Beloved news anchor Linda Olsen to retire from Global Calgary after nearly 4 decades

Longtime anchor Linda Olsen, a titan erstwhile it comes to TV news successful Alberta’s largest city, announced Monday she is retiring from her domiciled astatine Global Calgary.

Her past time anchoring Global News astatine 5 Calgary and Global News Hour astatine 6 Calgary will beryllium connected Monday, Aug. 19.

“It has been nan honour of a life to show nan stories of my hometown,” Olsen said successful a news release. “After almost 30 years astatine nan station, Global has go my 2nd location and nan group are for illustration family to me.

“I americium grateful to person been invited into viewers’ homes to present nan news each time and I convey everyone who has seen maine successful nan metropolis and taken a infinitesimal to opportunity hullo aliases sent maine a note.

“I will miss nan people, and nan activity we do, and will proceed to beryllium an advocator for nan value of publicity pinch a section lens.”

Olsen was calved and raised successful Calgary and is simply a postgraduate (with honours) from nan Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Before joining Global Calgary successful 1995, she worked arsenic a news newsman and anchor astatine Global Saskatoon and astatine CTV Calgary.

Olsen’s dressed up profession successful tv spans astir 4 decades. She has been recognized pinch galore individual awards and, on pinch her team, has been nan recipient of 2 RTDNA awards — 1 successful 2018 and nan different successful 2014 for Canada’s Best Newscast.

Most recently, Olsen was portion of nan squad that won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Live News Special arsenic portion of nan Global network’s sum of Alberta’s provincial election.

Olsen said she respects nan domiciled of being a TV news anchor and having “a sound successful nan community.”

“I person ne'er taken it lightly,” she said. “I person besides learned truthful overmuch from nan journalists who paved nan measurement earlier maine and proceed to study from nan caller journalists choosing this statement of work.”

Carmela Gentile, nan position head and news head astatine Global Calgary, said Olsen will time off “a lasting bequest of kindness and positivity” astatine nan TV station.

“She cares profoundly astir our assemblage and we will beryllium everlastingly grateful for each she has taught america astir ever putting our organization first.”

Ward Smith, nan elder vice-president of Global News, described Olsen arsenic “a unit successful Calgary” and “the look of Global News successful nan community.”

“While being a trustworthy and dependable manus successful beforehand of nan camera, Linda has been a awesome friend and workfellow down nan scenes, and a champion connected behalf of those who needed one,” he said.

“We will miss Linda and are truthful excited for her to stay 1 of our cherished ambassadors.”

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Olsen, who has agelong been admired arsenic a champion of section charities and organization events, said she plans to proceed to advocator for causes she believes successful and to enactment connected pinch Global Calgary.

“I americium excited astir a caller section successful my career,” Olsen said. “I person been a passionate protagonist of this metropolis and I look guardant to a domiciled which allows maine to beryllium a portion of nan organization successful caller ways and to person much clip pinch my family, particularly my 3 children who person each been truthful supportive of my profession complete nan years.”

Olsen added that Monday’s announcement “isn’t retirement.”

“This is status from this domiciled correct now and opening nan doorway to caller ways to support nan organization and nan awesome activity that Global News does.”

Olsen said she is honoured to person been capable to support hundreds of charitable events complete nan people of her career.

“Every arena I person hosted, aliases been asked to beryllium a impermanent speaker, has been typical to maine arsenic I person nan opportunity to get to cognize nan organizations and study astir nan important activity they’re doing and stock their stories.”