CALGARY – RTDNA Canada will recognize two individuals in the Prairies region with lifetime achievement awards later this month.
Global News Calgary’s Gord Gillies and CTV Calgary’s David Spence will be honoured on April 29 during the Prairies Regional Meeting. The organization says that the duo have distinguished themselves through outstanding service and continued excellence during the course of their careers in journalism and news management.
A born and bred Calgarian, Gillies (pictured right) has recently completed 25 years of service to the station and more than 30 years to the local community as part of a journalism career in television, radio, and print that dates back to 1981. Despite accolades such as a pair of Best Newscast Awards and a 2015 Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Special, it is his dedication and longstanding support of countless organizations, including the Alberta Children's Hospital, that sets him apart. From mayors to premiers to prime ministers to William Shatner, Gillies has interviewed just about everyone who is anyone over the course of his career and his calm presence and professional delivery during the devastating Alberta floods of 2013 helped inform and reassure an entire community and solidify his place as one of the top local broadcasters in the country.
David Spence (pictured below) has been providing Southern Alberta with the most up to date and accurate weather forecasts for about 40 years. He has also taken on many causes outside of his daily broadcasts, including being a spokesperson for Movember, events with Prostaid Calgary, and sharing his own brush with prostate cancer. Spence also spends countless hours in Calgary classrooms teaching children about weather and science, and, as an early adapter of social media, has built a very strong and loyal online following.
Details and registration information for the event is available here.
