Media Monday Edmonton: Update #201

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

After dozens of events, Social Media Breakfast Edmonton (SMBYEG) is shutting down due to changing personal circumstances for the organizers and a very different online world than when the meetup started five years ago. “It is possible that we may re-boot SMBYEG in a different format or transition it to new volunteers in the future, but for now this is the end.” A sign-off event will take place tomorrow at 5:30pm at Denizen Hall.
Here’s the Edmonton Journal obituary for Patrick Cardinal. “Cardinal survived far longer than doctors expected and did his best to make that time count.”
According to CBC Edmonton, the media was been banned from an Edmonton police disciplinary hearing. “A lawyer representing CBC and the Edmonton Journal will ask for a reconsideration of the decision to ban the public from the hearing.” They won that fight and the hearing was subsequently held in public!
It turns out that Heather Boyd, the former Western Canadian bureau chief for Canadian Press who wrote a review for the Province on media access, now works for the Public Affairs Bureau. “Boyd started as director of media planning for the government on April 25,” CBC Edmonton reports. “Notley said Boyd was not a political hire, as her job is within the civil service. She said she was told that Boyd won an open competition among 100 applicants.”
As mentioned previously, Global Edmonton’s Gord Steinke honored with the 2016 RTDNA Lifetime Achievement Award. Here’s a tribute from Global Edmonton.
Trish Audette-Longo has more details on the Journalist Interrupted panel coming up later in the month. I’m really looking forward to it!
Episode 38 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Trent Wilkie, blogger of The Undad.
Here’s a preview of the May edition of Avenue Edmonton magazine on Global. The issue is out now of course, and features an article on sports broadcaster Jay Onrait as well as a look at Jana Pruden’s home.
NAIT recently held a Radio/TV Advisory. Let them know if you have feedback!
You have until May 13 to apply to Tanner Young Publishing’s part-time opportunity with WHERE Edmonton.
Marty Forbes reports that 630 CHED Santas Anonymous will soon be moving into the new Jerry Forbes Centre for Community Spirit!
From Raising Edmonton, here are five local blogs to follow. Solid list!
David Ward, also known as Kiviaq, has died of cancer at the age of 80. A former lawyer, boxing champion, and city councillor, he was also the host of an open-line radio show on CJCA and a member of the Edmonton Broadcasters Club.
I came across Third Verb recently which is a series of “intensive writing workshops…for those new to writing and for those well versed in the craft.” It is run by Jessica Kluthe and Jennifer Lavallee.
From Seen and Heard in Edmonton, here are the latest podcast and blog roundups.
As previously mentioned, Culinaire Magazine is coming to Edmonton with the first issue becoming available on May 5. A new letter from the editor says that “we have increased our print run by a third to 20,000 copies ten times a year.” Mike Chalut is the only Edmontonian featured in an article on media personalities’ favorite eats.
Just a quick note for those who might have missed it: there will not be a Yeggies this year. “We’re planning to take a break this year, spend the spring and summer planning a fantastic event for 2017, and come back to you better than ever.”

Mayor Don Iveson took questions from #yegmedia, photo by Edmonton Chamber

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

Here are Linda’s latest social media notes. In the post she details her latest career move – Linda is now the new Digital Strategist at Edmonton communications/PR firm Calder Bateman. Congrats Linda!
The Most Influential Brands Study from Ipsos has found that CBC is the most influential media brand in Canada.
Need a laugh? This line from John Doyle’s piece on the Cancon review in the Globe and Mail is pretty comical: “It is a fact that while Canadian TV was ignoring the Internet, Canadian newspapers such as the one you’re reading were steaming ahead with online innovation.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Hulu is developing a subscription service that would stream feeds of popular broadcast and cable TV channels…a move that would make the company a competitor to traditional pay-TV providers and other new digital entrants.”

