Media Monday Edmonton: Update #29

By Mack D. Male · January 30, 2012 at 10:57pm

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

MediaCamp Edmonton is taking place on Saturday the World Trade Centre downtown. Check out our schedule, speakers, and sponsors, and get your tickets now!
Old news, but I haven’t written about it here yet: Alex Abboud was selected to be the Edmonton Journal’s first blogger-in-residence.
A couple of losses for CTV Edmonton to report: Simon Ostler is moving to Toronto to join CP24, and Richard Ozero is also departing, though I haven’t yet seen when or to where.
I’m not sure how long ago this happened, but I see that GIG CITY is now a news source in Google News!
Rogers is seeking submissions for the Alberta Local Programming Initiative. They cite “Oil Change” and “The Quon Dynasty” as examples of the kinds of shows they are looking for – “local stories that have relevance to a national audience, with an emphasis on exploring exciting ideas and worlds that have not been exposed on television.” The deadline to get your proposal in is February 15, 2012.
Here is an updated list of all Edmonton Journal accounts on Twitter. It has really grown over time!
To help promote Expansion 2012, the Edmonton International Airport joined forces with The Bridge to have bloggers cover the test day that happened on Saturday. Maybe I’m missing something, but I only see two reports, and really only one that looks related to the weekend. I guess we’ll have to wait to see how successful this experiment is.
“Lesley Primeau comes off like a hard-boiled, old-school journalist you don’t want to mess with if you know what’s good for you.” Haha, yes, yes she does. Mike Ross profiles the Edmonton radio vet at GIG CITY.
Premier Alison Redford invited the media to join her on the LRT last week as she traveled to the Jubilee Auditorium.
Steven Sandor, Editor of Avenue Edmonton, and local bloggers Chris Falconer and Duncan Kinney are among the presenters scheduled to wow us at Pecha Kucha Night 12 on Thursday evening. Looking forward to it!
Global Edmonton’s Su-Ling Goh has joined Twitter. Here’s her first tweet.
Brent Wittmeier reflects on two years at the Edmonton Journal in a recent blog post. He estimates that the Journal printed “roughly 100,000 copies of a 960-page book of Wittmeierian observations, split-infinitives, and awkward transitions.” In a follow-up post, he shared his “favourite” story of 2011.
I love that the Edmonton Sun uses existing off-the-shelf tools instead of trying to roll their own. Disqus for comments, and Wufoo for scoops are two examples!
Derek Zona over at The Copper & Blue calls out the local media for pumping up the Oilers rebuild without much critical analysis.
If you don’t already subscribe to Michael Geist’s blog, you should. Lately he has been covering SOPA, ACTA, and Bill C-11.
The February 2012 issue of Boyle McCauley News is now online!
Targa Communications launched the Alberta Media Network last week, a news release production and distribution service. “Twitter will also play a major role in the operations of the company. News releases will be posted on the social media site so that the public can view them and get involved in the discussion as well.”

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Edmonton Notes for 1/29/2012

By Mack D. Male · January 29, 2012 at 11:24pm

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Saturday was a big day for the Edmonton International Airport. More than 800 people took part in a trial run, where they did everything a passenger would (minus actually getting on a plane). Expansion 2012 looks awesome!
Earlier this week, the EIA announced that Canadian North will be using the facility as its southern charter home base.
The International Housing Affordability Survey found that Edmonton has the most housing of Canada’s six major metropolitan reasons.
This is why I love blogs. Here’s The Copper & Blue’s take on recent mainstream media coverage of the Oilers rebuild: “Luckily the discerning fan is no longer forced to rely on writers who are forced to list "access" as their single best credential in writing about, understanding and analyzing hockey.”
It was a busy week in Leduc. Both the Downtown Master Plan and and the Intermunicipal Development Plan were approved.
Though he campaigned for mayor on the issue, PC MLA candidate David Dorward says that if elected he would not bring the City Centre Airport up.
I love stories like this. Edmonton-based Liquor Stores N.A. has annual sales of $600 million, employs 2000 people across 240 stores, and has a $355 million market cap. Like too many things in Edmonton, it’s a quiet success story.
According to the Journal, the Shih Tzu is the most popular licensed breed of dog in the city. Buddy is the most popular name.
The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters are opening a second location inside a former carpentry workshop at 9305 111 Avenue.
Don’t miss Alex’s take on winter in Edmonton.
People nominated as Snow Angels throughout the city will receive tickets to an Oil Kings game as a result of a new partnership between the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Oil Kings.
I’ve written quite a bit about Edmonton Stories in the past, so I was quite interested to see that estimates put the cost of the site at $131 per story.
We’re coming up to the 100th anniversary of Strathcona’s merger with Edmonton.

