Downtown Edmonton is about to get a big "bounce."

As the move to revitalize the city's once-stagnant central core continues, not only has CHUM Ltd. launched and housed a new radio station in part of the vacant Bay building, it is centralizing its Edmonton media operations in the previously dormant facility.

This summer, the building that was once home to The Bay and hordes of shoppers will be re-energized and transformed into to a multimedia centre that will include one conventional television broadcaster, one provincewide educational station, three television specialty channels and one radio station.

CHUM's newest media offering in Edmonton, 91.7 The Bounce, an urban rhythmic top-40 music station that it runs in a partnership with Milestone Media Broadcasting Ltd., took to the airwaves in mid-February and occupies about 4,000 sq. ft. on the main level of The Bay building, with interactive street-level studios opening on to Jasper Avenue.

Jack Dagley, Business Edge
Paul Mennier and Jennifer Martin of A-Channel news in what will be an Access television area after construction.

The Bounce joined CHUM's existing A-Channel Edmonton station, which also has a street-level presence on Jasper Avenue and is on the building's eastern end.

However, downtown got an even larger ratings boost when CHUM restructured its Alberta television operations last month and announced that its Access Media Group, which includes Access, Canadian Learning Television, BookTelevision and CourtTV Canada, will be integrated with and co-located in The Bay building with A-Channel Edmonton.

"The reaction here is very good," says Ron Keast, president and CEO of the Access Media Group. "We were fairly isolated out here. It will be terrific for the people to be out in all of this media action and in a downtown that's really starting to grow."

The Access group, housed separately in eastern Edmonton at 3720 76 Ave., will now move to the second floor of The Bay building, occupying approximately 18,000 sq. ft. and giving CHUM a total presence that will cover 40,000 sq. ft.

Keast says the plan is to have the move and related changes wrapped up by early summer.

Jack Dagley, Business Edge
Bounce program director James Stuart, in broadcast booth, says Edmonton needs a vital core.

While CHUM is still working out the price of the move, Peter Palframan, CHUM's vice-president for finance and administration, says the company expects to make about $1.2 million in leasehold improvements that include a larger studio for A-Channel's Big Breakfast morning show. The changes will mean the space, which can be seen by onlookers from the street, will now be used in the evenings by the instructive daily live evening show, HELP!tv that airs on Access, the provincewide educational broadcast service.

Jim Taylor, executive director of Edmonton's Downtown Business Association, is thrilled by the development. He says this is just another good-news story in the continuation of a growing downtown that can't be stopped after turning the corner two years ago.

"This is just absolutely tremendous news on a whole bunch of different levels," says Taylor, who likes the storefront and interactive access that The Bounce and a re-branded A-Channel - to become part of CHUM's Citytv banner before the fall TV season launches - will bring to Jasper Avenue.

"That block-long storefront (of The Bay building) on Jasper Avenue has been one of the last puzzles we had to solve. It was a black hole, it had no animation. Having the whole block open to the street with interactive TV and radio will transform it from a sterile block into the life of Jasper Avenue. It will be a complete turnaround for that block. If it had stopped there that would have been really exciting news for Jasper Avenue.

"But then the other shoe fell and we learned about CHUM moving the others to the second floor," Taylor adds. "That is fantastic news, too. This is another element that becomes very important. It signals that for the first time the foreign owners (of The Bay building) have shown a willingness to piecemeal the (leasing) of the building. In the past, other than the little A-Channel space, they refused small leases. Now, they've opened up the building to the reality of small leases."

Bounce GM and program director James Stuart says the development will help strengthen the downtown. "What it means for downtown is a healthy city and any major city of any proportion needs a vibrant core to keep it healthy. This will help to keep the city moving forward and make it exciting and keep it in front of people's minds as a place to be."

The radio station's windows, that act as doors and open on to the street, will also help to refuel downtown Edmonton as a destination of choice, says Stuart, as both The Bounce's radio personalities and some recording artists will take to the streets.

Palframan says CHUM is looking at putting up new signage for its channels, including the radio station, but will make sure they are consistent with Edmonton bylaws for heritage buildings.

As part of the restructuring, 13 Access Media Group jobs will be lost in Edmonton; seven in master control and six in traffic (business activity co-ordination). The traffic staff have the opportunity to go to Calgary where the jobs are being transferred.

Master control and traffic for Access, Canadian Learning Television and BookTelevision will be moved to A-Channel Calgary's operations centre in downtown Calgary, which already provides master control for A-Channel Edmonton. Meanwhile, CourtTV Canada will follow a similar process to CHUM's Toronto television facility, as that is where its satellite uplink is.

Creative control of the channels, where programming and promotions are done, for example, will remain in Edmonton.

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)