Tag: media

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #32

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

Avenue Edmonton's 25 Best Things to Eat 2012
You can see the rest of my photos from the party 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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #31

Here is 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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #30

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:


Photo courtesy of West Edmonton Local.

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 #29

Here is 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.

Media Monday Edmonton: Global Edmonton’s Tim Spelliscy on local news ratings

Last week the first ever BBM PPM (Portable People Meter) ratings for television in Edmonton were released. Known as the Fall 2011 survey, the ratings cover the time period beginning September 12, 2011 and ending December 18, 2011. The ratings are further broken down into three demographic categories: 18+, 18-49, and 25-54. The top show in Edmonton? Big Bang Theory, on CTV Edmonton, with an average of 117,000 viewers per minute during each broadcast. In the 18+ demographic, Global Edmonton scored 5 of the top 10 shows, followed by CTV Edmonton with 4, and CBC Edmonton with 1.

That’s interesting, but what I really care about is local news, stuff that is produced here in Edmonton. Here are the numbers for local news for the 18+ demographic:

18+

Here are the numbers for local news for the 18-49 demographic:

18-49

Here are the numbers for local news for the 25-54 demographic:

25-54

All of that data comes from: BBM Canada PPM, Edmonton EMA, Sep 12-Dec18/11; min 3 airings. AMA means average minute audience, the average number of viewers per minute during the broadcast.

What I find particularly interesting is that in the 18+ demographic, the six o’clock news for both Global and CTV do quite well at #3 and #10 respectively, but if you look at the 18-49 demographic they drop considerably, to #26 and #44. That suggests to me that seniors make up a big chunk of the audience for the local six o’clock news. Not an encouraging sign if that’s your business.

Still, as far as as news is concerned it was a strong result for Global Edmonton, and their news release says as much:

Edmontonians have made it perfectly clear: their number one choice for news is Global Edmonton. According to BBM PPM (Portable People Meter) Fall 2011 survey, all of Global Edmonton’s newscasts continue to win their timeslots – morning, noon and night in total audience and in all key demographics including A18-49 and A25-54. Edmonton was recently added to the BBM’s electronic PPM system, providing a much better estimate of viewing habits.

tim spelliscyGiven that Global did so well in the first survey, I wanted to hear what Tim Spelliscy, Global’s Regional Director for News in Alberta, thought of the results. He agreed to answer my questions via email.

  1. Why is the BBM PPM survey important to Global Edmonton?

This is the first extensive survey using new (PPM) technology, so we know it’s a more accurate reflection of actual viewing rather than someone trying to recall what they watched and filling out a survey by hand. It reflects viewing patterns that we felt were happening, so it confirmed what our own research had been telling us about audience support.

  1. What’s the impact of being #1 in news?

Edmonton is a strong news market with excellent production provided by several local stations, so to come out as the top news station by such a wide margin is very flattering. We are grateful for this kind of support, and it’s fantastic for all of our sponsors and community partners to know that they are associated with a very strong local news brand. I think the confirmation that we are number one will bring new viewers to our news programs. They want to see what they’ve been missing.

  1. The News Hour is the 3rd most watched program in the 18+ demographic, but it falls to 26th when you narrow the demographics to 18-49. Does that concern you?

We’re still the top news program in 18-49, and the numbers are close with a lot of other shows, but it does give us an area we can work on. We can always do a better job attracting younger viewers.

  1. What’s on the horizon for Global Edmonton? How are you going to remain #1?

We’ve got to keep doing the small things right to remain number one. We have to focus on story selection and story treatment and we need to be on top of breaking news and ensure we are covering the stories that viewers really care about. That seems simple to do, but it’s not. I think there are lots of areas where we can improve the news programs we produce, but there won’t be any major overhauls – just some tweaking. We also need to continue to be the local news leader in our use of technology. We’ve done well with an early conversion to HD and we have the only television news helicopter in our city. We have some good ideas about what changes and improvements we can make next – stay tuned!

  1. Which of the other top Global shows is your favorite?

It’s Glee for sure. We try to watch it every week or I set my SHAW PVR and watch Glee on the weekend. Good characters and good music. It’s light, funny and an “escape”!

Thanks to Tim for answering my questions!

I look forward to the next survey results.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #28

Here is 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.

UPDATE: Stay warm out there, it’s gonna be very cold for a few days! Don’t believe me? Check out the Long John Index. I love their newsroom page: “Not only is the Long John Index a semi valuable and quasy hilarious weather service, its also GREAT filler for Media organizations!”

UPDATE2: The list of presenters for Pecha Kucha Night 12 has been posted!

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #27

Yikes, over a month since my last update! Time to get back to it. Here is 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.