Dawson Bridge by Stoncel

And here are some upcoming events:

The community hearings for the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline wrap up on Tuesday here in Edmonton.
Head down to the Stanley Milner library on Tuesday for the Local Money Summit.
The Oilers are in action at home three times this week, hosting the Avalanche on Tuesday, the Blackhawks on Thursday, and the Red Wings on Saturday.
The next Bossy Night Out takes place on Thursday evening!
Edmonton’s 12th Pecha Kucha Night is happening on Thursday at the Garneau Theatre.
The Oil Kings play the Red Deer Rebels at Rexall Place on Friday night.
Hope to see you at MediaCamp Edmonton on Saturday! Buy your tickets now!

Media Monday Edmonton: Global Edmonton’s Tim Spelliscy on local news ratings

By Mack D. Male · January 23, 2012 at 8:17pm

Last week the first ever BBM PPM (Portable People Meter) ratings for television in Edmonton were released. Known as the Fall 2011 survey, the ratings cover the time period beginning September 12, 2011 and ending December 18, 2011. The ratings are further broken down into three demographic categories: 18+, 18-49, and 25-54. The top show in Edmonton? Big Bang Theory, on CTV Edmonton, with an average of 117,000 viewers per minute during each broadcast. In the 18+ demographic, Global Edmonton scored 5 of the top 10 shows, followed by CTV Edmonton with 4, and CBC Edmonton with 1.

That’s interesting, but what I really care about is local news, stuff that is produced here in Edmonton. Here are the numbers for local news for the 18+ demographic:

18+

Here are the numbers for local news for the 18-49 demographic:

18-49

Here are the numbers for local news for the 25-54 demographic:

25-54

All of that data comes from: BBM Canada PPM, Edmonton EMA, Sep 12-Dec18/11; min 3 airings. AMA means average minute audience, the average number of viewers per minute during the broadcast.

What I find particularly interesting is that in the 18+ demographic, the six o’clock news for both Global and CTV do quite well at #3 and #10 respectively, but if you look at the 18-49 demographic they drop considerably, to #26 and #44. That suggests to me that seniors make up a big chunk of the audience for the local six o’clock news. Not an encouraging sign if that’s your business.

Still, as far as as news is concerned it was a strong result for Global Edmonton, and their news release says as much:

Edmontonians have made it perfectly clear: their number one choice for news is Global Edmonton. According to BBM PPM (Portable People Meter) Fall 2011 survey, all of Global Edmonton’s newscasts continue to win their timeslots – morning, noon and night in total audience and in all key demographics including A18-49 and A25-54. Edmonton was recently added to the BBM’s electronic PPM system, providing a much better estimate of viewing habits.

Given that Global did so well in the first survey, I wanted to hear what Tim Spelliscy, Global’s Regional Director for News in Alberta, thought of the results. He agreed to answer my questions via email.

Why is the BBM PPM survey important to Global Edmonton?

This is the first extensive survey using new (PPM) technology, so we know it’s a more accurate reflection of actual viewing rather than someone trying to recall what they watched and filling out a survey by hand. It reflects viewing patterns that we felt were happening, so it confirmed what our own research had been telling us about audience support.

What’s the impact of being #1 in news?

Edmonton is a strong news market with excellent production provided by several local stations, so to come out as the top news station by such a wide margin is very flattering. We are grateful for this kind of support, and it’s fantastic for all of our sponsors and community partners to know that they are associated with a very strong local news brand. I think the confirmation that we are number one will bring new viewers to our news programs. They want to see what they’ve been missing.

The News Hour is the 3rd most watched program in the 18+ demographic, but it falls to 26th when you narrow the demographics to 18-49. Does that concern you?

We’re still the top news program in 18-49, and the numbers are close with a lot of other shows, but it does give us an area we can work on. We can always do a better job attracting younger viewers.

What’s on the horizon for Global Edmonton? How are you going to remain #1?

