Media Monday Edmonton: BT Bloggers Week

I had the pleasure of kicking off BT Bloggers Week bright and early this morning on Breakfast Television! Every day this week a different blogger will be in the studio with Ryan Jespersen, Bridget Ryan, and the rest of the BT Edmonton crew. This is actually the second time I have done this – the first was back in August 2010. I’m very happy to see that it has been expanded to a full week this time!

Here’s the lineup for the week:

Monday through Friday, you’ll meet six of Edmonton’s most influential online commentators – MasterMaq, daveberta, KikkiPlanet, Kevin Kossowan and The Unknown Studio tandem of Adam Rozenhart and Scott C. Bourgeois. We’ll learn what prompted these bloggers to get started in the first place, what issues they see as most important to Edmonton, how they see blogs differing from other forms of media and a whole lot more (prompted by your tweets, facebook and email feedback).

I usually start my day fairly early, but not 6am which is when I arrived at the studio this morning! The show was underway by that time of course, but they were on a break and I was able to get setup at the blogger table.

Bridget on the couch!

I feel like I had a lot of screen-time, which was great. We covered a lot of ground! You can see the three bigger segments here:

Segment #1 – we talk about the City Centre Redevelopment, my Edmonton notes, and when I choose to share an opinion
Segment #2 – we cover What the Truck?! and some of my favorite blogs
Segment #3 – I share some thoughts on how media is changing

Ryan doing a segment on WISEST

Bridget was in studio for a while, but actually spent most of the morning out at the Valley Zoo (segment 1, segment 2). It was a little surreal to be talking to her one minute, and then to look up at the monitor and see her learning about armadillos the next! I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Bridget on-location in the past, so I know she brings all the energy of the show with her wherever she goes. Still, it must be tiring to be travelling all over the place!

The computers used to show things on screen

There’s no question that Ryan is an engaging, high-energy guy, but he’s definitely more than just a pretty face on your TV screen! What you don’t often get to see is how hard he works behind-the-scenes. In between segments, Ryan is busy setting up the next shot, preparing visuals, clarifying information, and much more. He’s constantly buzzing! It was an absolute pleasure to see him in action today.

With Ryan Jespersen on the BT Edmonton couch!

Thanks to Ryan, Bridget, and the entire BT Edmonton crew for having me on the show this morning. Everyone made me feel very welcome and comfortable and that made the three hours absolutely fly by. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see how the rest of Bloggers Week unfolds!

You can see more photos from the morning here.

Edmonton Notes for 7/8/2012

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

On Friday, Mayor Mandel signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and Dialog with Grand Chief Cameron Alexis and Vice-Chief Stanley Lagrelle of the Treaty No. 6 First Nations to strengthen professional ties between the First Nations and the City.
Scientists are fairly sure they have at long last discovered the elusive Higgs boson, which some are calling one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the last 100 years. It turns out the University of Alberta had a hand in the project – three U of A professors helped in the development, design, and construction of equipment for the ATLAS particle detector.
Did you enjoy the hot weather this weekend? Better get used to it! Temperatures will be around 30 degrees for the next week. Records will fall!
Possibly my favorite quote of the week. Councillor Bryan Anderson on Windermere: “I certainly accept the fact that this is a poorly planned neighbourhood.” He made the comment reacting to a battle over the construction of a new mosque.
Could smart parking meters finally be on the way for Edmonton? A new report was released this week that shows the City is looking to adopt a system similar to Calgary’s, where motorists can pay by cellphone and even be alerted when their time is about to expire.
Council passed a draft policy this week that would enable community leagues to ask the City to review speed limits on roads inside their districts. It could lead to a patchwork of speed limits across the city.
Here’s the latest City Council Roundup.
Capital EX is coming up – you can check out some of the new food-related features here.
Today was the celebration of 100 years of history on Whyte Avenue – the Commercial Hotel was the focus, but the amalgamation of Strathcona and Edmonton, as well as the 100-year anniversaries of Tipton Block, Hulbert Block, and the Douglas Block were also celebrated.
A new mural honoring the Famous Five has been put on the side of The Wall – the Melcor parkade at 10027 102 Street.
Ryan Smyth signed a two-year extension with the Edmonton Oilers at a cap hit of $2.25 million per season.
A new campaign is underway in Seattle to attract workers to Edmonton and Northern Alberta. From the news release: “To put Alberta’s economic growth into context, around $193 billion of major investments are underway or in the works, equivalent to 211 CenturyLink Fields or 175 Hoover Dams.”
New statistics show that Edmonton added more than 10,000 full-time jobs in June, which caused our unemployment rate to drop from 4.9% in May to 4.4% last month. Here is Paula Simons’ take on the economic boom.
Tossing cigarette butts on the ground can result in a $250 fine, and there’s an enforcement blitz now underway.
The new public washrooms located at the corner of Whyte Avenue and Gateway Boulevard opened on June 29. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No word on when permanent public washrooms are coming to Jasper Avenue, but Council has approved $35,000 to keep the temporary ones operating until November.
A new hotel is being constructed in The Quarters at 96 Street and Jasper Avenue. It’ll be 12 stories tall when completed in the spring of 2014.
Also slated to open in 2014 is the new Clareview Community Recreation Centre and Clareview Library. The $115 million project will feature an aquatics centre, fitness centre, gymnasium, two hockey rinks, the library, a multicultural centre, and more.
The boat launches at Capilano Park and Laurier Park are now open to the public.