The Town of Edmonton was incorporated 120 years ago today

It was 120 years ago today that Edmonton was incorporated as the Town of Edmonton. In the January 9, 1892 edition of The Edmonton Bulletin, the announcement was simple and followed updates on who had visited the town recently as well as a note that John Cameron, President of the newly established Board of Trade, had been “confined to the house…with a severe cold.” The single line read: “A copy of the ordinance incorporating Edmonton as a town was received by Monday’s mail.”

Fort Edmonton had of course been around for about a century by the time Edmonton became a town. With a population of just 700, Edmonton was small but the arrival of the CPR south of the river the previous year brought with it the promise of rapid growth. It also prompted fears that South Edmonton, or Strathcona, would become the city, leaving Edmonton to remain the smaller and less important community. Thus efforts got underway to make Edmonton a town.


The first train into South Edmonton on November 25, 1891

A few weeks later on January 30, 1892, a more complete story on incorporation was published in Frank Oliver’s Edmonton Bulletin. The paper noted that incorporation would take practical effect on February 10 when the first council would be elected. It also offered a brief analysis of the reasoning behind and impact of incorporation:

“Incorporation did not become a fact on account of what Edmonton is, so much as on account of what it is to be. It is not a result of the development that has occurred – wonderful though that is, all things considered – so much as a step towards still further development.”

“It was felt that a crises had been reached in the affairs of the town in which so many have sunk so much of their capital of time and energy and money, and that united action from this time forward had become a necessity if what had been gained or made was to be preserved.”

The story went on to discuss the importance of the first town council, asserting that “there is no reason why they should not be successful, or that Edmonton should not be in a very few years, as nature plainly intended, the leading city in the Northwest.” Even then Edmontonians were clamoring for recognition!

Also in that day’s paper came notice about the first election. Nominations for a mayor and six councillors were held on February 3, 1892 at Fielder’s Hall, from 10am until noon. The election was held a week later at the same place, from 9am until 5pm. Persons qualified to vote included: “All men, unmarried women and widows, being British subjects over 21 years of age, who have been owners or householders within the municipality for a period of not less than three months next preceding the day of voting.”

Four women voted in the election, and more votes were cast than expected. “Due to an unexpected population spurt, an anomaly occurred in the statistics dealing with voter turnout. Extra ballots had to be printed to include those who were earlier excluded from the original voter list.” Matthew McCauley (after whom the McCauley neighbourhood was named) was acclaimed as Edmonton’s first mayor. There were fourteen candidates for council, and the six councillors elected alongside McCauley were Colin Strang, Daniel Fraser, Edward Carey, James Goodridge, John Cameron, and Philip Daly. The first meeting of the newly formed town council took place on February 15, 1892.

These men all had a big impact on the growing town. McCauley later represented Edmonton on the Territorial Legislature, and was a founding member of Edmonton’s school board, for which he earned the nickname “Edmonton’s Father of Education.” Strang was an accountant, and also served on the school board and the board of trade. Fraser, who operated flour mills, also served on the first council of the new formed City of Edmonton. Carey co-founded Edmonton’s first general store, Norris & Carey. Goodridge of course built Edmonton’s first brick hotel, Jasper House. Cameron was president of the board of trade and also served on the school board (the Cameron Heights neighbourhood was named in his honor). And Daly operated a pharmacy and bank before entering politics.

Strathcona followed Edmonton’s lead and was incorporated as town in 1899. Both towns experienced rapid growth – Edmonton’s population had surpassed 8000 by the time it was incorporated as a City in 1904. Once again Strathcona followed suit, becoming a city in 1907. Just five years later in 1912 the two amalgamated, setting the stage for Edmonton to grow into the city we know today.

You can see the Government of Alberta’s Location and History Profile for Edmonton in PDF here.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #26

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

And here are a few non-local items I found interesting:

  • I think the Little Printer is neat idea, though it’s a novelty at best. One of the things it enables is a personalized “newspaper”, printed on-demand just for you. The BERG Cloud that powers it is much more interesting, however.
  • The Journalism Foundation launched today with a mission to promote, develop and sustain free and independent journalism throughout the world. You can read more about it at The Independent.
  • Aaron Sorkin’s new HBO drama about cable news will be called “Newsroom”.
  • The new Xbox 360 dashboard goes live tomorrow. I can’t wait! With over 50 million consoles sold and more than 35 million Xbox Live memberships, the Xbox appears to have the best chance of ushering in “the future of TV.”

Edmonton Journal WiFi Zone
The Edmonton Journal WiFi Zone in Kingsway Mall

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 #25

Here is my latest update on local media stuff:

Magazines & The Internet

  • During my talk at WordCamp, I shared some Edmonton Blogosphere-related statistics. My current best estimate is that there are around 3400 local blogs. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms bloggers are using (about half of all local blogs run WordPress):

  • And here’s a measure of how many of those blogs are active (roughly 25% of those ~3400 blogs posted in the last week):

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.