Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:
- Here’s an update on where things are at with Taproot Edmonton. We have learned a lot from our members over the last few weeks and are continuing to march forward! “The next step will be to engage our storytellers to pick an idea, scope it out, and see if we can bring it to fruition.” You can help us by becoming a member.
- Congrats to The Movie Jerks podcast on 200 episodes! “Its Edmonton creators and hosts, JP Fournier and Shawn Gramiak, have marvelled at numbers as high as 50,000 downloads, usually coming in around 30,000.”
- Episode 45 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features “Jessica Cooreman and Katie Woodfine, the hardcore footy fans behind For Kicks, a podcast that follows the Canadian national women’s team on the road to Rio, as well as women’s soccer in general.”
- “We tend to hold the content published in mainstream newspapers higher than blogs and online content, for its supposed sense of professionalism and legitimacy – though certainly there are both good and bad critics in both spheres,” writes Mel Priestley in this feature on restaurant reviews. She interviewed Twyla Campbell, Liv Vors, and Phil Wilson for the piece. Then she joined Phil for an episode of the Off Menu Podcast discussing the topic.
- Rope for Hope, a fundraising challenge for Make-A-Wish in Northern Alberta, takes place on Wednesday at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel. But some members of the local media will get a crack at it tomorrow.
- Postmedia has an opening for a Reporter at the Journal/Sun “who will help drive and coverage of issues and events in Alberta’s capital and northern Alberta.” The deadline to apply is July 25.
- The Oilers Entertainment Group is looking for a Director of Live Events and New Ventures. In addition to the Oilers and Oil Kings, “OEG also owns and operates one of Canada’s most accomplished television, event, and brand-promotion companies and has recently added Silver Pictures Entertainment to its growing sports & entertainment business.”
- CBC Edmonton has five new job postings as of last week: Associate Producer (Digital), Digital Associate Producer, Executive Producer, Producer, and Senior Reporter (French Services).
- Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has received intense criticism for some of his off-season moves, like trading Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson. But it sounds like he was ready for it. “It’s a tough business. Whatever you do social media is going to criticize you. Whatever you do. It’s like talk radio and it’s a really public forum — and you don’t look at it basically.”
- From CBC News, here are 5 independent Indigenous media sources to check out online, including Edmonton-based Windspeaker.
- Disney’s NEWSIES, based on the 1992 film “loosely based on the New York City Newsboys Strike of 1899”, is on stage at the Jubilee through Sunday.
- If you like Vintage Edmonton from Rev Recluse, you should check out his new project called News Obscure.
Rob Hislop shooting at the TrackTown Olympic Trials, photo by Don Voaklander
And here is some slightly less local media stuff:
- It’s all Pokemon Go these days in my social media feeds, how about you? Linda rounds up the news on that and more in her latest social media notes.
- Here’s the latest on Postmedia. The company has “proposed a recapitalization plan that would reduce its total debt obligation by about $307 million, putting the country’s largest newspaper publisher on sounder financial footing.” Sounds like a bunch of financial magic to prolong the inevitable.
- From Liz Spayd, the new Public Editor at the New York Times, on the importance of listening: “Had we been listening more carefully and sooner, we would have known that our readers were using their phones for news while we were focused on monitors.”
- Here is an interview with Re/code’s Peter Kafka on the digital trends that will most impact audio, online radio, radio, and podcasting. It’s 20 minutes long but he shares some interesting thoughts.
- BuzzFeed takes a look at the relationship between Twitter and Facebook when news breaks.
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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