Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

• Stuart Thomson wrote about how an increasing number of press secretaries at the Legislature used to be journalists. “The path from journalism to politics is a well-worn one,” he notes. His colleague Graham Thomson argues that the real issue isn’t that they are switching sides, it’s “that the number of journalists is shrinking” and that is a problem for “the health of democracy.”
• “After three years and 167 missions, Gastropost is saying goodbye.” The Journal’s experiment in creating a food community shared it’s final mission today, appropriately called The Last Bite.
• Meanwhile, Capital Ideas announced a couple weeks ago that Karen Unland is back as host and “she is looking forward to shining a light on insights from Edmonton’s entrepreneurs again.”
• A FOIP request by Postmedia has led to a change at city hall: “Starting this spring, city officials said they will start publicly posting all email memorandums sent between city administration and council members.” The first release is expected March 3.
• Mark Iype, Paula Simons, Marion Warnica, Jason Markusoff, and Josh Greschner are speaking next week at Words Matter: Journalism’s Role in the 21st Century, put on by the Peter Lougheed Leadership College at the University of Alberta.
• The next CPRS event features Sharon MacLean talking about “ideas to Navigate the Media Aftershock.” The event takes place on February 24 at The Westin.
• Jason Gregor wrote a birthday profile of John Short, a “long-time Edmonton radio personality and all-around sports guru.”
• Cam Tait wishes long-time Corus account executive Brian Wilkes a happy retirement. “Brian’s start in radio began in the late 1980s when he joined the sales staff of 930 CJCA and K-97.”
• Episode 59 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Tyler Butler, “the always-learning digital marketing strategist and musician who explores social media on the new podcast Don’t Call Me A Guru.”
• If you can believe it, Postmedia is looking for a Reporter to join the Edmonton newsroom. The deadline to apply is February 17.
• From Honey & Betts, here are the top local bloggers, social media influencers, and photographers you need to follow on Instagram.

Amazon Echo, photo by Adam Bowie

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• Amazon’s Alexa (the personal assistant inside the Echo) was a big hit at CES this year. Flash Briefing is an interesting start, but what else can news organizations do with Alexa? I’m still waiting for the Echo to launch in Canada.
• Google is making changes to AMP pages to make the publishers’ URLs more visible and actionable by readers. I’m still not a fan of how everything appears behind a google.com domain name.
• From CJR: Is “fake news” a fake problem?
• You may have heard that Norway plans to drop FM radio in favor of a modern equivalent known as digital audio broadcasting. It’s a bold but risky move as people have tried and failed to replace FM before.
• Guelph, Ontario lost its daily newspaper about a year ago. NiemanLab takes a look at the impact.

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:

• Friday’s episode of The Ryan Jespersen Show featured Jana Pruden, Tristin Hopper and Jeff Samsanow talking about Trump and the future of journalism. Oh, and Garth Brooks.
• Jeff was also on the radio earlier in the week on 630 CHED’s Afternoon News discussing trust & the media.
• Metro Edmonton is looking for a new Managing Editor. The deadline to apply is February 25. Current managing editor Tim Querengesser‘s last day will be March 1, after which he will be “working on a book, freelancing, learning to live lean and looking for new projects.”
• As mentioned back in November, this was Keri Sweetman’s last week at the Journal. Also leaving this week was Dave Lazzarino who started at the Sun back in 2012.
• Freelance photographer Jason Franson was covering the Women’s March at the Legislature last weekend for the Canadian Press and found himself in an altercation with The Rebel’s Sheila Gunn Reid and is now receiving death threats.
• Congratulations to Global Edmonton’s Gord Steinke on celebrating 25 years with the station! “Been a wonderful 25 years. Went fast by fast,” he wrote. In addition to seeing him on your TV you can now see Gord on your smartphone with Edmojis.
• Two interesting threads from Elise Stolte to share this week. The first deals with proposed changes to the MGA that would let the City stop advertising bylaw changes and rezonings in the Journal. The second concerns the City’s freedom of information policy & processes.
• Here’s Karen talking about where our most recent Taproot Edmonton stories came from.
• Don’t miss the latest Edmonton blog and podcast roundups from Seen and Heard in Edmonton.
• Here’s a CBC Edmonton feature on the Yeggers Instagram account that was started by Brittney Punter. “The page has become a platform where local photographers share their work, and the collection has captured the city’s often unappreciated beauty.”
• New Trail’s Thought Box interviewed Tim Currie, Jason Harley, and Paula Simons about “alternative facts” and other “post-truth” issues.
• CBC Radio has a part-time opening in Edmonton for a Weekend Producer.

