Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

• Grant Ainsley has broken up with the Edmonton Journal because it is “a product that’s not as good as it used to be, one that’s provided less often, and at a price that continues to increase.” I think he articulates the way many subscribers are feeling, though the paper he remembers is never coming back because the business model is broken.
• A local media consortium including CBC, Postmedia, Global, and CTV has applied for permission to live broadcast the decision on the mistrial in the Travis Vader case. A ruling is expected on October 28 with the mistrial decision slated for October 31.
• Carly Turner made her CTV Edmonton debut on Thursday. She has been working in PR but was previously the traffic and entertainment host on BT Edmonton.
• With Ryan Tumilty leaving for Ottawa, Alex Boyd is the new senior reporter at Metro Edmonton. Also, Jeremy Simes has joined from Metro Calgary.
• Corey Hogan has been appointed Managing Director of the Public Affairs Bureau, effective Thursday, October 13.
• Looks like Ken Regan is getting ready to retire from CKUA as the network has started the search for a new CEO. They’re working with executive recruiters Pekarsky & Co.
• Marty Klinkenberg’s new book The McDavid Effect is available October 11. Here’s an excerpt. There’s a launch event taking place on Thursday evening to kick off LitFest.
• Congratulations to Alberta Street News publisher Linda Dumont on receiving the 2016 Salvos Prelorentzos Peace Award.
• Episode 152 of the Press Gallery Podcast features outgoing Edmonton Journal deputy editor Kathy Kerr “as she rides off into the bittersweet sunset of retirement.”
• Episode 51 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Jeremy Bibaud, “the gaming aficionado who co-hosts The Clickbait Podcast, and the enterprising writer behind a story-mapping project called YEG Storyhood.”
• Episode 16 of the Sound Off Podcast features Marty Forbes.
• Lloyd Lewis, former VP and GM of CTV Edmonton, has launched Todayville.com down in Red Deer. It’s “a brand new media platform that its owners are hoping will re-invigorate community engagement this city, and eventually in all areas which are underserved by conventional media but full of people who want to know what’s going on around them.”
• Here are the latest blog and podcast roundups from Seen and Heard in Edmonton, with an interesting new look & feel.
• Friday was Jennifer Crosby’s last day at Global Edmonton as she goes on maternity leave for baby #2. Congrats!
• Is this a thing – Global Edmonton’s Morning Show and Ryan Jespersen with a daily Q&A?
• The Edmonton Broadcasters Club Fall Luncheon 2016 takes place on Wednesday and features Dave Cutler.
• CBC Edmonton is looking for an Associate Producer for the afternoon drive radio program Radio Active.
• 93.1 The One in Leduc is looking for a General Manager/General Sales Manager. October 15 is the deadline to apply.
• Who doesn’t want to be as normal as Daryl McIntyre?
• The documentary Airport: Below Zero featuring the Edmonton International Airport debuted on The History Channel on October 5.
• Here’s the latest update on Taproot Edmonton. We’re going to be publishing our next story very soon!

Minister of Transportation Brian Mason interviewed at the opening ceremony for the Northeast Anthony Henday Drive, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• Maclean’s is shifting to a monthly print schedule, one of the many impacts of Rogers Media scaling back its publishing business. It has been published weekly since the 1970s.
• Starting Wednesday, the NFL’s updated social media policy takes effect and means that teams can be fined for posting video inside a stadium during a game. That means no Facebook Live, Periscope, or anything else. Teams are also restricted from turning highlights into animated GIFs.
• CBC’s new show Shoot the Messenger follows a young reporter named Daisy who works at The Gazette. Here’s a review from the Globe and Mail and here’s a feature on Ian Barr, an Edmonton-based screen writer who worked on the show.
• Here’s an interesting challenge that news organizations are going to have to resolve: some are facing an increase in the number of requests to take down old stories.
• Another reason the rush to produce a ton of video won’t list: younger adults prefer to get their news in text.
• Very interesting to read about the changes coming to The Verge, one of the few news sites I visit every day.