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 May 1, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

This year’s property tax increase has been set: “The average single-family home in Edmonton will see a 4.1% increase in property taxes this year, and non-residential properties will see a 2.1% increase.” For a typical house valued at $408,000 the City says that property taxes will be about $3,265 per year, $963 of which is for the provincial education tax. “Tax notices will be mailed to all property owners May 24, 2016. The deadline to pay taxes is June 30, 2016.”
The new Council Committee on Energy Transition was introduced this week. The committee is made up of 15 citizens, will meet every two months, and has a mandate “to encourage and promote the strategy, liaise with the City Manager and City Council on implementation of the strategy, and help develop performance measures.”
This week the City launched its 2016 Construction On Your Streets Map. The map is powered by the Open Data Catalogue and shows 170 projects (and will be regularly updated). “The City is investing $402 million in building transportation infrastructure in 2016. Projects include more than 127 bridges, interchanges, and arterial, collector and local roads spanning approximately 425 lane kilometres.”
The 2015/2016 DONATE-A-RIDE campaign raised $225,816 which means that 94,565 transit tickets will be distributed to 71 agencies who work with vulnerable youth and adults in Edmonton. This is the second-strongest campaign since the initiative started in 1996 – last year’s campaign raised $242,685.
Edmonton is apparently considering a bid to host the Juno Awards in 2018. “Over the past nine years, host cities have received an average of more than $10 million worth of economic impact,” according to the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Congratulations to EPL on winning the CLA/OCLC Award for Innovative Technology for the Capital City Records: Edmonton Local Music tool which celebrates and promotes Edmonton-made music and is building an ongoing historical record of Edmonton’s music scene.
The City is now accepting applications for Urban Hen Keeping Licenses as part of its extended pilot project. There are just 50 available however, and they’ll be issued on a first come, first served basis. Everyone else will get added to the wait list.
The first concert announced for Rogers Place is Keith Urban who is scheduled to play on September 16, 2016. Tickets go on sale Friday morning. Also announced this week is the official Rogers Place Public Open House which will take place on September 10. Save the date!
EPS is reminding motorists to remove all valuables from vehicles after the Downtown Division experienced “more than double the number of theft from automobile incidents this month in comparison to April 2015.”
This week is International Compost Awareness Week, so the City is encouraging Edmontonians to “revitalize their gardens and cut down on their waste”. You can learn more about composting here.
The Toronto Maple Leafs won the first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft in yesterday’s lottery. Edmonton won the 4th overall pick.
Michael Ross has used Council data to create an interative tool called, Which Edmonton City Councillor are you? Fun!
Edmonton Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault is featured in this month’s issue of Avenue Edmonton. Check it out here.
Peter Spearey starts Monday as Edmonton’s new Lead Urban Designer. Also starting Monday at the City is Carolyn Campbell, who is the new GM and Chief of Communications and Public Engagement.
Robin Mazumder was back in Edmonton recently and felt inspired to blog about the things he misses about our city.
Looks like it is going to be a beautiful week in Edmonton, so it might be a good idea to get a head start on YEG Date Night’s 50 Summer Date Ideas in Edmonton.
For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Path To The City, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

The City is hosting two pre-construction meetings this week for its active bike route projects. The meeting for the 102 Avenue Bike Route will take place on Tuesday at 5pm at Christ Church. The meeting for the 83 Avenue Bike Route will take place on Wednesday at 5pm at Moravian Church.
TEC Edmonton is hosting the TEC Venture Angels Forum on Wednesday at Enterprise Square.
The Gateway Association is hosting the 2016 Mayors Luncheon on Wednesday at the Chateau Louis featuring Mike Bradley, Mayor of Sarnia, Ontario.
Green Drinks returns with a “Made in YEG” theme on Wednesday evening at Yellowhead Brewery.
If you’re interested in the potential redevelopment of Mill Woods Town Centre, don’t miss the open house taking place Thursday at the EPL Mill Woods Branch.
The 2016 YEG Queer Youth Prom takes place Friday evening at the Central Lions Senior Recreation Centre.
Royal Bison is back! Check out one of Edmonton’s favorite craft fairs from Friday through Sunday at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre.
This week is Emergency Preparedness Week. The City is hosting its annual Get Ready in the Park event on Saturday at Hawrelak Park from 10am to 4pm.
The second annual GDX Edmonton is taking place Saturday and Sunday at the Robbins Health Learning Centre. The event celebrates games and game development in Alberta.
Head over to Tipton Park (10849 81 Avenue NW) on Saturday for the public opening of the heritage exhibition and archway which “celebrates an enormous legacy of children’s play and Gyro playgrounds in Edmonton.”
Burlesque of the Ages takes place Saturday at CKUA.
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Training Day, photo by Kurt Bauschardt

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #200

Wow, 200 updates on Edmonton’s media scene! I did my first weekly roundup back in February 2011:

“Like many others, I’m interested in the continual evolution of journalism and media. And given my passion for Edmonton, I’m particularly interested in that evolution at a local level. Where have we been, and where are we going? What’s next?”

