Hicks on Six

[jon]

Yesterday's Hicks on Six column and blog (shown first below) by Graham Hicks of the Edmonton Sun had radio, TV and local Rock music items of interest:

Bumper crop of Edmonton radio nominees for the 2009 Canadian Music Industry Awards
Canadian Music Week (CMW) announced last Thursday the nominees for ‘09 Canadian Music Industry Awards taking place at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York on March 12.

And the Edmonton nominees include ...

MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR (MAJOR MARKET)
ADAM THOMPSON, SONIC, EDMONTON
PARK WARDEN, THE BEAR, EDMONTON
RUSSELL JAMES, THE BOUNCE, EDMONTON

PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR (MAJOR MARKET)
AL FORD, SONIC, EDMONTON
RYAN ZIMMERMAN, THE BEAR, EDMONTON

ON-AIR TALENT OF THE YEAR
GARNER ANDREWS, SONIC, EDMONTON
THE PAUL BROWN SHOW, THE BEAR, EDMONTON

(The Bear has become a prominent rock station across Canada.
Sonic's doing well, but its ratings haven't been all that hot. Might this reflect new Sonic owner Rogers Broadcasting putting some effort into getting Sonic nominated?)

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
PAUL VS YUKON, THE BEAR, EDMONTON

STATION OF THE YEAR (COUNTRY)
CFCW, EDMONTON
CISN, EDMONTON

(Of course. We have the two best country stations in the country right here in Edmonton.)

STATION OF THE YEAR (CHR)
THE BOUNCE, EDMONTON

(The Bounce is getting great reviews across the country as a really good Top 40, teen-oriented station.)

STATION OF THE YEAR (ROCK)
SONIC, EDMONTON
THE BEAR, EDMONTON

(There's that Sonic again. Marketing or reality?)

STATION OF THE YEAR (CLASSIC GOLD)
CAPITAL FM, EDMONTON

(Be quite something for owners Newcap to win this one, as Capital FM has only been a classic gold station since August!)

STATION OF THE YEAR (NEWS/TALK/SPORTS)
CHED - EDMONTON

(The commercials might drive us crazy, everybody loves to rag on Bryan Hall, but y'know, overall, CHED is one heck of a good information station.)

STATION OF THE YEAR (MULTICULTURAL)
WORLD FM, EDMONTON

(I'd care if World FM had any kind of listenership ... but it doesn't even register on the quarterly survey of radio listenership, the BBMs.)

PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE OF THE YEAR (OVER 1,500 CAPACITY)
FRANCIS WINSPEAR CENTRE, EDMONTON
NORTHERN ALBERTA JUBILEE AUDITORIUM, EDMONTON

(Definitely two of the best halls in the country.)

MAJOR FACILITY OF THE YEAR (OVER 8,000 CAPACITY)
NORTHLANDS REXALL PLACE, EDMONTON

(Ditto.)

Sean Burke versus Sheldon Souray, all in aid of the Stollery Radiothon
CISN's Sean Burke is a brave man, and Oiler Sheldon Souray a good sport.

To raise money for the upcoming CISN/JOE/CHED Stollery Children's Hospital Radiothon this coming Wednesday and Thursday, Sean agreed to don goalie pads during an Oil King game last week, and let Sheldon pepper him with 100 kph shots as long as the shots were sponsored to the tune of $1,000 plus a shot.

Raised $11,000 and Sean lived to tell the tale.

THE SECRET

Global's Early News roving host Lorraine Mansbridge graces the cover of the latest Avenue magazine.

At 52, she looks fabulous.

I had to call to compliment her.

And to ask her secrets. How can the rest of us age so gracefully?

Exercise, she suggests. "An hour of cardio almost every day, until the sweat is pouring off your face."

Eat well. "Good food. Tend to the basics. Veggies, fruit, grains, clean protein, then a treat or two a day."

Moisturizer: "Oil of Olay, a full body wash, twice a day. And Intensive Care Vaseline lotion."

Attitude: "You have to be happy. Embrace life! My pet peeve is all that anti-aging advertising. Embrace aging! I love birthdays. Thank you God, for letting me live another year."

ALBERTA PRIMETIME

In the midst of the doom and gloom permeating Canadian TV, a good news story.

Starting next Monday, Alberta Primetime will run every weekday on Access TV (Shaw Cable 9) from 7 to 8 p.m.

It looks like the under-seige CTV, the new owners of Access, are putting serious resources into this new, Alberta-wide, daily current affairs show.

The hosts aren't wet-behind-the-ears 20-somethings, but two top-notch journalists - former CTV Calgary anchor Jefferson Humphreys and BBC World Service London correspondent Brandy Yanchyk.

.Another local news feature worth catching is the CBC Edmonton radio series Million Dollar Babies.

It's about the thousands of Alberta babies born with lifelong mental challenges, because their pregnant mommas couldn't keep off the booze. It's Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and it's an epidemic.

Reporter James Hees' stories will run every day on the Edmonton AM and drive-home Radio Active shows.

IT'S ALL ROCK 'N' ROLL

Another celebration of community.

The Classics (early rock 'n' roll, R&B) have a rock solid Edmonton pedigree.

Bill Jamieson, Joseph Larmand, Percy Marshall, Al McGee, Robin Taylor, Bob Tildesley, Les Vincent and Al Wilson have played in bands like the A&W Lords, The Nomads, Privilege, Trocadero Orchestra, the Tommy Banks Orchestra, Hub Cigar Store, Cold Feet, the Embers and even the Sons of Adam.

The lads were with The Sawmill's Paul Doucette, yakking about the days when every Friday was dance night.

Well, the first Friday of every month, starting this week, will be dance night again: The Classics at the Sawmill Banquet Hall, 3840 76 Ave. Doors at 7 p.m., band at 8 p.m.

Dance, dance, dance the night away. There's also a Sawmill dinner package to go with the dance.

It sounds like a whole lotta fun. And at my age, I love a band that starts at 8 p.m. and wraps by midnight!