Women’s March on Washington – Edmonton Solidary Event, photo by Paula Kirman

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• What can I say about Trump’s first week in office that you haven’t already seen elsewhere? It seems Mediagazer is all-Trump, all-the-time right now.
• Edward Greenspon, former editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail, has written The Shattered Mirror, a report that “lays out the issues facing the Canadian news business and offers 12 recommendations for how to ensure a sustainable future for journalism in that country.” You can check out the report’s microsite here.
• Canadian journalists are meeting with Members of Parliament in Ottawa this week to discuss challenges facing the media.
• The Canadian Media Fund and Google Canada are launching a YouTube channel to celebrate “iconic Canadian film and television content from years gone by” as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary.
• This one is in my Pocket list for later reading – Ezra Levant: The Rebel’s unrepentant commander.
• Amsterdam’s De Correspondent reports it has reached the milestone of 50,000 paying members! “Some 78% of members pay €60 a year (around $65), the other 22% pay €6 a month ($6.50).” Amazing.

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:

• Jeff Samsonow has announced Edmonton Quotient, “a new Edmonton magazine that will focus on local news, issues and discussions about our city.” He shared a bit more on the project here. I look forward to seeing where it goes!
• In case you missed it, I shared an update on Taproot Edmonton last week!
• Paula Simons writes that Edmonton Police have “refused to release or confirm the names of the victim and the shooter” in a recent Riverbend homicide. She’s absolutely right that this sets a dangerous precedent. “As a community, we need to figure out what went wrong, how we might have prevented this tragedy, how we might prevent future ones,” she wrote. “When we don’t name names, we minimize the gravity of the offence.” The same could be said about pedestrian deaths.
• Congratulations to CTV Edmonton’s Daryl McIntyre, nominated for Best News Anchor Local in the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s 2017 awards.
• This year’s edition of the Corus Radiothon raised $1.29 million for the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Over the last 17 years, the event has raised around $20 million.
• Sheila Gunn Reid, reporter for The Rebel, was allegedly assaulted at Saturday’s rally at the Legislature in support of the Women’s March on Washington. Edmonton Police are now investigating.
• Jonathan Glasgow is a new Morning Live Reporter at CTV Edmonton. He started last week.
• Michael Hingston has announced he is writing a book about Calvin & Hobbes for ECW Press. Awesome! As a huge Calvin & Hobbes fan, I’m really looking forward to it! Publication is slated for April 2018.
• There was a big Instagram meetup on Sunday at CBC in Edmonton City Centre. Sounds like it was a big success!
• January 25 is Bell Let’s Talk Day which aims to raise awareness about mental health. Cam Tait has shared his own experience and stressed how important it is to talk.
• The latest episode of the What It Is Podcast features local podcasters Andrea Beça, German Villegas, and Adam Rozenhart talking all about podcasting.
• Episode 58 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Nick McQuik, “the always hustling comic who co-hosts The Quik and Slow Comedy Show.”
• Nicola Crosbie is the new communications strategist for Alberta’s Ministry of Status of Women.
• Here’s another CBC Edmonton story on broadcaster Larry Langley who died on January 10.
• The Works International Visual Arts Society is looking for a Marketing and Communications Officer. The deadline to apply is February 3.

How about that fog on the weekend!

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• Donald Trump and press secretary Sean Spicer blatantly lied about the inauguration and women’s march turnouts, so the next day Kellyanne Conway said they were simply offering “alternative facts”. I just have no words for this.
• Though this is interesting: Trump’s White House is going to have “Skype Seats” to give journalists outside the D.C. area more access.
• Ghost, an open source platform for independent publishers, has launched a $45,000 journalism development program.
• A letter from Globe & Mail editor-in-chief David Walmsley: Journalism matters. “Journalism is driven by a commitment to curiosity, a fidelity to the facts and a determination to discover the unknown,” he wrote.
• The Guardian published a story recently about a potential backdoor in WhatsApp but it was controversial from the start. Now more than 70 security experts have signed an open letter asking them to retract the story.