“I’d like to start devoting an entry each Monday to this changing landscape (it’s all about experimentation, right?). Some weeks it’ll be a review of relevant news (like what you see below), other weeks it might be an opinion, or a critique, or an interview, or some statistics, or something I haven’t thought of yet.”

Obviously a lot has changed since that post. The media industry looks very different and I think the line between “traditional media” and “new media” has indeed blurred. Through my weekly updates I’ve chronicled most of the media moves, changes, and experiments that have happened in Edmonton over the last five years. I’ve learned a lot along the way, and I hope you’ve found this service useful and interesting. I appreciate all of the tips and suggestions from readers, and I encourage you to keep sending them in!

I plan to keep writing these weekly updates and I also plan to do more experimentation. More on that soon!

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Very sad to hear that Patrick Cardinal died Tuesday night at the age of 54 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago. “During one of his last days alive, Cardinal found out he is going into the Canadian Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame, where he will be posthumously inducted May 5 in Toronto.” Here’s the obituary from Broadcaster Magazine and here’s a statement from Sony Music Entertainment Canada.
Kimberly Wynn announced she is leaving CTV Edmonton to join the cast at CTV Vancouver. Her final show here will be May 20.
Robbin Reay has left up! 99.3 FM after five and a half years. Her last day was April 15. Duncan Paterson has moved to the afternoon spot.
Congratulations to Global Edmonton on winning four awards and to CBC Edmonton on winning seven awards at the RTDNA Prairie Regional Awards.
Congratulations to Amber Bracken, David Bloom, and Ryan Jackson on your awards and recognition at the News Photographers Association of Canada’s 2015 picture-of-the-year awards.
Episode 37 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Jeanshorts and Baggedmilk, two of the hockey fans behind OilersNation.
Here’s a Meet the Media recap from Leila at Dynamite PR.
Here’s a recap of the Edmonton Broadcasters Club spring luncheon by Marty Forbes.
Tanner Young Publications, the group behind WHERE Edmonton Magazine and the Edmonton Travel Guide, is looking for a part-time photographer. The paid internship will run from mid-May to August 26.
Here’s the latest Edmonton podcast roundup from Seen and Heard in Edmonton. Check out the Podcast Network here and support the many great local podcasts!
The opening for a reporter at Postmedia closes on April 29.
The winner of the VenturePrize TELUS ICT Award was Covet. The Edmonton-based startup offers “smart TV solutions allow the consumer to instantaneously buy a fashion product displayed on television, directly off the TV screen.” You can learn more in this Herald article.
Save the date for an interesting panel coming up on May 26 at MacEwan University called Journalist Interrupted: Towards a blueprint for a new free press featuring Brandi Morin, Linda Solomon Wood, Kelly Toughill, and Karen Unland, moderated by Brian Gorman.

Councillor McKeen in front of the cameras and microphones

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

From the Globe and Mail: “Ottawa is ready to blow up the rules governing Canada’s $48-billion broadcasting, media and cultural industries, arguing that decades of technological changes and government inaction have left a broken system in need of a revolution.” Apparently everything is on the table for the $47.7 billion a year industry.
CBC reporter Connie Walker announced on April 21 that “CBC will now capitalize the words Indigenous, Aboriginal & Native when referring to Indigenous people.”
Gannett Co. has offered to buy Tribune Publishing for $815 million. Gannett publishes USA Today and more than 100 other properties, while Tribune owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and 9 other dailies.
As a long-time reader of gadget blogs, I find this move by Vox Media really interesting: “Circuit Breaker will be, in the words of The Verge’s editor, Nilay Patel, a ‘classic gadget blog,’ one that publishes news and gossip about technology products at a frenetic pace.”
Netflix’s content obligations “soared to $12.3 billion as of the end of the first quarter of 2016, up 26% from a year earlier” due to its global expansion earlier this year.

