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The Word - Vol 110

The Word - Vol 110

Birth of The Pen 🖊️

Some of you might remember me from my years as the TV weather guy on BCTV/Global’s News Hour, some may not. Either way, one of the things that I was known for was handing out BCTV and then Global ballpoint pens to people who were guests on my weathercast.

It all started on the Saturday morning News on BCTV. Jennifer Mather, (now Jennifer Burke) Squire Barnes, and I were the hosts. Jennifer was the news anchor, Squire was the sports announcer, and I was the weather guy who they sent out into the field every Saturday morning. And by the field, I mean it could have been a beach in the summer for a volleyball tournament, Chinatown on an early fall morning, or even to a coffee shop. It didn’t really matter as long as there was a reason to be there and a story to be told. I would interview people on the scene, give the weather forecast, and that would be it.

One weekend, I realized that I was in front of a lot of people each week, which offered great exposure for the station. I would be on the scene for 3 hours of the newscast, and then also for the Noon Newscast. I saw it as a great opportunity for the station to offer some promotional giveaways, like hats or t-shirts.

I went to see the Promotions Manager, Barry Thompson, and told Barry my giveaway idea. I said, “Do you have something with the station logo on it to present to my interview guests?” He said, “What? Hats, t-shirts, you think we’re made of money?” To which I replied, “Yes, I do! This station, and radio stations CKNW and CFMI, and the Vancouver Canucks hockey team are all owned by the Griffiths family, and last time I looked, all their companies were doing very well!” I guess he couldn’t argue with that, so he reached down into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a plastic bag full of BIC stick pens with the BCTV logo on them. “Here you go,” he said. “How about these pens?”

The first chance I had to give away the pens, I thanked my guest and said, “I’d love to give you a nice parting gift, but this pen is all I have, thank you for being my guest.” The guest looked puzzled, muttered a thank you, and was gone.

The change came at a volleyball tournament at Spanish Banks beach. I interviewed the organizer, did the weather forecast, and presented her with what I had dubbed, “The Coveted BCTV Ballpoint Pen, yours to keep, cherish, and use in good health!” But here’s the inside scoop. Before I did the interview, and before I presented the pen, I told the guest that I was going to give her the pen, and even though it’s a cheesy 8-cent pen, I would appreciate it if she could get really excited about it. Be enthusiastic, maybe even jump up and down. Well, she played along beautifully, and it only took a few more of these staged joyous presentations before I didn’t have to coach the guests anymore. Having seen other people’s reactions to the pen, soon everyone thought it really was a big deal to get the pen.

But I had created a monster. A good monster, but a monster nonetheless. Everywhere I went, I had to have a pocket full of Coveted Pens. I’d be stopped on the street, in the grocery store, and in restaurants; it seemed everyone wanted “The Coveted Pen.”

Luckily, the demand slowly tapered off as I wasn’t spending as much time broadcasting the weather cast from outside the studio. Without the continuing pen presentations, demand slowed down. But even now, after being retired for 11 years, every so often I’m stopped by someone who has a very good memory and asks for a pen. There are only a handful of them left, and I’m no longer officially sanctioned to be handing out Global promotional items. So, if you have one, and it still works, hang on to it—it’s now a collector’s item.

But fear not, the Pen has risen! Should you be lucky enough to be attending a Blue Frog concert, and it’s your birthday, you just might be presented with the Coveted “Blue Frog” Ballpoint Pen! The legend lives on.

Till next week...
Wayne

Wayne Cox & the Coveted BCTV Ballpoint Pen Additional Image Wayne Cox YouTube Link


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