Media Monday Edmonton: Update #120

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

K-Days Edmonton 2014

K-Days Edmonton 2014
Corus Entertainment tent at K-Days

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.

Edmonton Notes for 7/20/2014

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

Diner en Blanc
Diner en Blanc, more photos here

Upcoming Events

K-Days Edmonton 2014
K-Days midway, more photos here

Edmonton moves forward with urban beekeeping

Urban beekeepers are buzzing in Edmonton now that City Council has given the green light to a pilot project that will allow hives in backyards within city limits. On July 7, the Community Services Committee approved the pilot with urgency, pushing for the rules against urban beekeeping to come to an end. The City will now undertake a pilot and will report back with recommended bylaw changes in early 2015.

Bee in a Peony
Bee in a Peony by Martin Male

The battle to keep bees has been going on for quite some time and given that numerous other cities allow urban beekeeping, this decision was seen by many as long overdue. Importantly, it’s another recommendation from Fresh that will see implementation, and it’s a sign from Council that they are serious about food and agriculture in Edmonton.

Here’s an audio story about the news:

You can listen on Mixcloud or you can download the episode here.

Further Reading

Sources

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #119

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

  • Two local radio stations are among the nine being sold by Rawlco Radio to the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. Subject to CRTC approval, both 102.3 NOW! Radio (CKNO-FM) and up! 99.3 (CIUP-FM) will both join the growing stable of stations under the Broadcast Group umbrella. I talked to a few people who work at the stations and also saw other reaction online, but it was all the same – employees expressed great respect for Rawlco and uncertainty about the future (despite assurances that “all of the existing team members at the nine Rawlco Radio stations will be offered positions and the opportunity to grow with the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.”)
  • Edmonton’s newest media experiment is called Dispatch 7. Though based here in Edmonton, their focus goes beyond #YEG to cover “issues that matter to our city, province, and country.” Here’s their intro post. I recorded a brief podcast about the site, which you can check out on Mixcloud or via download here.

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.

Edmonton Notes for 7/13/2014

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

High Level Looking Rad
High Level Looking Rad by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

  • The first Make Something Monday event takes place bright and early at Startup Edmonton. The theme this week is social entrepreneurship.
  • Odysseo continues its run under the White Big Top this week.
  • Dishcrawl is back with its latest event on Tuesday evening, this time in the 124 Street area.
  • Head over to the Edmonton Journal on Wednesday for the next Capital Ideas Edmonton event, How do turn an idea into a business?
  • Wednesday is when the Edmonton stop on the Five Hole for Food tour takes place. Check out all the action behind the library downtown in Centennial Plaza.
  • The 2014 edition of Taste of Edmonton kicks off on Thursday in Churchill Square!
  • Wear white on Thursday evening for Diner en Blanc, location TBA to attendees at the last possible minute!
  • The annual K-Days Parade starts Friday at 10am at 99 Street and 102 Avenue. The gates at Northlands open immediately following the parade at noon to start another season of K-Days.
  • If you’re looking to take in some baseball, the Prospects host the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets on Friday and Saturday at Telus Field.
  • On Saturday, why not help to plant an edible forest in the river valley?
  • For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton International Street Performers Festival
Street Performers, photo by IQRemix

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #118

Here’s my latest update on 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.

Edmonton Notes for 7/6/2014

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

Borden Park
‘Willow’ at Borden Park

Upcoming Events

Edmonton Street Performers Festival
Street Performers Festival in Churchill Square

Edmonton’s High Level Bridge has lights…now what?

In case you missed it, here’s my recap of the light up that took place on Canada Day. Now that the lights are turned on, I had some questions about them, and I heard some common questions from others too. So I reached out to the Light the Bridge team for answers. Here’s what I found out!

High Level Bridge

When will the bridge be lit?

Every single night, 365 days a year. You can always go check out the lights at night!

What time do the lights come on and off?

It varies depending on the time of year. In the summer, they’ll come on later at night and turn off sooner. In the winter the lights will come on earlier in the evening, and may also be on in the early morning to brighten the commute. The City of Edmonton will control this, and the exact schedule is still being determined.

How are the colors/animations decided?

Right now the bridge lights seem to alternate from one solid color to another – green to blue to yellow to red, etc. For special events, the bridge may be lit differently (for instance, green and gold for an Eskimos game). The City of Edmonton’s Civic Events department has final say over the light colors and animations. In the future, individuals and organizations will be able to request special colors or animations – processes for that are being developed now.

Can the lights be used for advertising?

No. Not only was this a core principle established early on in the project, but the trellis structure of the bridge means there are no flat surfaces upon which words or ads could be placed. The bridge is not meant to be a billboard.

How can I find out what the colors on a given night are for?

I love the Tower Lights site for the Empire State Building in New York. You can always go and see what the colors meant for any given day. I understand the City will be creating a similar online tool so that you can see why the bridge is lit a certain way.