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 April 24, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Valley Line LRT was held this week. Construction-related disruptions began April 18. You can read more in this Bechtel news release or check out the TransEd partners website.
According to CBC Edmonton, former City Manager Simon Farbrother made 52 trips during his last 3.5 years on the job at a cost of nearly $140,000. That may not be unreasonable given his position actually, but I’m happy to see that the investigation has led to positive change – all future City Manager expenses will be posted online.
Council will be discussing the priority of future LRT construction this week using a list from Administration as input. That list puts the west leg of the Valley Line LRT on top, followed by the Metro Line extension from NAIT to Blatchford.
The Edmonton Queen is up for sale! CBC Edmonton reports that bidding is up to $38,000 and closes on May 2.
Capital City Clean Up is running its 15 to Clean Challenge from April 24 to 30. Do your part to help our city clean up for spring and save the date for the River Valley Clean Up – May 1! Be sure to bring large items and hazardous household waste to the Eco Station.
ECAMP took a look back at Edmonton’s coin parking meter history and recalled the time they were used as “charity meters”. “Thirteen brightly-coloured former parking meters were placed up and down Whyte Avenue inviting coins from Edmontonians, coins that would be passed onto social service agencies in the city.”
The City will soon be reviewing the Mature Neighbourhood Overlay so now’s the time to give your input.
Over 100 Edmontonians gathered at the Cloverdale footbridge yesterday to protest its planned demolition. I’m sad to see the bridge go too, but I wish the “Save the Footbridge” group would transition its energy into a “Ensure the New Bridge is Beautiful for Pedestrians and Cyclists” effort. That’s what I care most about.
Singer-songwriter Lucas Chaisson leads the pack with seven nods for this year’s Edmonton Music Awards.
From OilersNation, here’s a year-end review of the Edmonton Oilers season. My short review would be the same as the last ten years: better luck next year?
Due to Rogers Place and Ice District construction, vehicular and pedestrian traffic on 101 Street will be disrupted until early September.
Starting May 1, traffic will be disrupted for about three months on 127 Street between 118 Avenue and Yellowhead Trail due to road reconstruction.
Do you have an idea for Pecha Kucha Night 25? The deadline for speaker applications is May 12. The event takes place on June 9 at the Garneau Theatre.
Some communities in the Edmonton region have issued fire bans, though the City of Edmonton itself has not. Still, Edmonton Fire Rescue services is stressing caution due to the dry, hot, windy weather.
Spacing Edmonton took a look back at Edmonton’s City Beautiful Plan. Ah the glorious grid!
The William Lowes Residence and Cameron Block have been added to the City’s list of designated historic resources, bringing the total of protected properties to 128.
Operation 24 Hours handed out 2,940 violations this week including 2,608 for speeding.
From Michael Ross, here’s a look at land in Edmonton zoned residential, commercial, or industrial.
The spring schedule changes for ETS took effect today so check for new departure times and potential route detours.
For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Springtime Skyline Sunset, photo by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

Mayor Don Iveson will deliver his annual State of the City address on Monday during lunch at the Shaw Conference Centre.
The City is hosting a workshop for the Transit Strategy on Tuesday at City Hall. This is a really important initiative, so make sure you have your say!
The next InterVivos event takes place on Tuesday with the theme of Returning to a Prosperous Alberta.
AccelerateAB returns to Edmonton this year, taking place Wednesday at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
The City of Edmonton, the Alberta Professional Planners Institute, an the Institute of Transportation Engineers are hosting the Edmonton Walkability Symposium on Thursday at the Sutton Place Hotel.
Learn about storytelling and time management on Thursday at this workshop hosted by Karen Unland and Ashley Janssen.
The Edmonton Heritage Council is hosting another Weaving City Narratives event on Thursday at the Edmonton Intercultural Centre inside McCauley School.
The 2nd annual Edmonton Resilience Festival takes place Friday through Sunday at the Boyle Street Community Centre.
Head over to the Butterdome on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the Butterdome Spring Craft Sale.
Cat Yoga continues at the Edmonton Humane Society on Saturday! And be sure to save the date for the Edmonton International Cat Fest, taking place on May 28.
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

