Media Monday Edmonton: Update #306

I’m excited to share that we’re launching the Media Roundup at Taproot Edmonton today. Sign up now to get the latest news, events, comings & goings, job opportunities, and other updates on media, public relations, and communications in Edmonton every Monday morning.

I started writing the Media Monday Edmonton series on my blog in February 2011. “Like many others, I’m interested in the continual evolution of journalism and media,” I wrote at the time. “I’d like to start devoting an entry each Monday to this changing landscape.” I’ve kept it up ever since, and have received a lot of great feedback about the series over the years. People tell me they find it useful, informative, and interesting.

Inspired in part by my experience with this series, we have recently launched a few roundups at Taproot, which are curated updates on local topics that our members are curious about. In support of that effort, I’m essentially transitioning Media Monday Edmonton to Taproot as the Media Roundup. It will become the primary place for my curated updates.

Here is the first edition, published this morning!

For now, I plan to continue publishing Media Monday Edmonton here with a selection of updates from the Media Roundup and my non-local media links of the week.

Local updates from the Media Roundup

Here are a few select updates from today’s Media Roundup:

• Elevating Edmonton is a new podcast about architecture in Edmonton. The first episode features Dan Rose, Dave Sutherland, Tim Schneider, Tim Querengesser, and Shafraaz Kaba.
• Brenden Ullrich is joining the Corus Entertainment sales team as an Account Manager for radio & television. For the last four years he has been a producer of and occasional fill-in host for Oilers Now on 630 CHED.
• Glass Buffalo is launching its summer issue on Wednesday evening at Yellowhead Brewery. Tickets are $10 or $5 for current subscribers.
• Jacquie DuVal of Plated Public Relations will be speaking about social media influencers within Alberta’s food industry on Thursday at lunchtime at the Food Central Cowork, located at 10578 113 Street.
• Servus Credit Union is looking for a Media and Story Consultant. “This position will research, develop, implement and evaluate external communications programs in support of corporate communication strategies.”

If you look closely, I’m in this photo (with Sharon and Emily) of the K-Days parade, standing next to the 840 CFCW tent. It was fun to listen to their running commentary!

K-Days Parade 2018 by jasonwoodhead23 on Flickr

Media-related updates from elsewhere

And here is some non-local media news that I found interesting this week:

• We need a new model for tech journalism, writes James Ball in the Columbia Journalism Review. “It’s easy to see why some readers would feel whiplashed by the current, critical coverage of Facebook and Google, which seems to come out of nowhere,” he says. “That’s our fault as journalists: We’ve been too slow to spot how things have changed and to cover the sector as the corporate behemoth it is.”
• Here’s a rebuttal to that idea from Danny Crichton at TechCrunch. “But here’s the challenge: The whole idea of a coherent “tech press” seems to miss that technology has completely taken over the world.”
• “Smart speakers are gaining adoption faster than any technology since the mobile phone,” which is why news publishers are stepping up their efforts to create content for platforms like Amazon Echo and Google Home.
• The ongoing trade war has resulted in new tariffs that increase the cost of newsprint by as much as 30 to 35 percent. Could this be the Black Swan event that speeds up the death of newspapers in the United States?
• The podcast In the Dark has attracted more than 250 people to a private Facebook group that requires a minimum donation of $50 to join.

Follow Edmonton media news using the hashtag #yegmedia and be sure to check out Mediagazer for the latest media news from elsewhere. You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here. If you have a tip or suggestion for future updates, let me know.

At Taproot Edmonton we’re working hard to ensure that local journalism has a future in our city. Join us to be part of the movement.