft – Sports Reporter
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