Tourism 2010 Resource Centre

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Sharpening the Media Focus on BC

Archive Story, Summer 2009:
These are busy times for the 2010 Tourism Consortium’s media relations team as they prepare to host the world’s media and help broadcasters develop programming to boost British Columbia coverage before and during the Games.

Media relations specialists from Tourism BC, the Canadian Tourism Commission, Tourism Vancouver, Tourism Whistler and Tourism Richmond are helping rights-holding broadcasters scout filming locations and find story ideas, as well as assist with filming visits.

To date the Consortium has hosted, or plans to host, broadcasters from the United States, Germany, Korea, the United Kingdom, China and Canada in locations around the province, including Northern BC, the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast and Vancouver Island.

At the same time, broadcasters are in the process of securing their on-the-ground support systems and infrastructure well before the 2010 Games begin.

“Many broadcasters are currently in negotiations to confirm the locations of their Games-time studios around the Vancouver and Whistler areas,” says Mika Ryan, Tourism BC’s Manager of 2010 Media Relations. “Broadcasters and associated daily news and lifestyle programs are expected to set up semi-permanent studios to broadcast from during the Games, in areas such as Robson Square, the Vancouver and Whistler Convention Centres, Stanley Park and other public and private sites.”

Tourism BC and the Consortium’s media relations teams will have staff located within the accredited Main Press Centre at Canada Place and the Whistler Media Centre, with regional media representatives playing an important role at the BC International Media Centre at Robson Square for unaccredited media.

These media specialists will serve as an on-hand source of story ideas for Games media to explore beyond the games themselves, aiming to highlight the many remarkable destinations around the province, whether it’s a step back in time to the rich Aboriginal culture of Haida Gwaii or hot spring in the Kootenay Rockies.

VANOC issues a limited number of media accreditations, which is what gives a journalist access to the Main Press Centre and venues during competition. In addition, many more publications and broadcasters will be sending unaccredited journalists to cover the Games.

That’s why unaccredited media represents a large part of the media activity at the Games and these additional reporters will be looking beyond the competition and medals to the stories of people, passion and pride that will bring our province to living rooms around the world. According to Ryan, the Tourism Consortium media relations team plans to capitalize on this media presence to showcase BC.

The Consortium has already supplied B-roll footage to broadcasters around the world, including Australia’s Channel 9 and FOXTEL, the British Broadcasting Corporation and China’s CCTV.

In addition, Tourism BC has entered into a unique partnership with broadcast rights-holder NBC, sending one of its producers along with a Los Angeles-based cinematographer to gather fresh B-roll from around the province. The broadcaster will use the footage for its Games coverage and in turn Tourism BC will retain the rights to this film for future promotional use.

“During the 2009 Super Bowl, NBC did a wonderful little vignette about preparing for the 2010 Games,” says Ryan.

Throughout the Games, Tourism BC staffers will be “embedded” with the NBC team to help with finding scoops and facilitating stories, Ryan says. Tourism BC is also working very closely with the broadcaster’s West Coast affiliates in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles who, she says, “will be outside the fence, looking for stories.”

Major networks are already giving BC the spotlight attention. Earlier this year ABC’s The Bachelorette gave Vancouver, Whistler, and Field staring roles as BC’s Jillian Harris took her suitors on romantic adventures - including a trip through the stunning landscapes of the Thompson Okanagan and Kootenay Rockies onboard the Rocky Mountaineer. Total audience size for the three BC episodes was approximately 21 million viewers and early estimates suggest the media exposure value is well in excess of $10 million.

Hot on the heels of The Bachelorette series is Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen starring Chef Gordon Ramsay. Premiering on July 21, aspiring chefs heat things up in the kitchen – with the grand prize being the opportunity to receive a Head Chef position at Araxi Restaurant in Whistler, joining Executive Chef James Walt in welcoming the world during the 2010 Games.

Watch for more appearances of BC’s regions on the world stage in the months leading up to the Games as the 2010 Tourism Consortium partners continue talks with major networks for more opportunities to showcase the Super, Natural British Columbia® brand.

Photo caption: Vancouver resident Jillian Harris, also known as ABC's The Bachelorette, gave BC the spotlight - taking her suitors on a scenic journey on the Rocky Mountaineer.

Photo credit: Rocky Mountaineer Vacations