Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:
- Big shakeup in the local media world! Ryan Jespersen announced last week that he would be leaving BT Edmonton, with his final show taking place on Tuesday, December 30. Today, it was announced that he’ll be hosting The Ryan Jespersen Show on 630 CHED beginning Monday, January 12. Congrats Ryan! His wife Kari also shared her excitement about the news on Twitter today.
- For more on the big move, check out Gigcity.ca‘s interview with Ryan. “I believe a lot of life is lived in grey areas, and this show is going to exist in those grey areas,” he told them.
- Ryan’s show will air from 9am until noon. Andrew Grose is heading back to his afternoon timeslot alongside J’lyn Nye. Mark Scholz has decided to remain a stay-at-home dad and will not be returning to 630 CHED.
- Over the years Ryan has not hesitated to tackle important, serious issues, and I think 630 CHED will give him a great platform to do more of that. Here’s his take on Bill 10, in case you missed it:
- Long-time SONiC 102.9 host Rick Lee has announced he is leaving for Vancouver, where word is he’ll join 96.9 JACK FM. His last day is Friday. You’ll recall that Rick’s former boss at SONiC, Al Ford, moved to JACK FM as Program Director back in November.
- Congratulations to CKUA’s Peter North on receiving the Blues Booster of the Year Award from the Toronto Blues Society. He’ll be presented with the award on January 19 in Toronto.
- Nominations are now open for the 2014 Edmonton New Media Awards, affectionately known as The Yeggies. You’ve got until February 28 to nominate your favorite local content creators.
- After five and a half years, I Heart Edmonton has relaunched with a new look and a promise to feature even more content. Congrats Emil!
- Congrats to Nathan Martin on his 10th anniversary with Edmonton Sun!
- Welcome home to Jessica Kent, who is joining Global Edmonton after a stint at Global Saskatoon.
- Global Edmonton’s Carole Anne Devaney is featured in the Winter 2015 edition of Apple Magazine.
- Trevor Anderson’s latest short film, The Little Deputy Western Variety Show, premieres at Metro Cinema on January 17.
- Linda’s got you covered when it comes to the latest in social media with her weekly recaps: December 22-28, December 29-January 4.
- The January 2015 issue of Avenue Edmonton features an updated look that mirrors the look of Avenue Calgary, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary. The issue is dedicated to the memory of Vivian Fritze, Avenue Edmonton’s first employee, who passed away from cancer in November.
- Last week’s mass murder was a big story, but also a difficult one for journalists to cover. The latest installment of PostScript talks about “what it’s like to cover a terrible tragedy from a reporter’s perspective.” Elise Stolte also wrote about covering the story, and said calling families is the toughest part.
- There are just a few days left to apply for the Managing Editor position at Metro Edmonton.
- Coming up on January 16, the folks at SAM are starting an Edmonton News & Journalism Meetup called Morning News. Get the details here and save the date!
- From The Verge, here are the best newscast bloopers of 2014.
- The International Federation of Journalists says that 118 journalists died in targeted killings, bomb attacks, or shootings around the word in 2014, up from 105 in 2013. Another 17 died in accidents or natural disasters while on assignment.
- I’m working my way through the Kindle version of Geeks Bearing Gifts, the new book from Jeff Jarvis. He’s also posting the chapters for free on Medium if you’d like to check it out. Good read so far!
Here’s me on BT Edmonton with Ryan a few years ago
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!
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