Media Monday Edmonton: Update #18

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

• CTV Edmonton launched its expanded local news coverage today with the addition of CTV News At Five and CTV News at 5:30. Carrie Doll anchors the 5pm newscast while Daryl McIntyre anchors the 5:30pm newscast.
• The St. Albert Gazette is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and they’ve posted a digital version of the first ever edition for you to check out.
• Also celebrating an anniversary is Avenue Edmonton – the September issue is the 5th anniversary edition (you can see the digital version here). They have a special section that looks at how Edmonton has evolved since 2006. Their list of the “five most entertaining battles of the last five years” contains three media-related battles: “Vue Weekly vs. See Magazine”, “Ed Stelmach vs. Dave Cournoyer”, and “Chris & Karleena Perry vs. Everyone Else” (they’re the couple that wrote a letter in the St. Albert Gazette arguing against a Habitat for Humanity project).
• Congratulations to Wade Sorochan – he’s the new host of Edmonton This Week. Christopher Webster at the City did a good interview with him.
• Too bad I missed this: Sonic 102.9 did a tour on Sunday for #yegmusicclub.
• Have you checked out Metro Edmonton’s new Live Wire? It’s “an opportunity for readers to contribute to the city’s #1 free daily news source and one of the fastest growing newspapers in Canada.” Basically they mention a few stories they’re working on, and you email any input you have to the managing editor.
• The Bear’s controversial “Win A Wife” contest attracted all sorts of coverage – even the Huffington Post wrote about it. I’ll give Gig City’s Mike Ross the last word on this one: “The real winner in all this is the Bear radio station, which has attracted a storm of attention over this contest – which is certainly in the running for the most outrageous and offensive local radio station stunt ever. Yay, Edmonton.”
• Here’s a nice write-up on Rawlco, which according to the latest PPM radio ratings has the second ranked station, Now! 102.3. Combined with Up! 99.3, the company’s share of the local market is 17.0, third to Corus’ four stations at 25.2 and Newcap’s three stations at 17.8.
• Here’s another media write-up in the Journal, on TSN’s Natasha Staniszewski. As the article notes, Edmonton is “fertile ground for TSN when it comes to talent,” with Bryan Mudryk, Gord Miller, Ryan Rishaug, and Darren Dutchyshen all spending time here early in their careers.
• In case you missed it: here’s my interview with Jeff & Sally on the end of the edmontonian, and here’s my look at the statistics the site accumulated over its run.
• CityTV’s new show Canada’s Got Talent will be in town starting on Wednesday for three days of auditions. The lineup starts at 6am at the Mayfield Inn & Suites.
• According to the Edmonton Journal’s September 2011 newsletter, QR codes in the paper have been scanned “close to 35,000 times” since the June 2010 launch, which I wrote about here.
• The presenters for Wednesday’s Pecha Kucha Night 11 have been announced. The lineup looks great, but I’m particularly looking forward to David Papp’s #BirdCam Social Media Experiment and Karen Unland’s talk titled “What Journalism Needs Now.” While you’re waiting, check out Karen’s latest Edmonton New Media Roundup.
• Congratulations to Edmonton’s own City and Baby, named to the top spot in Alberta’s Best Mama Bloggers! Edmonton blogs accounted for 7 of the top 10 blogs.
• Here’s a nice big write-up on Marty Forbes. He’s certainly a busy guy! Here is his latest column on our busy media landscape.
• On September 7, Barb Wilkinson wrote in the Journal about the new community newsroom, slated to launch next week. She wrote: “Later this month, we’ll announce the name, and tell you who will make up the local advisory board that will help us shape this project. We also expect to launch the community newsroom pilot site.” Too bad the name was actually announced the day before that article! It’ll be called The Bridge, and I am happy to have been selected to take part.
• Via Sharon, here is Arthur S. Brisbane’s interview with Jill Abramson, the first woman to serve as top editor of The New York Times since the paper’s founding in 1851.

Here’s a recap video of Pecha Kucha 10, courtesy of Telus TV:

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!