We’ve got to keep doing the small things right to remain number one. We have to focus on story selection and story treatment and we need to be on top of breaking news and ensure we are covering the stories that viewers really care about. That seems simple to do, but it’s not. I think there are lots of areas where we can improve the news programs we produce, but there won’t be any major overhauls – just some tweaking. We also need to continue to be the local news leader in our use of technology. We’ve done well with an early conversion to HD and we have the only television news helicopter in our city. We have some good ideas about what changes and improvements we can make next – stay tuned!

Which of the other top Global shows is your favorite?

It’s Glee for sure. We try to watch it every week or I set my SHAW PVR and watch Glee on the weekend. Good characters and good music. It’s light, funny and an “escape”!

Thanks to Tim for answering my questions!

I look forward to the next survey results.

Edmonton Notes for 1/22/2012

By Mack D. Male · January 22, 2012 at 11:07pm

Check out Edmonton Etcetera for news, photos, and links throughout the week! Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Mayor Mandel has decided to decline the salary increase that was available to him, while councillors Leibovici, Krushell, and Iveson all opted for lower than the total amount available. Last year, eight of the councillors declined some or all of the increase.
It was a busy week for arena news. On Monday, the City announced that ICON Venue Group has been selected as project manager and that Rick Daviss has assumed the role of Executive Director of the Downtown Sports and Entertainment District. The ICON presentation with concept images was released later in the week in PDF (a key feature of which is loge seating). Paula Simons makes the case that the decision should have been put through the normal process as there was no public competition. Former mayor Cec Purves was even more critical, and wrote in a letter to the editor: “In the 45 years I have been involved in city politics and watching I have never seen a more irrational, irresponsible or reckless move by council.” On Friday, CBC reported that there are four construction firms in the running for the project.
After an incredibly cold week that saw record power demand in Alberta, the forecast for the next week looks really good with highs of around zero degrees.
Edmonton ranked second in CIBC’s latest measure of economic momentum. Our city attained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country (5.7% in 2011Q3)and our population is now rising at 1.7% year-over-year.
The Edmonton Rush had their season opener on Friday against the Colorado Mammoth. Unfortunately they lost 13-12. The Rush are now on the road for four games before returning to host Philadelphia on February 24.
According a new report from commercial real estate firm CBRE, more retail space is under construction in Edmonton than anywhere else in the country.
Meet five of Edmonton’s most promising young theatre starts.
City Council has appointed Derek Hudson, Gary McCuaig, and Suzanne Polkosnik to the Edmonton Police Commission.
The building on 104 Street that used to be home to The Roost will soon be occupied by the Canada Border Services Agency.
In case you missed it, here’s the Startup Edmonton announcement about moving into the 3rd floor of the Mercer Warehouse!
The City is starting to gather ideas for The Way We Prosper, its comprehensive economic development strategy.
New government funding will help bring more affordable housing to Edmonton.
The latest property assessments have been mailed out, so which neighbourhoods saw the biggest increases in value?
Tickets for MediaCamp Edmonton are now on sale!

Cool shot from Christian.

Here are some upcoming events:

The Oilers have one home game this week, on Monday against the San Jose Sharks.
The Edmonton Oil Kings are in action at home on Wednesday against Tri-City, Friday against Brandon, and Saturday against Vancouver.
Looks like a busy week for pop music lovers. City and Colour is at the Jubliee on Wednesday and Thursday. Theory of a Deadman is there on Friday. And for a little blast from the past, Hanson is at Festival Place on Friday.
The Joint Review Panel for the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project is in Edmonton for the next week for community hearings. They start on Tuesday morning.
Dishcrawl has arrived in Edmonton, with the first event taking place on Wednesday evening in Old Strathcona.
Winter Light’s Mill Creek Adventure Walk takes place on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Startup Weekend and Global Game Jam start on January 27 and run all weekend!
The Renovation Show runs Friday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
On Saturday, you can be one of the first to test out EIA’s brand new terminal!
Metropolis of course continues this weekend, and on Sunday in the tent you’ll find The Tip of the Iceberg, a festival of local music!
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #28

