Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:
- “Due to the tragic passing of our CEO, Ruth Kelly, we are closing the business,” says a recording on the office phone of Venture Publishing. The organization’s office equipment is being auctioned off.
- Marty Forbes looks back at A-Channel as City TV prepares to re-launch in Edmonton on September 4. On-air talent will include: Randi-Marie Adams, Rachelle Elsiufi, Haweya Fadal, Hayley Stelmack, Carly Robinson, and Courtney Theriault.
- Not continuing with City TV is Bridget Ryan who has been with the station in some fashion for more than 16 years! Friday was her last day. Bridget worked with Ryan Jespersen for 9 years – “some of the best years of my life,” he tweeted.
- Shaw TV Edmonton is officially off-the-air as of midnight on August 15.
- Bill Cowen is no longer with K97. He has been a morning show co-host since 2009. Taking his place starting today is Bryn Griffiths.
- CBC Life interviewed Edmonton-born writer Kelly Oxford. Her new book is called When You Find Out The World Is Against You: And Other Funny Memories About Awful Moments.
- Save the date for the official launch party of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB. It’s going to take place on Wednesday, September 27.
- The Journal’s Paula Simons co-wrote the Fringe show Onions and Garlic with Dave Clarke. Here’s a review from Gig City. Be sure to check out the #YEGFringe Daily Digest for all the reviews and other Fringe news.
- From Dave: how to identify concentration of media ownership in 2017. Heh, clever.
- The next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup will take place on October 22.
- Since it’s the only thing anyone could talk about today, here’s a great local photo of the solar eclipse:
Partial Solar Eclipse – Edmonton, Canada – August 21, 2017, photo by Kurt Bauschardt
And here is some slightly less local media stuff:
- BBC World Service is adding 12 new language services to the 28 it already publishes in around the world, its biggest expansion in more than 70 years.
- Axios reports that Steve Bannon “sees a massive opening to the right of Fox News, raising the possibility that he’s going to start a network.” For now he’s back at Breitbart.
- GoDaddy, Google, and Cloudflare have dropped the Daily Stormer, a move which the Electronic Frontier Foundation calls “dangerous” while noting the situation is “deeply fraught with emotional, logistical, and legal twists and turns”. They’re worried about the precedent it will set, writing that “every time a company throws a vile neo-Nazi site off the Net, thousands of less visible decisions are made by companies with little oversight or transparency.”
- Reddit has rolled out the ability to upload and view videos of up to 15 minutes in length directly on the site.
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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