September 26, 1997

Prime-time Bears

Dan Carle interviews Rob Daum, Golden Bears hockey coach.

Tune in to CFRN Eyewitness News on Thursdays at 6:50 and 11:45 p.m.

Bear Facts, a new two-minute feature highlighting University of Alberta athletes, will air regularly in that time slot.

It's high time U of A athletes got the media recognition they deserve, says U of A sports information coordinator Dan Carle, who hosts the segment. (He should have no shortage of material with 17 teams and 400 athletes vying for the spotlight.)

"I hope to frame the experience of university sport outside of statistics," he says, "to present stories which are informative, educational, quirky, funny, endearing and most of all, real."

Carle is an old pro at sports reporting. Before coming to work at the U of A, he spent five years at the former CFGP Radio in Grande Prairie, starting at the age of 15. By 18, he was promoted to sports director and may well hold the record for having been the youngest sports director in Canada. Carle also publishes the U of A's quarterly sports magazine, The Bear Bones.

Making the move from print to television reporting, Carle says, is a bit like trading a football for a hockey stick. It's a completely different game. "I have a lot to learn about camera shots and cut-aways, writing to pictures and doing stand-ups. I learn as I go. Steve Hogle and Roger Millions have been tremendously supportive."

"It's great," says Hogle, CFRN Eyewitness News producer. "Dan brings a great creative talent to the show, and it's obvious he has the goods. He gives us not only an inside perspective of the University, but a fresh face."

Hogle believes the Bear Facts segment will be well received in Edmonton. "I think it's a lot easier for people at home to relate to the amateur as opposed to the pro. In almost every house, there's a kid playing amateur sports. Bear Facts is real grass roots, in-your-community kind of coverage."

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