Survey Says: Edmonton Overlooked on National Stage
Tuesday April 18, 2006
Cara Schayer
Survey of National Media
It seems that Edmonton has an uphill battle ahead. Despite the recent surge in our economy, a summer full of world-class sporting events and the mildest winter in recent history, Edmonton is not grabbing its share of the national spotlight.
A nationwide survey of Canadian journalists, compiled by Edmonton Economic Development Corporation and the Edmonton chapter of the Canadian Association of Journalists, reveals that the media lacks awareness about Edmonton and is still comfortable clinging to old stereotypes about Edmonton being a frozen wasteland instead of acknowledging what this city has to offer.
When asked to name 5 words to illustrate Edmonton, an overwhelming majority of respondents listed “cold” as a descriptor of our city. One reply was so bold as to take all five answer slots to say: Incredibly Bloody Freakishly Cold Winters.
When asked to name 5 words to illustrate Edmonton, an overwhelming majority of respondents listed “cold” as a descriptor of our city. One reply was so bold as to take all five answer slots to say: Incredibly Bloody Freakishly Cold Winters.
Acknowledging that the weather is often our Achilles Heel, EEDC and CAJ noted that Environment Canada’s Climate Severity Index lists Edmonton as being on-par with Toronto in terms of climate and higher on the scale than Montreal, Ottawa and other major Canadian cities. Apparently the media didn’t believe them on this one, as approximately 70% of respondents admitted to being unaware of this fact.
Weather aside, let’s look at some other issues. Edmonton prides itself on being the festival-capital of Canada, however when asked their level of awareness about Edmonton being “Festival City,” less than ten percent of respondents were "very-aware" about this status.
A startling percent 60% of the respondents were uninformed that there are currently $85.7 billion in projects that have been announced or are currently underway in the Edmonton service area. That number exceeds the amount of money currently being spent on projects in many countries, yet it fails to grasp the attention of the national media.
A startling percent 60% of the respondents were uninformed that there are currently $85.7 billion in projects that have been announced or are currently underway in the Edmonton service area. That number exceeds the amount of money currently being spent on projects in many countries, yet it fails to grasp the attention of the national media.
Perhaps one of Edmonton’s biggest challenges is grasping the attention of the national media when major national news bureaus are located in our neighbour to the south. It’s little wonder that Calgary receives more media attention than Edmonton given that the correspondents never have to go very far to get their Alberta-related news.
So what’s the bottom line?
The bottom line is that Edmonton has a lot to boast about, but we have to stop talking to ourselves. The media will not take notice of us, if we are content to let old stereotypes persist and new achievements go unnoticed on the national stage.
So what’s the bottom line?
The bottom line is that Edmonton has a lot to boast about, but we have to stop talking to ourselves. The media will not take notice of us, if we are content to let old stereotypes persist and new achievements go unnoticed on the national stage.
It’s like the proverbial tree in the forest...if it fell but nobody was around to hear it, did it make a sound?
The full national media survey can be downloaded from www.edmonton.com/eedc .
Column ID#: 5
**Opinions expressed by guest columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Connect2Edmonton members, partners or sponsors.**
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