By Mack D. Male · January 16, 2012 at 11:33pm

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

Tickets for MediaCamp are on sale now! Get yours here! Jeff blogged some details today too, don’t miss that.
In case you missed it: the federal government plans to drop the so-called “Twitter ban” on posting early election results.
Here’s a bit of criticism of the proposed downtown arena that I wouldn’t have thought of, courtesy of Terry Jones: “Do you have any idea of how many arenas in North America forgot to build press boxes over the years? It’s in double figures!”
Jana Pruden of the Edmonton Journal is starting a local press club. Contact her for details, or follow @yegpressclub on Twitter!
Here is Karen’s latest Edmonton New Media Roundup. Tons of good clicks to be had, as always.
Over at the Community Newsroom blog, Karen recapped the first few months of the media lab. It’s great to hear that so many students – 175! – visited as part of the City Hall School program!
Here’s a profile of CTV Edmonton’s meteorologist Josh Classen at the St. Albert Gazette.
Edmonton’s NextGen has started a guest blogging series. The first entry, by Jessica Zapata, focuses on health and fitness.
Here’s a fascinating post by Lucas Timmons for the Online News Association. He talks about how he mapped a dozen years of homicides in Edmonton – the tools he used and the lessons he learned along the way. Good stuff! (If you’re looking for more on homicides, check out my statistics & trends post).
Intriguing headline at GIG CITY: Who broke the radio star? It’s a pretty good read. An excerpt: “Edmonton radio plays its part in the great cycle of life. Sonic 102.9 is the best in town for breaking new music. This is the consensus of all the Edmonton-based major label promotion reps, who wish to remain anonymous, all four of them.”
At the Edmonton Journal’s Community Advisory Board meeting last week, we got to sit in on the 4pm news meeting. Managing Editor Stephanie Coombs was both entertaining and informative! I was happy to hear she dislikes the “crowd pleasing” photos, like puppies dressed as cats.
Dave continues to illustrate the value of a simple list with his Alberta Election Candidate Update series.
The 2012 Alberta Magazine Awards will be handed out on March 22 in Calgary. You have until January 31 to submit an entry for the Showcase Awards.
I still don’t like Avenue Edmonton’s idea for an SCTV monument in Edmonton.
Registration is now open for BlogWest. The early bird price is $199. After January 29, it jumps to $249.

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

UPDATE: Stay warm out there, it’s gonna be very cold for a few days! Don’t believe me? Check out the Long John Index. I love their newsroom page: “Not only is the Long John Index a semi valuable and quasy hilarious weather service, its also GREAT filler for Media organizations!”

UPDATE2: The list of presenters for Pecha Kucha Night 12 has been posted!

Edmonton Notes for 1/15/2012

By Mack D. Male · January 15, 2012 at 10:53pm

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Winter is back! Oh well, the warm weather was nice while it lasted. The forecast for this week doesn’t look so good, bundle up!
The community hearings on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project start in Edmonton on the 24th. The arithmetic on the pipeline adds up to big numbers.
This was the right call: Jimmy Quinlan is the new captain of the Edmonton Rush!
One of the city’s “most historically significant” lampposts has been restored to its former glory at the south end of the High Level Bridge.
According to Pollster’s annual report, Rexall Place was the 27th busiest venue on the planet in 2011, up from number 31 in 2010!
It’s pretty hard to argue with Paula’s take on Metropolis.
The McElheran’s Fine Furniture clearance centre on 124 Street will soon become a chocolate shop, pastry café, and gelato bar, under the Bernard Callebaut banner.
This is kind of a neat story: a former sniper is now protecting the streets as a night beat cop.
Here are the Curb the Danger results for 2011. There was a total of 749 impaired charges.
Cubic Security Systems are providing the “advanced fare media-based real-time threat detection technology” that will be piloted at Churchill Station in late March.
More than 3 million text messages were sent last year for bus route and schedule information!
The Oilers are having another tough season, but Taylor Hall is “making a bold statement about his willingness and ability to lead at a time when the Edmonton Oilers need him most.” Gagner is also playing fairly well lately. Speaking of the tough season, is it time for Katz to speak out?
According to the newest Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Survey Forecast, the average house price in Edmonton is expected to increase by 2.6% in 2012. Unit sales are also expected to rise by 5%.
CMHC figures show a 6% drop in total starts for the Edmonton area in 2011, from 9959 units to 9332.
Edmonton’s economy is expected to grow 3.4% this year, thanks in large part to a strong energy sector.
First & Jasper signed its first tenant this week – Williams Engineering will move into the renovated building when it opens in 2013.
In case you missed it, here’s my recap of a very busy week for 104 Street!