21 Minutes, photo by Jeff Wallace

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #199

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

After six and a half years at the Journal, Mariam Ibrahim is moving on to the AUPE. “It has been an honour and a privilege to share the stories that matter so much to #yeg and #ableg,” she tweeted. Her last day at Postmedia is Friday.
Michael Hingston tweeted that he has “decided to step down as the Journal’s books columnist.” His last article will be posted next month. In follow-up tweets he confirmed he’ll remain a freelancer and said, “The Journal gave me a shot at a really early time in my career, and I’ll always be grateful to them.”
In case you missed it, local startup SAM announced that the Associated Press has taken an equity stake in the company. “The AP’s investment, along with those from several additional investors, have made up a seed round that will allow us to grow our team and accelerate our growth.” Congrats to James and the team!
Emma Graney has left the Regina Leader-Post to join the Journal/Sun here in Edmonton. Welcome!
This is fantastic: Rev at Vintage Edmonton has acquired a reproduction of the Edmonton Bulletin’s first edition from December 6, 1880. The paper’s season ran from December 1 to May 1. A subscription for the season was $2.00 and ads for the season were $5.00 per inch. Fascinating!
Vividata has released new data which shows that “Metro is in a virtual tie for second place for daily readers in Edmonton, with 159,000 weekday newspaper readers versus 160,000 for the Edmonton Sun.” Both trail the Journal which claims 254,000 daily readers. Across the country, things are looking up for Metro. “Metro is the most-read newspaper in Canada every Monday to Friday, according to the Vividata survey.”
Congrats to 100.3 The Bear FM for winning “Best Promo” in the Medium Market category at the 26th Radio Production Awards.
Episode 36 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton podcast features Troy Pavlek of the Basket of YEGs podcast.
The recording didn’t work unfortunately, but Karen has posted a transcript from the last Edmonton Podcasting Meetup which featured Justin Jackson.
This is pretty funny. Last week, Global News has renamed its news programs and also introduced a new look and sound to go along with the name change. The team on “Global News Morning” had some fun with the changes.
Mark Connolly and CBC’s Edmonton AM will be broadcasting live from the Strathcona County public library in Sherwood Park on Thursday morning.
Marty Forbes writes about how the local media are stepping up to support the Alberta Motorcycle Safety Society.
Marty also shared a few photos from the CFCW Salute at the recent Edmonton Broadcasters Club luncheon.
AMPIA’s Rosie Awards will be handed out in Calgary on May 7 and it looks like Edmonton is well-represented. APTN’s Blackstone earned 13 nominations!
Postmedia is looking for a full-time, permanent reporter to join the newsroom here in Edmonton. The closing date is April 29.
Sonic 102.9 FM’s website is now sporting the new Rogers Media look.
Calgary-based Culinaire Magazine is expanding Province-wide. Watch for it to appear in Edmonton on May 5. Global Calgary has an interview with Linda Garson, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Tom Firth, Beverage Editor.

Premier Rachel Notley and Minister of Finance Joe Ceci at CBC Edmonton, photo by Premier of Alberta

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

Here are Linda’s latest social media notes. She linked to an article I have bookmarked for the plane ride on my upcoming vacation: Instagram is ruining vacation.
According to the CRTC, more than 66,000 Canadians have signed up for the new “skinny basic” TV packages over the last five weeks. To put that in perspective though, about 11.5 million Canadian households are subscribed to cable or satellite TV.
Even online publications are now being forced to deal with major changes to the advertising industry. “In the first quarter of 2016, 85 cents of every new dollar spent in online advertising will go to Google or Facebook.”
The full list of 2016 Pulitzer Prize winners is now available.

