Media Monday Edmonton: Update #232

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

• The Edmonton Sun’s court reporter Tony Blais is the latest confirmed Postmedia depature here in Edmonton – he’s taking this opportunity to retire. “Thanks to all who helped me,” he tweeted. The Edmonton Justices of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta called him “a true professional” and said he “accurately and fairly reported on the work of the courts.” Many of Tony’s local media colleagues chimed in on Twitter with praise too. His departure leaves Paige Parsons covering the local court beat at Postmedia.
• As mentioned previously, Gary Lamphier is also on his way out at Postmedia after 15 years at the Journal. “I’m going to miss it, and I’m going to miss all the readers who took the time to respond to my columns, whether you agreed with me or not,” he wrote in his farewell column.
• The latest Numeris radio ratings are out for the period August 29 – November 27. This time 630 CHED is on top after posting the largest gain, slightly ahead of 102.3 Now FM which has led the pack for over a year and posted the largest drop. There is some additional discussion of the numbers at PSR.
• In a post on the demise of local arts coverage, Mel Priestley wrote that “we’ve entered a time in which the bulk of local performances are going to be lucky to get any print coverage.” She suggests that bloggers reviewing shows for free can’t be the solution.
• A recent Postmedia editorial argued that in covering the “lock her up” chant at Rebel Media’s anti-carbon tax rally the media “ran shaming articles nationwide” that illustrated “how desperate they are to say there are Trump-like elements here in Canada.”
• Global Edmonton featured local freelance photographer Amber Bracken and her coverage of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access pipeline protests.
• Congratulations to Boyle McCauley News editor Paula Kirman on being named a Human Rights Champion by the John Humphrey Centre.
• Thoughtful post on blogging and consumption by Adina. “Should blogs come with content warnings?” she wonders.
• I was sad to miss The Yards’ latest salon event and winter issue launch. Sounds like they had a great discussion about downtown vacancies and the future of towers in our city. The Yards is looking for both a new editor and publisher with the departure of Omar Mouallem and Jarrett Campbell!
• In his latest column, Marty Forbes says thank you to a number of “awesome people” including Chris Sheetz of CISN FM, Yukon Jack of The Bear, Jason Gregor of TSN, and many other local media folks. “If you are in media you have the power…use it for good,” he wrote.
• There are always interesting tweets on the state of media in Edmonton, but a couple caught my eye this week. “Former journalists speaking ill of the media is the new ex-Edmontonians dissing #yeg,” wrote Chad Huculak. “With the anti-journo rhetoric coming out of certian politicians and websites, I wonder if schools/papers/msm should show more solidarity…” wondered Trent Wilkie.
• The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton is looking for a News Editor to “help us share great stories of Catholic life in Edmonton and central Alberta”. The deadline to apply is December 19.

Premier speaks with reporters, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• Postmedia has won the 2016 North America Google Channel Award which “recognizes significant growth in AdWords for the Strategic Account Growth category and is only given to one Google partner in North America each year.” Isn’t it great to see Postmedia winning awards for strengthening one of the primary companies that has caused them so much financial trouble?
• The Fort McMurray Connect is shutting down as of December 22. The weekly newspaper employed three people. CBC noted the announcement “comes on the heels of the news the town’s daily newspaper, Fort McMurray Today, will only be printing thrice weekly and will focus on posting stories online.”
• Adrienne LaFrance says in The Atlantic that “the ‘fake news’ brouhaha is, at its core, about…the growing distrust of media institutions.”
• Donald Trump was named “Person of the Year” in Time Magazine for 2016 – no surprise there. What’s really interesting is that cover photo: “The decisions that Time made regarding how to photograph Trump reveal a layered, nuanced field of references that place the image among, in this viewer’s opinion, the magazine’s greatest covers.”
• Praise for CNN’s Jake Tapper in response to his questioning of Vice President-elect Mike Pence. His repeated questioning “was an object lesson in what doing it right looks like.”

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.

Here’s a quick plug for my new media project…

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