Toff vs. Proff coverage makes hack’s day
CTV.CA graphic
Toff and prof to duke it out in literary slugfest
Updated Sat. Aug. 16 2008 8:18 PM ET
The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — Even if the weather remains sunny at high noon in the B.C. Interior town of Lytton on Aug. 30, they will still be talking about a dark and stormy night.
Today is one of those “wow!” days for the mighty colossus that is the New Pathways To Gold communications department. The past 24 hours, in fact, have been one continuous series of “wows!” Or one long, dark and stormy night – not sure which. It all started innocently enough when our vast staff put together a somewhat amusing little release for Lytton’s Riverfest for an event that we have kicked around for months (but that never had legs until NPTGS co-chair Chris O’Connor took it and ran with it) and has finally come to fruition. You may have heard about the Great Bulwer Lytton Debate (for details, check out the news section of the main site). Well, thanks to Chris’ industry and timing and a little luck, now people all over the world have heard as well.
On Friday, Chris was interviewed by CBC radio’s “As It Happens” show. The CBC folks had mentioned the winner of the Bulwer-Lytton Writing contest on air and Chris wrote in demanding equal time, which he got. “As It Happens” is broadcast internationally via shortwave and satellite radio as well as across Canada, so Chris’ passionate defense of Sir Edward was heard from Burnaby to Beijing. It made my Friday, I’ll tell you.
That was incredible enough, but believe it or not, Saturday topped it. It started out very well when I opened my copy of the Vancouver Sun to find an article based on another press release generated by my vast staff in the Travel Section. This one was written for Sue and Darwin Baerg of Fraser River Rafting Expeditions about their upcoming four-day Lillooet-Yale rafting trip (a very special ojourney that features onboard commentary from experts like NPTGS Universities Chair Dan Marshall and Mike Kennedy). The glow from this had hardly subsided when I discovered that CP Vancouver had picked up on the Bulwer Lytton release, interviewed Henry Lytton Cobbold and Professor Scott Rice and slapped the story on the newswires. CTV.ca promptly picked it up and not only put it on their website as a “Top Story,” they had it on their all-news channel on the tellie. The item, running in the tickertape scroll at the bottom of the screen, was seen the flash by during an item on Madonna’s 50th birthday (which made for a rather odd juxtaposition, I can tell you). Our little debate on national television. It was a proud moment
So, in honour of this achievement, I have given the staff the rest of this dark and stormy night off. But they will have to be at work tomorrow all the earlier – there are people in Togo who have yet to hear the news and here in the mighty colossus that is the New Pathways To Gold communications department, we leave no stone unturned in our quest to promote the corridor communities. Do you hear that, staff? Staff? Staff…