Welcome to Tea with Tait, the first cup

Part of the excitement of a reporter is to make some educated guesses about an upcoming announcement. So we’re going to have some fun right now and speculate — isn’t that a great word? — on who might be in the announcer’s chair at 630 CHED in the 9 a.m. To noon spot soon. It’s been vacant since Dave Rutherford, who was scheduled to retire at the end of this month, was taken off the air in June. Rutherford criticized QR77 in Calgary for their coverage of the flooding in southern Alberta. Management wasn’t impressed. 

QR77 named the replacements for Rutherford earlier this month: Roger Kingkade and Erin Kelly in take over the mid-morning slot Aug. 19, giving the show a local flavour. Rutherford was carried on 630 CHED in Edmonton and CHED has yet to make an announcement. So let’s have some fun. We’re going to keep the theme of two co-hosts, one woman and one men and see who might make a good fit. 

Ladies first. 

CHED might want to keep things in-house, moving J’yLn Nye from FRESH-FM — a sister station of CHED — into the job. Nye has a ton of experience from her television gig as late-night anchor on Global. She’s personal and has a lot of energy and has done a great job filling in after Rutherford left. 

Eileen Bell reads the afternoon news on CHED and has one of the best voices is town. She knows the right questions to ask and when to ask them. Bell has been around Edmonton for almost three decades and has a great sense of community. 

OK, men … 

Dan Tencer does a great job in the evenings with Inside Sports and with Edmonton Oiler broadcasts on CHED. He’s a great talent. Does he want a shot at a news talk show? You have to wonder. 

If CHED wants to go outside of the building, how about Mark Scholz? He proved he has the stuff it takes for live television and radio. Scholz came to Edmonton in 1997 and was a co-host of the Big Breakfast on A-Channel where he gained vast popularity. He has also worked for CBC AM in town. 

If I were a betting man, and I’m not (right honey?) — but here’s my vote.

Nye

Scholz

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The Cam-Burger: A Royal Reminder

I have never been a Royal Watcher (so I may be in error capitalizing both words) so the media treatment of the birth of the new baby in London is a little curious to me. I understand the deep tradition of the monarch and I respect what they represent. But all the hype, the excitement and the media coverage … well, I don’t understand.

I do understand anticipation, though. We need to celebrate the wonderful untapped potential we all have as we make our way through life. Some of us saunter; others gallop, while others trudge through daily activities. Whatever speed we have, we’re members of communities — local, nationally and internationally — and we bring countless skills, talents and opinions. Perhaps, then, that’s what we should be celebrating today.

We need to view the new son to Prince William and Kate as a reminder of the millions of new babies who are born every day.  We need to be challenged by this: to remind ourselves we to embrace every new child as much as we can and give them everything we can — and more — so they can succeed. We need to view them with limitless optimism; for they are our future … regardless or not if they become king one day.

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@camtait