Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:
- “We published more than 250 items in the last year, and more than 60 newsletters.” Jeff Samsonow reflects on the first year of Edmonton Quotient. Congrats on the milestone!
- Marty Forbes wrote about the NAIT Radio & TV 50th anniversary. “Many of our city’s finest media talent are homegrown and attended NAIT’s Radio and Television course as a prerequisite to them getting a foothold in the business.”
- He also wrote a tribute to his brother Gerry who is “hanging up his headphones at CJAY in Calgary shortly.”
- Hot 107 FM is one of the dozens of Canadian radio stations that have pulled Hedley from their playlists amid secual misconduct allegations against the band. “It’s a band of talented musicians but there’s simply too many stories from underage fans who claim they were victims of misconduct,” said Chris Myers, the station’s program director.
- A reminder that The Yards Spring Salon & AGM is coming up on March 1 at CKUA!
- CBC Edmonton is looking for “an experienced host with strong journalism skills to anchor our weekday 3-hour long afternoon radio program Radio Active.”
- The Young Gaffers and That’s a Thing?! are the two newest members of the Alberta Podcast Network.
- Here is the latest roundup of local podcasts.
- The Edmonton Podcasting Meetup is getting together again on Sunday, February 25 at Variant Edition Comics & Culture. “Let’s get together and talk about what we want to do this year, and how we can help each other get there.”
- The Echo-Pioneer in High Level is looking for a Community Newspaper Reporter. “There is a rumour going around that newspapers are down for the count,” the ad reads. “Not so, as those of us in the rural areas of Canada are still standing; merely leaning on the ropes, catching our breath. We’re still in the fight!”
- Here’s a recent edition of Social media watch in the Journal: Revolution and pipeline retweets.
- I discovered recently that Edmonton Public Library members get access to Kanopy, a video streaming platform “with a large and unique collection of documentaries, feature films, shorts, and television series featuring over 30,000 films from hundreds of producers…and thousands of independent filmmakers.”
Ryan and Lanny!, photo by elleenmak
And here is some slightly less local media stuff:
- Corus Entertainment has cut nearly 80 jobs at Global News across Canada “as part of a restructuring geared toward boosting online coverage.” Vancouver was hit the hardest, with 21 employees laid off.
- Vassy Kapelos is the new host of CBC’s Power & Politics, starting in March. Congrats!
- Roughly 3,300 of Shaw Communications Inc.’s workforce took a voluntary severance package, five times more than originally estimated. “The anticipated long-term net cost savings — estimated at $225 million by fiscal 2020 — will provide room to make “appropriate investments” as required.”
- “A warning from Canada’s biggest media companies that their survival is under threat from unregulated foreign rivals and illicit content pirates has sparked a massive influx of submissions to [the CRTC] from consumers with little sympathy for their cause.” More than 5,440 responses have been submitted already with the consultation open until March 1.
- Jesse Brown reports that the Toronto Star has killed its internship program. “Biggest paper in the country no longer has a mechanism to bring in new talent,” he wrote.
- Google has introduced AMP Stories, “a mobile-focused format for delivering news and information as visually rich, tap-through stories.”
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!
Want to read great stories about Edmonton? Or maybe you’d like to write them? Join Taproot Edmonton and help us ensure that local journalism has a future in our city.
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