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:

• Larry Langley, a longtime CBC broadcaster and three-term city councillor, has died at the age of 83 after a long battle with cancer. Here’s his obituary and here’s the story at CBC.
• There are plenty of challenges but also opportunities ahead for local media. Karen had the opportunity to explore this in depth in a new interview at Communicate Influence.
• The next Edmonton Broadcasters Club luncheon coming up in April will feature 630 CHED’s Bob Layton.
• Elise Stolte is thinking big picture to start the new year and is looking for your input. “I want to use at least some of the time I have between meetings and breaking news to cover the most important topics.”
• Sounds like it wasn’t much of a game: the Oilers alumni defeated the local media 8-1 to kick off Edmonton Minor Hockey Week. TSN’s Matt Kassian had the lone goal for the media side.
• From Vickie at Adventures in Fashion, here are 5 blogging goals to adopt now. Depending on what your objectives are, there’s some good stuff there!
• Today is considered “Blue Monday”: the most depressing day of the year. To beat the winter & post-holiday blues, CBC Edmonton hosted a pool party at the Terwillegar Rec Centre.
• The next CPRS Edmonton event is coming up on Friday and features Lloyd Lewis, formerly of CTV Edmonton, who will be talking about Todayville.
• A celebration of life for Kelly Boyd will take place in Edmonton on January 28. He was the station manager at CJOK Fort McMurray and passed away late last year.
• Here are the latest blog and podcast roundups from Seen and Heard in Edmonton.
• Thursday will mark exactly one year since Postmedia merged the Journal & Sun newsrooms and laid off 35 people.

Sylvan Lake gets improved health care, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• The New York Times has begun to enable HTTPS on NYTimes.com, “an effort that helps protect the privacy of our readers and ensures the authenticity of our content.” This is important and great to see.
• Calum Marsh in the National Post: Thanks to the internet, what does ‘watching TV’ even mean in 2017?
• Also on the topic of modern television: How Netflix Is Deepening Our Cultural Echo Chambers. I like the idea that thanks to the Internet, “we’re returning to the cultural era that predated radio and TV.”
• Another week, more fretting about Trump and the media. Margaret Sullivan says that covering Trump will be “hellish”. Jack Shafer argues that this could be a good thing though because journalists will be forced to go beyond the traditional Washington back-scratching that so often takes place.

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:

• Karen was on Edmonton AM last week to talk about Taproot Edmonton!
• Some of Edmonton’s most well-known Twitter users shared their “social media golden rule” with Danielle at The Social Pen. Great roundup!
• Congratulations to Omar on the big book news to start 2017!
• CBC Edmonton’s Mark Connolly and his wife Alyson opened their recently renovated home to the Journal’s My House Beautiful series.
• Jana Pruden is curating a new series at Metro Cinema called The Bad Girls Movie Club.
• Former Global Edmonton account executive Kyla St. Gelais took a buyout in July and has since joined Signpatico Outdoor Inc.. Her colleague Lenny Adrichuk, who spent 8 years at the Edmonton Journal before joining Global Edmonton in 2010, has also joined Signpatico.
• Jennifer Hollett, Twitter Canada’s head of news and government, has been announced as the first keynote speaker for the upcoming iMEDIA conference.
• Episode 57 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features “audio from our November meetup with Haley Radke of Adoptees On and Wang Yip of The Dip on how to find your niche.”
• Save the date for the next edition of the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup taking place on January 29: Podcast length: Keep it tight or let it run?
• The Edmonton Journal’s Graham Thomson found himself as the focus of a recent piece at The Rebel for his story about Wildrose MLA Don MacIntyre’s comments on climate change.
• A new local documentary called Things Arab Men Say premiered recently and “captures candid conversations about identity, race and stereotypes, all set in the backdrop of an unassuming barbershop.” You can watch the trailer here.
• Accessible Media Inc. is looking for a Bureau Producer to join the team here in Edmonton.
• The deadline to apply for the News Editor position at The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton is January 20.
• The CRTC has approved two new radio stations to serve the Edmonton market. An application by 1811258 Alberta Ltd. was approved to “operate an ethnic commercial AM radio station” and an application by Société Radio Communautaire du Grand Edmonton Society was approved to “operate a French-language community FM radio station”. The first will broadcast at 580 AM (CKUA’s old frequency) and the second will broadcast at 97.9 FM.
• The temporary downtown location of the Edmonton Public Library is now open in Enterprise Square in the former Citytv studios. It was great to see the windows full of people instead of just blacked out curtains on my way home today!