North LRT to NAIT Construction, looking south on 105 Street. Photo taken by Sharon!

The Fort Edmonton Footbridge finally had its grand opening celebration today with a Block Party on the Bridge. We didn’t make it in time for the festivities (what kind of block party lasts two hours) but we did enjoy walking through the area!

Here are some upcoming events:

The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival kicked off on Friday and runs for the rest of the week in Churchill Square!
The Freewill Shakespeare Festival continues at Hawrelak Park.
Latitude 53’s Summer Rooftop Patio Series continues on Thursday evening.
This weekend in Old Strathcona you can catch the 17th Annual Whyte Avenue Art Walk. It runs from 10am to 5pm between 100 Street and 108 Street.
The Blue Bombers are in town on Friday night to take on the Eskimos.
Sharon and I are looking forward to the Park after Dark Tweetup which takes place on Friday evening at Northlands Park.
The next Handmade Mafia event is scheduled for Saturday at Orange Hall.
Also Saturday is the Capital Power Go Kit Derby, part of Race Week Edmonton celebrations.
On Sunday the Valley Zoo is celebrating National Zookeeper Week with a Summer Celebration from noon until 4pm!
FC Edmonton is in action on Sunday as they take on FC Tampa Bay.
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton Sunset, July 7

Urban/Suburban Marketing in Edmonton: The suburbs are winning

Recap: DIYalogue Talks Food

Last night Sharon and I were really excited to be part of DIYalogue Talks Food, the latest event organized by Edmonton’s NextGen. A few dozen people gathered on the Wooftop Patio at The Black Dog on Whyte for a speed-dating style opportunity to learn about Edmonton’s growing local food scene.

Looking for a collaborative space to chew the fat with Edmonton’s local food luminaries? DIYalogue Talks Food connects Edmonton’s established culinary entrepreneurs with local foodies, aspiring chefs, and backyard gardeners in 15-minute small group mini-dates. DIYalogue convenes communities of interest and explores the potential for individual success in the creative industries through unique partnerships and community support.

The speed mentors included:

Mary Bailey, The Tomato
Amy Beaith & Mike Johnson, Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton
Nate Box, Elm Café
Kirsta Franke, 124 Street Grand Market
Alan & Nicola Irving, Irvings Farm Fresh
Kevin Kossowan, Local Food Forager
Mack Male, What the Truck?!
Cynthia Strawson-Fawcett, Slow Food Edmonton
Michael Walters, Local Food Hub Advocate
Sharon Yeo, Only Here for the Food

The mentors paired up, and for the first hour or so, attendees moved from group to group. Sharon and I mostly talked about What the Truck?! but she did field a bunch of questions about her blog as well. Some of our favorite questions of the evening:

Are the food trucks mostly run by existing restaurants? There’s a mix right now. Drift is a good example of a truck that started as a truck (though they wanted to start a restaurant originally) and The Act is a good example of a restaurant that now has a truck as well.
What does Edmonton’s food scene lack? I said a brunch culture with diners that people will line up at and Sharon agreed and added southern comfort food.
What can be done to make Edmonton a better place for food trucks? Read this post.
Aside from Tres Carnales and Corso 32, what’s hot? Three Boars!
When is the next What the Truck?! event? August, stay tuned!

