Media Monday Edmonton: Update #100

Today’s post is a milestone for me. I started my Media Monday Edmonton series almost exactly three years ago, with this introduction:

Like many others, I’m interested in the continual evolution of journalism and media. And given my passion for Edmonton, I’m particularly interested in that evolution at a local level. Where have we been, and where are we going? What’s next?

Today’s post is #120 in the series, and #100 of my weekly updates (the first few were called “Week in Review”). I had no idea how long my experiment would last, but here we are, still going strong. The media landscape in Edmonton continues to evolve, meaning there’s no shortage of new things to write about!

I know how disappointing it would be to read a milestone post and not see a word cloud (heh) so here you go – each of my weekly updates visualized:

I’m both surprised and happy to see that Media Monday has become so popular. Thanks for correcting my mistakes, sending in tips, and for reading week after week.

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

• In case you hadn’t noticed, the Edmonton Oilers are increasingly communicating directly with fans. And on January 29, they took another step into that world as head coach Dallas Eakins tweeted out the lineup news. Jonathan Willis commented: “The head coach breaking lineup news on Twitter isn’t the start of a new trend, however. It’s a continuation of an old one: the Edmonton Oilers’ continued desire to get their message directly to consumers rather than filtering it through gatekeepers in the media.” Back in 2009, this was called “Sources go direct“.
• The last foodie blogger meetup took place way back in 2010! Now Marianne and Maki are looking to start a new meetup in March. Check out the details here.
• Apparently there’s a “shake-up” taking effect at CKUA later this month, but as Gig City reports, it sounds like the changes are relatively minor (and no has been fired).
• Scott McCord is back on the airwaves in Edmonton joining the morning show on 95.7 CRUZ FM starting March 3.
• A recent “This Day in Journal History” featured Barry Boyd, a radio disc jockey known as ‘Edmonton’s Dick Clark’.
• Are you a blogger looking for a local challenge? The Local Good is looking for new folks to join their team. The deadline to apply is Valentine’s Day.
• CBC Edmonton’s Mark Connolly was interviewed by an Arizona radio station about conditions in Sochi. Don’t ask me why.
• Here’s a funny video from HOT 107 FM Edmonton. If the messages they read are indeed real, all I can say is, wow.
• Talk about a power group of speakers for NAIT media students: Brittney, Linda, and Stewart! Here’s an earlier photo of some of their students in action.
• Jay Runham is doing a new film news show on YouTube – check out the latest episode here!
• Graham Hicks and I got back in the studio recently to record a new episode of Mack & Cheese. Check out our discussion on Northlands here.
• Congratulations to Laurie on making the move to communications with the Alberta NDP.
• Congratulations to Shine FM account executive Robbie Davidson on getting engaged on air!
• Bell raised more than $5 million on Let’s Talk Day thanks to more than 109 million tweets, texts, calls, and shares.
• CBC Radio’s satirical show This is That poked fun at Edmonton’s image & branding challenges in a recent episode.
• Here’s a “Life & Times” feature on Karen Virag, a former writer, editor, and radio host who died at the age of 56 on January 11.
• In case you missed it: here’s my piece on editorials & endorsements.
• Don’t forget! The ONA Yeg Conference takes place on Saturday, February 22 at the University of Alberta. It’ll be a fun opportunity to learn more about social media, law in the online realm, and using online tools for journalism.
• Want to get on TV? Auditions for Dragons’ Den will take place on February 15, and Canada’s Worst Driver will be making a stop in our town in the weeks ahead.
• Another feather in the cap of new media? Ezra Klein is leaving The Washington Post to create a new site with Vox Media. I’m excited to see what he can do there, as tech-focused The Verge is one of my favorite websites.
• And here’s another big-name change: Bill Keller is leaving the New York Times to become editor in chief of The Marshall Project. It’s a non-profit startup focused on the American criminal justice system.

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.