Where are the lights controlled from?

The lights are controlled from the City of Edmonton’s Network Operations Centre.

Who maintains the lights and pays for that maintenance?

The City of Edmonton will maintain the LED lights, just as they maintain all other lights on the bridge.

How much does it cost to light the bridge?

The annual electrical costs of running the new LED lights on the bridge are about the same annual costs as running 3-4 houses (assuming the lights are on an average of 7 hours every day).

Will the bridge contribute to light pollution?

Lights on the bridge are pointed downwards, and using LED lights allows the lights to be projected at specific points on the bridge, which minimizes the impact of light pollution. There is little to no light pollution.

I bought one or more bulbs, how can I find their location?

There’s a tool up on the Light the Bridge site now that lets you search for the location of your bulb(s) by last name, email address, or dedication. I bought two: one is light #3-1-6 (East Facing) and the other is light #4-4-56 (East Facing). You can also browse the lights manually and look at all the names and dedications. It’s a pretty neat collection of stories!

High Level Bridge

We’ve come a long way from the waterfall. Go check out the lights!

Recap: High Level Bridge light up on Canada Day

Thousands of Edmontonians lined the river valley on Canada Day to catch a glimpse of not only fireworks, but also the official light up of the High Level Bridge. The project was greenlit back in March when the necessary $2.5 million to purchase and install 50,000 LED bulbs on the bridge was successfully raised. Over the last month the lights were installed and tested in preparation for Canada Day.

Canada Day 2014

There were people everywhere last night – every path, ledge, and patch of grass was claimed by someone eager to see the lights and fireworks! Some folks brought chairs, others had blankets. There were lots of tripods and other camera setups.

Canada Day 2014

As the unveiling approached, singing of “O Canada” and chants of “CAN-A-DA!” could be heard all along River Valley Road. Finally, about five minutes past ten, the lights came on, and a couple minutes later, the fireworks began!

Canada Day 2014

Here’s the official video from Light the Bridge, with music performed by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The music was broadcast live on CKUA.

There was a lot of cheering, oohing, and ahhing as the lights came on. For about two minutes they danced across the bridge, giving us a glimpse of what can be done in the future.

Canada Day 2014

I was cautiously optimistic about how the lights would look, especially as I don’t feel the lights on the ATB Tower downtown look that great. Color me impressed though, they look great! Mayor Iveson, Dave Mowat, and others have been talking about how this could be our postcard photo, and now having seen the lights, I can see what they mean.

Canada Day 2014

It’ll be interesting to see how they light the bridge in the future. We’ve heard that it could be green and gold for the Eskimos, copper and blue for the Oilers, and evidently, rainbow colored for Pride!

Canada Day 2014

Congratulations to Dave Mowat and everyone at ATB, David Stevens and the folks at EPCOR, Tammy Pidner and the team at EEDC, and everyone else who worked hard to make this project a reality!

If you want to buy a bulb, you have until July 11 to do so. If you already bought one, head over to the website to find the location of yours. You can follow Light the Bridge on Twitter for updates.

Edmonton unveils Commonwealth Games 2022 bid committee and logo

Today we’re celebrating Canada’s 147th birthday, and the City took the opportunity to provide an update on its plans for Canada’s 155th birthday. Edmonton is hoping to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022, and at City Hall today Mayor Don Iveson announced both the bid committee and logo.

Commonwealth Games Bid Update

The bid committee will be led by former Edmonton Airports President & CEO Reg Milley. He showed a lot of enthusiasm today and I think he’ll be a great leader for this effort. Joining him on the initial committee is Vice Chair Simon Farbrother (City Manager), Candice Stasynec (Executive Director, Edmonton Events), Maggie Davison (Vice President, Edmonton Tourism), Lloyd Benz (Government of Alberta), and four members from Commonwealth Games Canada – Dr. Andrew Pipe, Bruce Robertson, Linda Cuthbert and Edmonton’s John Stanton.

Commonwealth Games Bid Update

From the news release:

“Edmonton has built a strong reputation as an outstanding host city,” says Mayor Don Iveson. “Our bid effort, in partnership with the Alberta government, is focused on convincing Commonwealth Games voters that Edmonton is the best host city in 2022.”

Edmonton has until March 2, 2015 to submit its bid. After site visits in the spring, the host city will be selected on September 2, 2015. Only Durban, South Africa has announced a bid so far. The bid committee will be travelling to Glasgow later this month, to take in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Reg Milley talked a lot about the importance of community support today. Without it, Edmonton’s bid won’t be successful. The committee is soliciting stories from Edmontonians who have fond memories of the 1978 Commonwealth Games to strengthen the bid. They also started handing out stickers featuring the new logo to Edmontonians in and around City Hall.

Councillor Sohi

To learn more about the bid committee and Edmonton’s campaign, check out the new Edmonton 2022 bid website.