Media Monday Edmonton: Update #26

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.