No food-themed event is complete without something delicious to eat, so it was awesome to have Filistix on hand. They prepared a Moroccan vegetarian tagine – it was delicious! Everyone had the opportunity to sample OFER’s final jar of last year’s cider supply too.

I had a lot of fun with the event, and enjoyed catching up with Nate, Cynthia, and some of the other mentors too.

DIYalogue Talks Food was a great way to kickoff the NextGen blog theme for this month: food.

This month we will be bringing you tantalizing, and thought-provoking posts on and about the food scene in Edmonton. We’ll share what that means to a consumer, to a foodie, to a business owner, to an activist, and to someone who loves to cook, bake, and create.

Looking forward to it!

Thanks to Carol, John, and everyone else who made DIYalogue possible!

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #44

I’m looking forward to Wednesday evening’s DIYalogue. Sharon and I will be “speed mentors” along with Mary Bailey, the publisher of The Tomato, and a number of other “local food luminaries”. Should be fun!

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

I’m so glad I was able to attend the live recording of The Unknown Studio’s third season finale last week. Held at Happy Harbor Comics, the show featured Dana DiTomaso, Apocalypse Kow, Liam Crewick, Erica Viegas, Todd Babiak, and Trent Wilkie. It was lots of fun, and I think everyone in the audience really enjoyed themselves. I know it must have been a ton of work to pull off and I hope Adam and Scott feel that it was worth it. Congratulations guys on an amazing live show – can’t wait until the next one! Linda wrote about the event in her weekly column too. You can check out more photos here.

Adam & Scott interview Todd Babiak

Have you seen CTV Edmonton’s new website? It’s cleaner and much easier to read now. I do not particularly like that they have gone with a custom video player, instead of using something like YouTube – there’s no way to embed or share these videos. Otherwise, I quite like the site!
GIG CITY has also launched an updated design for its site. I always thought that the yellow on black was unique, but the new colors are much easier to read.
The Bear (100.3 FM) has started selling t-shirts emblazoned with the words “Calgary sucks” to mark 20 years on the air. I wrote on Twitter about my distaste for the idea, but it’s worth repeating here. Yes there’s a healthy rivalry when it comes to our sports teams, but why does that have to extend to everything else? Calgary and Edmonton are not big enough to constantly slag one another. I don’t care that proceeds go to charity or that it’s just for fun. This kind of campaign does more harm than good.
We should see an update on the Edmonton Experiment this week. Keep an eye on this site and give @CapitalIdeasYEG a follow on Twitter.
The Journal has launched a mobile web app for events called EJ Events. Built in-house by Donald Allen, it appears to have just two upcoming events at the moment.
It’s not online yet, but the July issue of Avenue Edmonton has a feature on the Edmonton Journal’s Nick Lees. I bet he really likes the photo!
Speaking of Nick, he has this great story: “The 90-year-old secret of where two infamous murderers are buried has been uncovered by Global TV producer/anchor Gord Steinke.”
The Journal has released an e-book called Homicide: Beyond the Numbers that looks at last year’s record homicide rate. I haven’t read it yet, but I did buy it for my Kindle ($4.44).
mediamag has a feature on Meagan Kelly’s film Grace and a profile of BT Edmonton’s Ziyah Karmali.
Kerry Campbell, host of the midday show at 96.3 Capital FM, was unable to come to terms on a new agreement with the station has decided to move on.
Venture Publishing is looking for a Managing Editor “to develop and manage titles in its custom publishing division.” The deadline to apply is July 31.
Kevin Zahara, Assistant Program Director/Music Director for Newcap Alberta’s North West group of stations, has resigned to take a position in Premier Redford’s communications office.
La Nouvelle Beaumont News, a weekly Sun Media newspaper, has an immediate opening for a multi-media journalist.
The premium content that used to be in the Sunday edition of the Journal has now been moved to the Friday and Saturday editions.
The St. Albert Leader is looking for a print/web journalist to join the team.
Congratulations to the Prairie Belles Podcast on reaching 100 episodes! To celebrate, the 100th episode is a videocast:

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.

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