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 my latest update on local media stuff:

• Mark Iype is the new editor-in-chief of the Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun, taking over from Lorne Motley who is now vice-president of editorial for Postmedia’s western region. Mark has served as the Journal’s City Editor since February 2014 and starts in the new role on October 1. Congrats!
• The other change at Postmedia is that Kathy Kerr has decided to retire from the deputy editor position after a 33-year career. Dave Breakenridge will take over her duties as Managing Editor of the Journal and Sun, starting October 1.
• Congratulations to all the media folks recognized in Vue Weekly’s 2016 Best of Edmonton. Hot 107 FM won Best Radio Station, Global Edmonton won Best TV Station, The Awesome Hour won Best Podcast, and Lisa Evans won Best Tweeter, to name just a few.
• CKUA launched its new Calgary studio on Friday – you can view the livestream archive here. The new studio is located inside Studio Bell and was funded by the Calgary Foundation. They’ve also launched a survey to gather input on how to “make CKUA better than ever.”
• The CRTC is hosting a hearing in Edmonton tomorrow (September 27) in response to the call for new radio stations that went out last December. Eleven applications “for new ethnic radio stations, as well an application for a new French-language community radio station” were received and will be considered.
• In case you missed it, here’s our most recent Taproot Edmonton newsletter. Be sure to check out the interview Karen did with Mel Priestley, who wrote our first story.
• Former Edmonton Sun reporter Pamela Roth has published a new book called Deadmonton: Crime Stories from Canada’s Murder City. The non-fiction book has “roughly 40 chapters, each covering specific cases of homicides, as well as how those cases affected the victim’s friends, families, and the police officers investigating them.”
• The Media Challenge at the Edmonton Comedy Festival takes place on October 5 at 7:30pm. Get your tickets here!
• Here are the latest blog and podcast roundups from Seen and Heard in Edmonton.
• Congratulations to Edmonton’s own Gfycat on raising $10 million! They have 75 million monthly active users who watch 1.5 billion user-generated GIFs per month. Will be very interesting to see how this new investment will enable them to grow.
• A study conducted by Claudine Champion at the University of Alberta found that “Edmonton women are most likely to die from heart disease and stroke but are more likely to be surrounded by breast cancer media.” And that breast cancer coverage focuses on survivors rather than the realistic negatives.
• Bell Media is looking for an Editor to join CTV2 Edmonton.
• The Yards is hosting a debate on ICE District on Thursday evening to launch the fall issue. “Ian O’Donnell of the Downtown Edmonton Community League and UofA professor Jay Scherer [will] go head to head on one of the most divisive local issues in recent memories.”

Ryan Jespersen at Rogers Place

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• Rogers and Shaw have announced that their video streaming joint venture Shomi will shut down as of November 30. They couldn’t compete against Netflix.
• The Government of Canada is hosting Canadian Content in a Digital World Consultations over the next couple of months. The event here in Edmonton is scheduled for November 7.
• Paul Farhi, media reporter for The Washington Post, makes an argument for avoiding the term “the media”.
• Michael Spratt, a criminal lawyer based in Ottawa, argues against allow cameras in the courtroom. “A trial’s primary focus is truth-seeking and fairness, not entertainment,” he wrote.
• Metro reports that Gerry Forbes has renewed his contract with CJAY 92 in Calgary for another two years. “He was expected to retire last week on his 60th birthday.”
• Apparently Disney is evaluating a possible bid for Twitter. The other potential suitor at the moment is Salesforce.

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 my latest update on local media stuff:

• A follow-up on last week’s news: a camera was allowed inside the courtroom for the Travis Vader murder verdict, a first for an Alberta criminal trial. Paula Simons explains how livestreaming of the decision – something local media outlets fought for the right to do – caused a legal firestorm after a criminal law professor watching started tweeting about an error the judge made. Would that have come to light without cameras in the courtroom?
• Karen and I will be demoing Taproot Edmonton at DemoCamp Edmonton 32 on Thursday evening. Hope to see you there!
• The Edmonton Journal and Metro Edmonton are among those nominated for the 2016 Canadian Online Publishing Awards.
• The Nation Network, publisher of OilersNation, has acquired GeneralFanager.com bringing the network to 11 sites.
• The final issue of the Western Catholic Reporter will be published on September 26 as the publication switches to a daily online news portal. Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, the newspaper’s publisher, made the announcement last week and confirmed a number of positions would be eliminated, including that of long-time editor Glen Argan. Here’s more on the news.
• Tonight was the launch of Edmonton Cooks, a new recipe book by writers Leanne Brown and Tina Faiz. Here’s a feature on the book and here’s an interview with Tina Faiz, who used to be a reporter for CBC Edmonton.
• Wade Sorochan, who has worked in Edmonton radio for many years, has written a book called Un-Social Media: Virtual World Causing Real Word Anxiety which also launched today.
• Marty Forbes reports that Susan Reade, who was the General Sales Manager at Bell in Edmonton for 100.3 The Bear, 104.9 Virgin Radio, and CTV, has “been restructured out”.
• Episode 50 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features David Rauch, “the strategic planner, open-data enthusiast and onetime journalist who makes connections through Beta City YEG, Edmonton’s civic technology meetup.”
• Terry Jones reports that Phil Rivers, the man behind the 99 Tears! headline, retired on September 13.
• WHERE Edmonton parent company Tanner Young Publishing Group is looking for a junior graphic designer to work on the magazine.
• From Vintage Edmonton, here’s a look at some CJCA history.
• Congratulations to Emil of I Heart Edmonton on publishing 500 posts! “I set out to showcase Edmonton and to show Edmontonians that there is so much more to our city than what they might think.”
• Egyptian-born Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy, who along with two other journalists in 2013 was unjustly arrested, and sentenced to seven years in prison in Egypt, is speaking on October 1 at the Arden Theatre in St. Albert.

