Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:
- We had a busy week for Taproot Edmonton! I posted an update on our progress just before we were one of the presenting companies at Launch Party 7 on Thursday evening. Over the weekend, Karen shared her own update in light of the news about Postmedia’s latest cuts. We also shared an overview video on YouTube. Full steam ahead!
- Congratulations to Sharon on blogging for ten years!
- CTV Edmonton’s News at Six was delayed last Tuesday because of a semi crash near the studio that forced the newsroom to evacuate. Here’s a report on what happened by Daryl McIntyre.
- Tim reports the latest Vividata results show that Metro and the Sun are “back to a dead heat for number two paper” in Edmonton.
- James ‘Gruff’ Gushnowski has taken over as Program Director & Afternoon Drive Host on 93.1 The One in Leduc, and he’s also Director of Programming for all of Blackgold Broadcasting. He was previously with 88.1 The One in Spruce Grove.
- CBC Edmonton interviewed Chad Huculak on his new book End of the Earth. The book is available now and the official launch party will be at Happy Harbour Comics on November 5.
- Michael Hingston has quit his day job to become “a part-time freelacner, most-time parent”. Congrats! Michael was featured in a recent episode of The Modern Manhood Podcast.
- According to the CFL, the Edmonton Eskimos have been the most watched team this season on TV. “The Esks have attracted an average audience of 649,000 viewers this season, and the Roughriders are second with 627,000. Edmonton’s number represents an increase of 8.7% over last season, while Saskatchewan’s viewership is down 6.8%.”
- Don’t miss the latest blog and podcast roundups from Seen and Heard in Edmonton!
- Congrats to Emil on receiving the finished copies of 101 Reasons Why I Heart Edmonton. The book looks great!
- The Citadel Theatre is looking for a Media Relations Manager.
- The Western Producer, “Canada’s leading agricultural publication”, is looking for an Editor/Reporter. The deadline to apply is November 4.
- I can’t say it better than Paula did: “Edmonton Catholic school trustee Larry Kowalczyk has just made the shocking discovery that some TV cable providers have specialty services that allow adults to order and pay for pornographic programming. At a time when school board autonomy across Canada is under fire, it might be prudent for them to focus on their jobs, not on random moral crusades.”
- I see tweets like this one and I can’t help but think, is it 2009 all over again?
- From Vintage Edmonton, here’s a look at some old TV programming ads. Looks like Edmonton’s first telethon took place September 30, 1974.
Influenza immunization clinics open across the province, photo by Premier of Alberta
And here is some slightly less local media stuff:
- Postmedia said late last week it intends to reduce staffing costs by 20% throughout fiscal 2017 and it has introduced a vountary buyout program to try to achieve that. Employees have until November 8 to apply for the buyouts which will pay 3 weeks per year served to a maximum of 78 weeks, capped at $150,000.
- Recent comments made by federal Heritage Minister Melanie Joly suggest the government isn’t ruling out offering financial support to newspapers. “I have said several times: everything is on the table. I am ready to talk about the different tools we have as a government to help and promote these areas,” she said.
- From David Berry in the National Post: Why it’s irresponsible for the publicly funded CBC to explain the news rather than provide it.
- CRTC Chairman Jean Pierre Blais said last week that TV stations should be producing local news, even if it hurts their bottom line. “We do not believe that local television news can be allowed to fall by the wayside simply because it doesn’t look good on the balance sheet,” he said.
- The Wirecutter, which has become an excellent resource for recommendations on electronics, is being purchased by the New York Times for more than $30 million.
- A new report examining the effects of corporate ownership and digital disruption on local news across the United States suggests the changes are leading to vast “news deserts”.
- Lots of discussion this week about the suggestion that perhaps it was a mistake for news companies to go “digital first”. Setting aside the fact that none of them actually did try to go digital first and instead actively campaigned against it, I like Dave Winer’s take.
- AT&T has agreed to buy Time Warner, home of HBO and CNN, for $85.4 billion.
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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