This has to be one of the most awesome LRT station photos ever, taken by Alison Poole!

Here are some upcoming events to look forward to this week:

Ice on Whyte continues all week at End of Steel Park!
The 49th annual Minor Hockey Week also continues this week, with the finals taking place on Sunday!
The Canoe Theatre Festival kicks off tomorrow.
It’s a busy week for the tech community. YEGRB’s monthly meetup takes place on Tuesday, DemoCamp Edmonton 17 takes place on Wednesday, and the next Edmonton Girl Geek Dinner takes place on Thursday.
The 3rd annual Edmonton Whiskey Festival takes place on Wednesday evening!
The Oil Kings are in action at home on Wednesday against Prince George, while the Oilers host the Flames on Saturday.
The Edmonton Rush play their first home game of the season on Friday against the Colorado Mammoth.
The City of Edmonton is hosting a WinterCity Strategy Symposium at City Hall on Friday morning. Everyone is invited to the Kick-Off Party the night before, also at City Hall.
Rapid Fire Theatre’s DATE NIGHT sounds like fun!
Leadership Edmonton is hosting a networking and information event on Saturday evening.
This year’s Pet Expo takes place all day Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
Bridal Fantasy takes place on Sunday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
The next Big City Sandwich kitchen takeover is Sunday at The Billiard Club!
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

We should have visited Ice on Whyte yesterday – it was so cold today! More photos here.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #27

By Mack D. Male · January 9, 2012 at 10:26pm

Yikes, over a month since my last update! Time to get back to it. Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

Hat-tip to Brittney on this one: Glenn Kubish recently left CTV Edmonton for a new job as Director of Media and Story at ATB Financial. Dan Kobe has now taken over as Director of News and Public Affairs.
Don’t miss Karen’s last Edmonton New Media Roundup of 2011. Some great thoughts, mixed with lots of links to local blogs that you should definitely check out.
Edmonton Street News, founded in 2003, will be renamed Alberta Street News starting this month. Thanks to a $2500 donation from Triumph EPCM Ltd., the paper will be distributed in Calgary as well as Edmonton, filling the gap left by Calgary’s Street Talk which folded in the summer. You can follow @AbStNews on Twitter for updates.
Awesome story on local band The Frolics, a trio featuring CBC Edmonton reporter Scott Fralick.
Those of you on Shaw have probably noticed that five new HD channels were added recently – SPACE, Business News Network (BNN), Bravo!, Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet.
It sounds like “severe health conditions” led John Yerxa to sell HOT 107 FM to Harvard Broadcasting, effective December 21, 2011. They also own Edmonton’s Lite 95.7 FM. I wish John a speedy recovery!
A total of 35 people applied to become the Edmonton Journal’s first blogger-in-residence. The announcement is expected to be made this week!
Here is the Edmonton Journal’s monthly newsletter for January, featuring a look back at 2011.
I love it: “The Edmonton Sun didn’t have to go far to cover this crime story.” Turns out an armed robber fleeing from the police somehow ended up in the Sun’s building where he was arrested without incident.
Back in December, Global News announced that Ryan Ellis was appointed News Director for Global Regina. He assumes the position beginning January 16, 2012.
Avenue Edmonton wants to erect a statue honoring SCTV and has even submitted a petition to City Council. I really have nothing more to say than what Mike wrote at The Charrette: “It doesn’t make sense to me, and totally smacks of desperation for attention. It’s the same sort of thing every small prairie town does to attract some notice: build a big monument to something tangentially related to their history or culture. But all I keep hearing is that Edmonton wants to be world-class. Okay, so which is it?”
Alberta Venture’s theme for the year is “Exploring our Entrepreneurial Spirit”. That’s why it makes sense that they have partnered with Junior Achievement of Alberta.
To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Alberta Venture magazine is launching a redesign, including a new website slated to go live in February. You can see some of the behind-the-scenes here:

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Edmonton Notes for 1/8/2012

By Mack D. Male · January 8, 2012 at 10:09pm

I ended up taking quite a bit more time away from blogging in December than originally intended, but it was nice to have a break. Sharon and I went to Yellowknife for Christmas, and the time away was just what we needed! Then January hits, and things go back to normal