Western Canada Fashion Week’s Celebrity Showcase

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• While many are calling for President Obama to pardon Edward Snowden, the Washington Post has demanded that he stand trial on espionage charges. That makes the Post “the first-ever paper to explicitly editorialize for the criminal prosecution of its own source – one on whose back the paper won and eagerly accepted a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.” Incredible.
• A tweet remains 140 characters but now pictures, videos, and polls no longer count toward that limit. And soon usernames in replies may also be exempt from the character count.
• Torstar Corp. has sold the land and buildings of the former printing plant of the Toronto Star for $54.3 million. It had previously outsourced printing of the Star and announced plans to close the plant and sell the property.
• The latest Gallup survey estimates that only 32% of Americans trust the media, “the lowest level recorded in the polling organization’s history” and a drop of 8 points from last year. CJR breaks it down.

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 my latest update on local media stuff:

• Ryan Tumilty announced today he is leaving Metro Edmonton to join Metro Ottawa. The exact date is still to be determined, but he tweeted he is “sad to be leaving a city I have really grown to love, but excited for new opportunities closer to family.” Sad to see you go Ryan, but wish you all the best!
• The September/October issue of The Tomato celebrates the magazine’s 20th year. Publisher Mary Bailey started it in 1996 as City Palate and is featured in this Proust Culinary Questionnaire. Congrats on 20 years Mary!
• The latest Edmonton radio ratings are out covering the period May 30 – August 28. Now 102.3 FM remains on top and has actually pulled away from second place 103.9 CISN FM. 630 CHED remains third. The big loser in this book was CBC Radio 1, falling from fourth to eighth.
• Congrats to Chris Scheetz, Jacqueline Sweeney, and Matt DeBeurs on being named On-Air Personalities of the Year (Large Market) and to their station 103.9 CISN FM on being named Best Radio Station of the Year (Large Market) at the 2016 Canadian Country Music Association Awards.
• The Edmonton Journal, Canadian Press, CBC, CTV, and Global have all made their case to have cameras in the courtroom on Thursday for the verdict in the first-degree murder trial of Travis Vader. “The affidavit was put together by CBC crime reporter Janice Johnston. In her application, Johnston argues that the high-profile case has attracted significant attention around the world, is an extremely complex case, and it is in the public’s best interest to see the decision delivered directly from the judge.” The decision is expected tomorrow. Here’s the story from Janice Johnston herself.
• Mark Drelich is leaving 102.3 Now FM for Vancouver where he’ll join 102.7 The Peak. His last day was Thursday, September 8. He posted a video to Facebook thanking his colleagues and listeners.
• Edmonton Senior News is now called Edmonton Prime Times starting with the September edition. Here’s a look at the new cover.
• CFWE Radio have hired Devin Grey as a Sales Consultant. He was with Corus previously, as Sales Manager here in Edmonton for the past 12 years.
• Guy Laurence, CEO of Rogers Communications, was in Edmonton last week to tour Rogers Place and participate in the grand opening. “Rogers invested $15 million in the 18,641-seat building’s fancy new hardware and software systems, which include no fewer than 417 Wi-Fi antennas sprinkled around the building, and three sets of antennas that handle emergency services and cellphones for all telco providers.”
• Here’s a feature on 630 CHED from Seanna Collins. Bruce Bowie, Eileen Bell, Ryan Jespersen, and Bryan Hall all make appearances.
• Vue Weekly is looking for an Associate Editor, ideally with arts experience.
• Cam Tait has put the call out for submissions for the 2016 ATCO Edmonton Sun Christmas Charity Auction, which takes place November 1-3. “Last year, Edmonton media personalities – newspaper, radio and television – raised over $21,000 for the auction by offering packages,” he wrote.
• Here are the latest blog and podcast roundups from Seen and Heard in Edmonton.
• The next episode of Your Turn with Jenny Adams on Shaw TV features 630 CHED’s Ryan Jespersen. Watch it on September 22.
• The deadline to apply for Avenue Edmonton’s editorial intern position is Wednesday. “To qualify for this Alberta Magazine Publishers Association subsidized internship you must have graduated in September 2014 or later.”
• Rogers Radio (SONiC, The Bounce, World FM) is looking for a Promotions Coordinator.
• Bell Media is looking for a Senior Manager of Advertising and Promotions. The deadline to apply is September 20.
• Global’s casting tour for Big Brother Canada will come to Edmonton on Saturday, October 1 at The Billiard Club. The show will air next spring.