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.

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

• Jeff Samsonow announced just before Christmas that he is no longer with Capital Ideas, another one of the victims of Postmedia’s latest round of cuts. He promises to share his plans and thoughts on local media soon.
• Friday, December 23 was also Mark Suits’ last day at Postmedia. He started working on the Journal’s website in 1999. “I have no immediate plans except to take a bit of time off to explore my options and do some beer bloggery,” he wrote.
• Liz Nicholls has launched her new website 12thnight.ca with a look back at Edmonton theatre in 2016.
• Karen Unland, my Taproot co-founder, is going to be the featured guest at McLuhan House on Wednesday, January 4. Join her to talk about the future of journalism!
• I had fun trying to remember the big social media moments of the year for this piece by Clare Clancy. What stood out for you?
• If you’re interested in learning more about how they do it in radio, check out CJSR’s training workshops this month!
• The cover of the January issue of The Tomato features Gail Hall in her element at the City Market on 104 Street.
• Looks like the “thank you” party for Sandra Sperounes was a big success last month!
• Edmonton-born actor Brendan Meyer landed a role in the new Netflix series The OA. He now lives in California but was back in town for Christmas.
• CBC Edmonton’s turkey drive raised $655,878 for the food bank last month! This was the 21st edition and the goal was $500,000.
• Here’s a great holiday story about CISN Country’s final Christmas Wish.

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• There are some real gems in Poynter’s annual collection of media corrections for 2016.
• The Toronto Star has shared “a smidgen of the reader concerns the public editor’s office fielded in 2016” and invited readers to play editor.
• Adrian Lee, digital editor for Maclean’s, asked Canadian journalists to submit the story they wrote in 2016 that they loved most. There are dozens of responses there, so happy reading!
• Here’s a Globe and Mail editorial to close out 2016: In praise of, dare we say it, the media. The Trump effect is helping newspaper subscriptions everywhere but Chicago, it seems. In that city it’s the Cubs effect that matters!
• You know how you often hear that the media business needs some fresh thinking? Well how about this! A teenager in Brinkley, Arkansas has bought the assets of the Central Delta Argus-Sun weekly newspaper and is re-launching it as the Monroe County Herald.

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:

• After 41 years in the business, Cam Cole is retiring. “Also, Twitter trolls. Sports was never meant to be this angry,” he wrote in his farewell column. He decided the timing was right to take the Postmedia buyout, as he told CBC News in this interview.
• Here is Paula Simons on Randy Hardisty’s 30 years with the Journal, including his work on “the most perfect lede paragraph ever published” in the paper. The piece includes some comments from other journalists that have worked with Randy too. His retirement is “another great #yegmedia guy moving over so Paul Godfrey can have a little more runway,” tweeted Brent Wittmeier. Editor Mark Iype tweeted that the Journal “lost a pillar” and that Randy made him “a better journalist.”
• Scruff Connors, the first morning host on 100.3 The Bear, has died at at the age of 64. “To say that Scruff made an impact on Edmonton would be yet another profound understatement,” wrote Eric Samuels.
• Former Journal business writer Rod Ziegler shared a letter regarding Gary Lamphier’s retirement. “In an era of hair-on-fire headlines and instant news, Lamphier told me why, as much as what,” he wrote.
• Fascinating story by Jana Pruden about the news scarf mystery. She discovered a Chinese-made scarf with her name and a newspaper story she had written on it, and set about unraveling the riddle of how it got there.
• Dave Cournoyer and David Climenhaga have stepped up to offer a home for the weekly Edmonton Bestseller List from Audreys Books and the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. The list will be published every Thursday on Daveberta.ca and AlbertaPolitics.ca. See more in the news release here.
• Metro Edmonton tweeted this week that they’ve heard feedback about Oilers coverage and are “working on many new ideas to strengthen for 2017.”
• From local writer Michael Hingston, here’s the Diary of a Part-Time Freelancer. In addition to having more time with his family, he wrote: “I’m also finding that the career I spent so many years building suddenly needs to be reimagined from the ground up.”
• Episode 56 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Kelly Froese of the Edmonton Nerd List and Jeff Williams of Guerrilla Radio.
• The latest episode of the FusedLogic podcast features Min Dhariwal from CBC Edmonton.
• Love this very festive meta selfie with Bob Layton, Chris Scheetz, and Morley Scott.
• The St. Albert Gazette is once again looking for a General Reporter. The deadline to apply is December 28.
• The Oilers Entertainment Group is looking for a Senior Motion Graphics Animator to work on commercials, digital signage, and web videos, among other things.
• Here’s a shoutout to Claire Theobald and all the other journalists working hard on the Edmonton Sun Adopt-A-Teen. You can learn more or make a donation at adoptateenedmonton.ca.