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Still have your Christmas tree up? Put it out unbagged with your garbage on Tuesday and the City will pick it up. You can also take it to a community recycling depot until January 20, or to an Eco Station until January 31.
It happens every year: a number of charities are still behind on their holiday fundraising targets.
Edmonton is warm and brown at the moment, and that has meant icy roads and other challenges. It’s hard to complain with above zero temperatures in January, however! What goes up, must come down, however. The lack of snow won’t mean budget savings either.
Edmonton Next Gen’s next Pecha Kucha Night is scheduled for February 2. Tickets go on sale Monday morning at 10am!
Also on sale tomorrow morning: tickets for BlogWest 2012, taking place in Edmonton March 8-10.
Canada didn’t win the gold medal, but Edmonton could “easily” see more than $45 million in net benefits from co-hosting the World Juniors.
Blatchford Field celebrated its 85th anniversary this weekend! It was the first licensed airport in Canada on January 8, 1927. Additional events to celebrate the milestone will take place throughout the year.
This weekend was the first for the City’s Night Ride Pilot. A total of 80 people took advantage, 27 on Friday and 53 on Saturday. The Journal interviewed a few of the patrons.
The Edmonton Police Service will now undergo a national search for a pair of deputy chiefs. Darryl da Costa retired this month, and Neil Dubord resigned in December.
The opening line says it best: “Once a gas station, then for years a barren brown field, the vacant lot at Whyte Avenue and 105th Street will finally be reincarnated in 2012.”
Well look at that, it’s January 8 and the year is basically over for the Edmonton Oilers.
A new pedway is under construction that will cross 114 Street at the Health Sciences LRT Station.
CBC’s Edmonton AM is running a series called Downtown at a Crossroads. Worth a listen!
I was very happy to see Edmonton leading the way in Alberta Venture’s Fast 50 Growth list for 2011. Dynamic Manufacturing Solutions was ranked #1.
New data from Statistics Canada shows that Edmonton’s unemployment rate was 5.1% in December, third-lowest among Canadian municipalities.
Sirens for Life, the annual Blood Donor Challenge for Police, Fire, and EMS teams, runs until February 4. This is the 10th anniversary!
Don’t miss Sharon’s 2011 in Review post! Lots of great local food tidbits in there.
Emil has an interview with Mayor Stephen Mandel.
Dave has an update on Alberta election candidates. Keep an eye on his blog for additional updates as we get closer to the next provincial election.
Remembering a great Edmontonian: Don Wheaton.
The Edmonton Poetry Festival is looking for a new Executive Director!
The new Edmonton Remand Centre is scheduled to open in January 2013 at a cost of $568 million.
Apparently Occupy Edmonton plans to return on February 4 at an undisclosed location. The group plans to meet at Ezio Faraone Park and then march to the new occupation site.

“Eight Degrees” by Kurt Bauschardt

Here are some upcoming events:

YEGRB’s monthly hackup is taking place Monday evening.
Also Monday is the launch party for Indigo Drinks Edmonton – “a monthly conscious lounge, shindig and mixer of folks who work in the holistic field.”
The Oilers are finally back in town after a lengthy roadtrip to make room for the World Juniors. They host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, and the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.
Jocelyn Brown, the Edmonton Public Library’s new Writer in Residence, is hosting tripLit on Thursday evening at The Artery.
Ice on Whyte kicks off on Thursday and runs through the 22nd. Note the festival has moved to a new location this year – you’ll find it at End of Steel Park on 103 Street and Tommy Banks Way.
Metropolis of course continues on the weekend in Churchill Square.
To celebrate this week’s Friday the 13th, DEDfest is showing The Shining at the Garneau Theatre.
On Saturday, head over to the AGA for The Gallery, a showcase of creative expression for youth of diverse multicultural backgrounds.
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is performing at St. Albert’s Arden Theatre on Sunday.
And an early heads up: save the date for Eat Alberta 2012, scheduled to take place on April 14!
Check out ShareEdmonton for more upcoming events!

