Media Monday Edmonton: Update #235

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Alberta families benefit from carbon levy rebate 25961
Alberta families benefit from carbon levy rebate, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

  • Medium announced some big changes last week. They’re eliminating 50 jobs and are changing the business model, with Ev Williams writing that “it’s clear that the broken system is ad-driven media on the internet.”
  • Interesting to hear about Postmedia IO, a new initiative “focused on expanding innovation capabilities, growing business-to-business (B2B) product strategy, and evolving the company’s digital possibilities for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).”
  • Norway is going to be the first country to start switching off its FM radio network. “Sixty-six per cent of Norwegians oppose switching off FM, with just 17 per cent in favour and the rest undecided, according to an opinion poll published by the daily Dagbladet last month.”
  • The Washington Post is creating an eight-person “rapid-response investigative team that will work closely with all departments in the newsroom.” The team will consist of five reporters, an assignment editor, “a database reporter”, and “a graphics reporter”.
  • Is “fake news” now a tainted term?

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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #234

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Happy New Year 2017

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #233

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

VR Future
VR Future, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

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.

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 at the Alberta legislature 25107
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…

Taproot Edmonton is a source of curiosity-driven stories about our city, cultivated by the community. We don’t sell eyeballs, and we don’t put up paywalls. Share your curiosity with us and help support the future of local journalism in Edmonton by becoming a member.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #231

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

New legislation would get big money out of politics 24221
Photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

  • Marc Edge argues in the The Tyee that “a mindset shift is…needed among both federal regulators and journalism educators” to treat news media as “a public service of enormous social and political importance.”
  • The Outline has launched. It’s “a new kind of publication for a new kind of human.” Haven’t looked at much of the content yet, but the homepage certainly brings me back to my Geocities and Tripod days!
  • 10 million digital subscribers: that’s the new goal for the New York Times. As of September, they had 1.6 million but they have been growing by as many as 10,000 per day since Trump won the election.
  • Voice of San Diego has one of the most successful membership programs and now they’re going to share what they’ve learned with others through a new initiative called the News Revenue Hub.
  • Craig Silverman has been named media editor at BuzzFeed. He’s going to remain in Toronto, where he was formerly the head of BuzzFeed Canada.

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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #230

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

  • The changes resulting from the latest round of buyouts and layoffs at Postmedia are starting to trickle out. Long-time theatre critic Liz Nicholls is leaving the Journal. Her last day is December 2 and she is reportedly starting her own theatre review website called 12thnight.ca in the near future. Also leaving is music writer Sandra Sperounes who called taking the buyout “the toughest decision” she’s ever had to make. She doesn’t know what’s next but thanked Edmonton’s music scene. Both departures leave major gaps in the Journal’s local arts coverage. On top of that, Arts & Life editor Keri Sweetman has confirmed to me that she too will be leaving, at the end of January.
  • CBC Edmonton’s Janice Johnston let me know that she has heard through her contacts of 7 departures plus 2 vacancies that won’t be filled at the Journal/Sun/Postmedia (I’ll update when I have confirmed who they are). And she said “after subscribing to the Journal for 30 plus years we are going to cancel our subscription.”
  • UPDATE: Barb Wilkinson has confirmed her last day at Postmedia will be January 31. I can also confirm that Gary Lamphier will be leaving, his last day is December 9. He told me he is “sad to go” but feels “fortunate to have worked with so many great people for so long.”
  • A petition was launched last week to “save Edmonton Journal’s arts coverage”. It currently has 561 supporters with a goal of 1,000.
  • As mentioned last week, Postmedia’s local editor-in-chief Mark Iype announced changes to the Journal. He spent some time answering questions in the comments on that story and on Twitter. He confirmed that flyers “are incredibly popular”, said “our standards for journalistic objectivity have never changed”, and on local book coverage clarified that “it is not being eliminated, but it will look different”. In response to a question about local news, he said “Our focus will remain local. And we will do our best to cover the city to the best of our ability.”
  • After a lengthy battle with cancer, Dave Valentine passed away on November 26. He was “a beauty of a guy” tweeted Ryan Jespersen. A GoFundMe page has been setup to support Dave’s wife Dawn and their four children this holiday season. You can make a contribution until December 4.
  • Friday was Marion Warnica’s last day at CBC Edmonton. She’s off to Toronto to be CBC’s hourly newsreader. Best of luck!
  • Paul Brown is leaving 100.3 The Bear to head to Hollywood. Will he be missed? You be the judge! Yukon Jack joked about Paul’s departure on the November 25 episode of his big yap show too. Paul will stay with the show until the end of December.
  • Candice Ryan is going to start co-hosting at CFWE on December 12. Congrats!
  • Get to know Dave Sutherland, one of the contributors and City Ambassadors at Skyrise Edmonton. He was also on CBC’s Edmonton AM this morning to talk about the expanding website. (Full disclosure, Dave and I work together at Questionmark.)
  • Marty Forbes takes time in his latest column to thank the Edmonton Sun, Capital FM, and many other media folks for their support of the Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree and other worthy holiday causes.
  • In case you missed it: Ryan Jespersen interviewed Bob Cole on his show last week.
  • Here are the latest blog and podcast roundups from Seen and Heard in Edmonton.
  • The Alberta Legislature press gallery is marking its 100th anniversary this year, but the number of Edmonton based-journalists there now number fewer than ten. Is the increase in public relations and government creating their own stories to blame?
  • Wednesday is the deadline to apply for the St. Albert Gazette’s full-time photo journalist position.
  • The Journal has made its rules for commenting easier to see in one page (it looks like a new article, but Mark pointed out to me that the rules themselves are not new).
  • This tweet cracked me up. Who knew the CFL commissioner was so witty!

All is Bright
CKUA was at All is Bright

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #229

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Christmas Bureau 2016 Campaign Launch
630 CHED went with the Trump theme for their gingerbread house

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #228

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Fresh FM Christmas

And here is some slightly less local media stuff. This week, it’s very election-related:

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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #227

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Fort McMurray visit 21334
Photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #226

Trick or treat! Apparently the earliest reference of that term can be found in an 89-year-old newspaper clipping out of Blackie, Alberta.

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Premier Rachel Notley visits Fort McMurray during wildfire recovery
Premier Rachel Notley visits Fort McMurray during wildfire recovery, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

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.