Media Monday Edmonton: Update #8

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

• The big news right now is the situation in Slave Lake. Wild fires have forced an evacuation and caused a lot of damage.
  • CTV Edmonton has perhaps had the most impactful online coverage of the devastation. They’ve got a photo gallery that includes this photo of main street Slave Lake burning, taken by Sean Amato. It has been viewed more than 46,000 times since late last night. They’ve also been tweeting dozens of times in the last 24 hours, and have done a great job of keeping up on the news.
  • Global Edmonton has a live blog and a story on how people are using social media to help and stay connected with one another.
  • The City of Edmonton has been working to support residents evacuated from the town.
  • There’s a popular event on Facebook to coordinate donations and other assistance.
• CBC Edmonton is looking to hire a host for Edmonton AM. Part of the job posting reads:

“As a host, you are a leader on the unit and will participate in story meetings which means keeping up on all political, social, economic and cultural developments relevant to our city. Community outreach is critical to the success of the show so you will participate in local events or station initiatives as a master of ceremonies or as a CBC  ambassador.”

• David Climenhaga has a rundown of the latest changes at the Edmonton Journal, in a post titled The Perils of Postmedia. He says Stephanie Coombs (previously with the Ottawa Citizen) is set to become the new managing editor.
• Alberta Venture has a new editor: Mike Ganley, formerly of Up Here Business magazine in Yellowknife. Former editor Paul Marck moved to BC, apparently.
• Broadcasting pioneer Bruce Hogle was among the latest group of Albertans named to the Order of Excellence.
• Mark Twitchell filed notice that he wants to appeal his first degree murder conviction, blaming media attention during the trial for influencing the jury. He wrote:

“The media attention surrounding my case was so extensive, so blatant and so overtly sensationalized that it is unreasonable to expect any unsequestered jury to have remained uninfluenced by it.”

• The Food for Thought conference, organized by the Centre for Family Literacy, takes place on May 19 and 20, and will teach family literacy practitioners to leverage social media.
• Edmonton native Jennifer Yang, a journalist working for the Toronto Star, has received a National Newspaper Award for explanatory reporting and her work on the Chilean miners.
• Former Global Edmonton journalist Carolyn Jarvis had a pretty terrible slipup covering the news of Osama bin Laden’s death. Global later issued a statement saying it continued to have full confidence in Jarvis.
• Both Bell and Shaw have been ordered by the CRTC to carry more local programming starting September 1.
• Merge Magazine is hosting a “launch party” on May 27, though it’s really more of a relaunch party. RSVP on Facebook.
• Social media in general but Facebook specifically is having an impact on the way news spreads (see the full report here). Apparently most people still find mainstream media, or at least newspapers, more trustworthy (see the full report here).
• the edmontonian’s second TV episode titled Money aired on the 8th and I was happy to be one of the interviewees. You can watch it 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!

UPDATE: This story was posted late tonight: VUE and SEE are set to merge! Apparently Bob Doull has purchased both and says merging the two into one “would be the logical thing to do.” Thanks to Jeff for the link. The story is at new Edmonton entertainment blog Gig City. Check it out!