A fixture at CTV News Edmonton will call it a career on Friday. Galen McDougall has spent the past 40 years behind the camera. Galen, or Uncle Galen as he is known to many of the staff, started at CFRN TV as a videographer on Sept. 2, 1986. He came to Edmonton after starting his career at CJFB in Swift Current, followed by stints at CKND (now Global Winnipeg) and CKY-DT (now CTV News Winnipeg). If you’ve watched CTV News Edmonton or CFRN TV in the past four decades, you’ve likely seen his work without even knowing it. He has covered major news events in Edmonton and Alberta including Stanley Cups, the Black Friday tornado, the wildfire in Fort McMurray, and the flooding in Edmonton over the summer. There have been a lot of changes in broadcast television during Galen’s tenure. He started his career with a heavy wooden tripod, battery belt, a film camera, and lights so hot they could melt anything sitting too close. He was issued a pager, and had to find a nearby payphone to call the newsroom for his assignments. From 1995 to 2006 he supervised the camera department, overseeing 17 photographers. Over the years cameras got a lot smaller, and videographers even started shooting news on their cell phones in some situations. He also improved his still photography skills to provide photos for the CTV News Edmonton website. He has covered nine Alberta premiers and eight Edmonton mayors. Galen estimates he’s worked with 150 reporters and 80 photographers in his career. If you talked to most of them, they’d tell you they considered Galen a mentor and a friend. From everyone at CTV News Edmonton, good luck Galen, and enjoy your retirement!