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #26

By Mack D. Male · December 5, 2011 at 11:38pm

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

Congratulations to The Charrette, now one year old! Scott and Mike wrote: “We started blogging because we saw a need for another voice advocating for good urban design in the city. We thought, and still think, that Edmonton is in a very exciting place, a time that will shape the future of the city for decades.” They’re one of my favorite local blogs, check them out!
Here is Karen’s latest Edmonton New Media Roundup.
As I mentioned previously, both up! 99.3 and Lite 95.7 are now playing all Christmas music, all the time. The Journal interviewed both, and it seems that Lite feels they called dibs on Xmas tunes. I do agree that two stations with Christmas programming Edmonton seems like overkill.
The second annual Breakfast Television Christmas Tree Show & Sale is taking place in Churchill Square on Friday from 5:30am to 1:30pm!
Congratulations to Edmonton Journal photographer Ryan Jackson! He was honoured recently with a 2011 Eppy award for Best Use of Photography on a Website in the 250,000 to one million unique visitor category for his work on panoramic photos for the 2010 Grey Cup.
MediaMag has a good update on local media moves. Among others, Emily Mertz has replaced Jennifer Martin on Alberta Primetime. Emily Mertz filled in for Jennifer Martin while she was away, but has not replaced her, and Jennifer is back.
Global Edmonton and Shaw are once again running the Give Me Shelter campaign to provide “thousands of much-needed items and Christmas gifts for women and children who are the victims of violence in our community.”
The Copper & Blue blog takes the local media to task for their lack of criticism of Ryan Whitney: “The Edmonton sports media is never one to cross the Oilers’ organization, but they are collectively falling down on the job with regards to Ryan Whitney.”
Since I started tracking local media more closely, I’ve noticed a disturbing amount of this sort of thing: a YouTube user called “YegNewsBabes” has been uploading videos of Edmonton’s female TV reporters.
CFWE-FM broadcasts in the Edmonton area at 98.5 and airs a country format for First Nations. I came across their Radio Bingo site the other day.
The deadline to apply to become the Edmonton Journal’s first blogger-in-residence is December 19. If you’re interested, fill out the form!
Global Edmonton ran a five-part series on homicide recently called Capital Murder. You can see the videos here.
Here is the final Edmonton Journal newsletter of the year.
We had a great planning meeting for MediaCamp Edmonton 2 on the weekend. Mark February 4th in your calendar, and if you’re interested in sponsoring, please get in touch!

And here are a few non-local items I found interesting:

I think the Little Printer is neat idea, though it’s a novelty at best. One of the things it enables is a personalized “newspaper”, printed on-demand just for you. The BERG Cloud that powers it is much more interesting, however.
The Journalism Foundation launched today with a mission to promote, develop and sustain free and independent journalism throughout the world. You can read more about it at The Independent.
Aaron Sorkin’s new HBO drama about cable news will be called “Newsroom”.
The new Xbox 360 dashboard goes live tomorrow. I can’t wait! With over 50 million consoles sold and more than 35 million Xbox Live memberships, the Xbox appears to have the best chance of ushering in “the future of TV.”

The Edmonton Journal WiFi Zone in Kingsway Mall

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #25

By Mack D. Male · November 21, 2011 at 11:59pm

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

Rick Harp & Lydia Neufeld made their debut as the new co-hosts of CBC’s Edmonton AM this morning.
Karen is back with another Edmonton New Media Roundup. I thought she did a great job at WordCamp on the weekend, with her talk entitled “Going Beyond ‘Bloggers vs. Journalists’”.
She also used the opportunity to announce a new opportunity from the Edmonton Journal. The paper has put out a call for applications to be the paper’s first blogger-in-residence. The time commitment is very reasonable at 25 hours spread over a six-week period.The deadline for applications is December 19 at noon.
Lana Cuthbertson wrote a response on her blog to an article called “Is Local News Over?” and said “I’m seeing a better-connected Edmonton, largely because of the positive changes to local news.”I like that her definition of local news seems to include blogs, Twitter, and other “new” types of media without making a big deal out of it.
Sheldon Souray is back in the NHL with the Dallas Stars, and caused a “mild kerfuffle” with Edmonton media when he refused all interview requests leading up to tonight’s game.
Apparently Vue Weekly’s website has been moved to a faster server, which is great because it rarely worked before. So far so good, it appears nice and quick!
Global Edmonton has been running a contest using Mobio, a QR-code based loyalty app.
A reminder that Social Media Breakfast Edmonton #12 is taking place this Friday, at CBC Centre Stage.
And coming up on the 29th is CTV Edmonton’s Charity Tweetup.
Sharon noticed this advertisement in Elle magazine and snapped a photo for me:

During my talk at WordCamp, I shared some Edmonton Blogosphere-related statistics. My current best estimate is that there are around 3400 local blogs. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms bloggers are using (about half of all local blogs run WordPress):