VR Future, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

• Can journalism be virtual? There’s some really interesting stuff to think about in this CJR piece.
• Nieman Lab asked some of the smartest people in journalism for their predictions for 2017. The entries cover a huge range of topics, including what might happen to “Canada’s so-called legacy media organizations.” In a more positive prediction, 2017 might be a great year for local journalism.
• Not since 1994 have so few individuals been in possession of valid press gallery passes for Parliament Hill, says Beatrice Britneff. Just 320 names were on the list as of December 7. The peak was 2002 when 379 were on the list, and it has been declining ever since.
• Donald Trump held a 30-minute off-the-record chat with journalists on Sunday night, a photo from which was heavily criticized. Others have defended the event, saying it’s a valid way to get closer to the truth.
• Jim Rutenberg in the New York Times: “As Mr. Trump tries to burn the media village down, he may just be saving it.”

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:

• 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, 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.

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

• Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons wrote a plea on Facebook to support Postmedia. “Cancelling your subscription to spite Postmedia won’t help you to get better local reporting,” she wrote. While I agree that there are still some fantastic journalists at Postmedia, including Paula herself, I don’t see how one can argue for giving Paul Godfrey more money to continue to run Postmedia newsrooms across the country into the ground. If the most recent Postmedia buyouts and layoffs have you upset or concerned, know that more are on the way. By all means invest in local journalism, but perhaps it’s time to support a new alternative.
• Be sure to check out our latest Taproot Edmonton story on pedestrian deaths and what we can do about them, written by Jeff Cummings, Stephanie Dubois, Karen, and myself. If you want to support what we’re trying to do, join us here.
• After 41 years in the business, many of those with the Edmonton Journal, December 16 will be Cam Cole’s last day at Postmedia.
• Here is Gigcity’s Mike Ross on the gutting of the Journal’s arts section. “This is such a sad yet familiar scenario.”
• Edmonton journalist John W. Murray has been selected for the inaugural Aboriginal Investigative Journalism Fellowship. He produces Acimowin at CJSR and is “a Mi’gmaq citizen of the Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) First Nation in New Brunswick.”
• The Rebel hosted a rally here in Edmonton at the Legislature on Saturday to protest the proposed carbon tax. While there were some concerns raised about The Rebel crossing the line into activism, those were quickly overshadowed by someone in the crowd yelling “lock her up!” – an incident Ezra Levant dismissed as “just a light-hearted moment, a way for the crowd to blow off steam.”
• The local music community is hosting a send-off for Sandra Sperounes at Rocky Mountain Icehouse on December 27. “There are few people in Edmonton’s music community who haven’t been touched and supported by our greatest media cheerleader and friend. Come have a drink and tell her thank you.”
• Episode 55 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Dave Rae, “the comic, sketch comedian and improviser who takes any side of any debate and always wins on The Devil’s Advocate.”
• Congratulations to local podcast The Expats on being featured in CBC’s travel-themed Podcast Playlist.
• Network Media Group Inc. has acquired the rights to the Hacked podcast to adapt it to a television series. The podcast was co-created by local podcasters Scott Francis Winder and Jordan Bloemen. Congrats!
• Join 92.5 FRESH RADIO, CISN Country 103.9, 630 CHED, iNews880 and Global Edmonton for the 2nd Annual “Tower of Toys” event happening December 8-10 at West Edmonton Mall.
• 95.7 CRUZ FM has launched a new Christmas fundraising campaign called Load the Limo.
• The deadline to apply to be the new editor-in-chief of The Yards is December 10.
• Rough year for CTV Edmonton’s studios. Earlier this year a truck hit the station and took them off the air, and on Friday the studio was evacuated forcing the cancellation of the late night news.
• From Vintage Edmonton: ITV Edmonton Commercials from 1979.

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.