I am thrilled with our first story at Taproot Edmonton! Written by Mel Priestley, it’s all about the herd of deer that live near the Edmonton Ethane Extraction Plant along 23 Avenue.

Please check it out, and consider becoming a member to help us put more great stories like this into the world.

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• Lots of Twitter-related news to start the week. Starting September 19, media attachments (images, videos, polls, etc.) will no longer count toward the 140 character limit. It doesn’t seem like they are going to increase the length of tweets, but this is change will help. And from Fast Company, here’s a look at Twitter’s big bet on live events.
• It’s kind of difficult to remember just how different the web looked on September 11, 2001. I remember spending most of the day glued to the TV after trying to get the web to load that morning in my computing science lab at the U of A.
• As we approach the debates in the US Presidential Election, The Onion is ramping up its coverage. “With the mock headlines easily shared on social media, The Onion is on track to see a 38 percent increase in traffic to its main website over the 2012 election cycle, spokeswoman Lauren Pulte said.”
• For those of you following the Gawker saga, the latest news is that new own Univision has deleted six stories that were the targets of lawsuits, an act the Gawker Media Editorial Union strongly disagrees with.
• Why would someone go into journalism? John Harris, publisher and editor-in-chief of Politico, tackles the big question.

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 my latest update on local media stuff:

• Avenue Edmonton is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the September 2016 issue. “Publisher Orville Chubb and associate publisher Trudy Callaghan remember how one conversation led to bringing this magazine to print in 2006.”
• The Edmonton Broadcasters Club fall luncheon takes place on October 12 and will feature Dave Cutler.
• Marina Endicott is MacEwan University’s 24th writer in residence. “Starting September 12, Marina will be on campus to share her experiences and knowledge, give readings, help other writers and work on a major project of her own.”
• Edmontonian Tracy LaRose was featured in a recent episode of HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters.
• From Vintage Edmonton, here’s a John Berry weather forecast on CFRN TV from October 1991.
• Episode 49 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Jim Bilodeau, “a NAIT instructor with a passion to help artists make money online, and the man behind The Museum Project.”
• Hannah of Honey & Betts has a roundup of some of Edmonton’s top fashion bloggers.
• The latest episode of Matt Cundill’s podcast features 100.3 The Bear’s Yukon Jack and “his story of bringing a recently emigrated Nigerian family who fled the Fort Mac flames last May.”
• Avenue Edmonton is looking for an editorial intern for a paid six-month term, beginning October 1. The deadline to apply is September 14.
• The Radisson Hotel and Convention Centre is looking for a full-time Social Media Coordinator.
• CBC Edmonton is looking for a Reporter-Editor to work in radio. The deadline to apply is September 18.
• Marty Forbes reports that Ursula Phillips, who has “spent the last few decades at CTV Edmonton”, is the new VP Marketing at the TELUS World of Science. Congrats!

The media room at City Hall

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• CBC’s Peter Mansbridge will retire from The National next summer after anchoring special Canada Day coverage celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. “Mansbridge’s storied career has spanned nearly five decades, including 28 years at the helm of the desk as anchor and chief correspondent.”
• CTV’s Canada In A Day takes place on September 10. They are encouraging Canadians to “grab their cameras or smartphones and film their lives.” The footage will be used in a film to be aired as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary next year.
• John Doyle in the Globe and Mail discussing CRTC’s recent decision on Canadian content: “To make Canadians care there needs to be an example of a much-loved show that would not have been funded and made under the new system.”
• The Newspaper Association of America is renaming itself the News Media Alliance. Writes the NY Times: “There is one obvious reason behind the change: The number of newspapers continues to drop, which has a way of depressing the association’s membership.”
• Margaret Sullivan argues in the Washington Post that “news organizations should fix online comments rather than ditch them.” She says there’s value there that can’t be replicated on social media.
• Although the number of full-time editorial cartoonists is dwindling, “the narrative of decline excludes a whole host of people stretching the form online in ways that weren’t possible just a few years ago.” The future looks bright for the editorial cartoon.

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.