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 April 17, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

The Government of Alberta unveiled Budget 2016 this week, saying it “moves Alberta forward by supporting families and businesses through a tough economy, promoting job creation and economic diversification, and carefully controlling government spending.” Mayor Don Iveson wrote a reaction to the budget here. “Budget 2016 reminds us that the current roller coaster approach the Province takes to funding isn’t effective and makes long-term planning difficult for us,” he wrote.
On Wednesday the City removed Edmonton’s last coin parking meter at a small ceremony on Rice Howard Way. I wrote about the news here.
Dorian Wandzura, former head of the City’s transportation department and current GM of City Operations, has announced he will leave his job at the end of April.
Door-to-door census workers began visiting Edmonton homes on Friday. Remember you can fill out the census online this year.
Another milestone for the new Walterdale Bridge was reached this week as the arch was lifted into place. “The new Walterdale Bridge is scheduled to open to traffic by the end of 2016, with overall project completion by fall 2017.”
“Six artworks symbolizing Edmonton’s rich Indigenous history were unveiled” this week at the new Indigenous Art Park located within Queen Elizabeth Park. Here’s more on the art and artists from the Edmonton Arts Council.
The parking employees that Northlands terminated back in October have sued the organization for wrongful dismissal and defamation and are seeking $9.7 million in damages.
EPSB Chair Michael Janz says it is time to end the Province’s subsidy to private schools. “Times have changed, 30 years ago there was not the same choice in the public system that there is now,” he told Metro Edmonton.
Installation of the deck panels on the new Terwillegar Park Footbridge has begun. Construction on what will be the second longest stressed ribbon footbridge in the world is expected to complete this fall.
The Oilers have put out the call for nominations for the Al Hamilton Scholarship Award. The deadline to nominate a prospective college and university student is May 27.
With beautiful weather comes motorcycles. The City is reminding everyone to look twice to keep our roads safe.
Registration is now open for the City’s spring Planning Academy courses. And from Transforming Edmonton, here’s a feature on zoning.
Leon Draisaitl will join fellow Oilers Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall, Cam Talbot, Patrick Maroon, Matt Hendricks, and Andrej Sekera at the IIHF Wold Championship in Russia.
The Province has penciled in some dates for the Municipal Government Act summer engagement sessions. Edmonton’s is scheduled for June 13.
From Raising Edmonton: 5 Best Indoor Pools for Bigger Kids and 5 Best Indoor Pools for Toddlers.
Have you taken the 1-Day-a-Week Pledge? “Beginning today I will choose a sustainable form of transportation at least 1 Day a Week so I can feel healthier and keep my world green.”
Looking for U-Pick Farms around Edmonton? Just another Edmonton mommy has you covered.
Downtown is full of cranes right now, so I’m a little surprised this hasn’t already happened. A man climbed up a 25-storey crane tonight because “he just wanted a selfie”. He was arrested as soon as he came down. Turns out the photo was blurry!
For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

A Whole Mess o’ Concrete, photo by Dave Sutherland

Upcoming Events

Canadian Federation University Women Edmonton is celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage on Tuesday afternoon at the Alberta Legislature.
100 Women Who Care are holding their Spring 2016 Meeting at Lexus of Edmonton on Tuesday.
The next Capital Ideas Edmonton event takes place Wednesday at the Edmonton Journal on creatively funding your business.
Also Wednesday is NAIT’s annual Digital Media & IT Expo, showcasing students from the DMIT program and their work.
The 2016 VenturePrize Awards Celebration takes place on Thursday evening at The Westin.
Postmedia is hosting the Alberta Employment & Education Show on Thursday at the Delta Edmonton South.
JCI Edmonton is hosting a pub night on Thursday at Central Social Hall.
The Edmonton Cottage Life & Cabin Show takes place Friday through Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
Head over to the Edmonton Humane Society on Saturday for Cat Yoga!
The next Cash Mob Edmonton takes place Saturday at the Mercer Warehouse, as does the Change of Clothes swap and repairathon.
ICYMI: We announced the 2016 What the Truck?! season a couple weeks ago! Save the dates!
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Why did the Canada Goose cross the road? To get to the Edmonton Public Library!

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #198

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Congratulations to all the 2015 CAJ Awards finalists! CBC Edmonton’s Jennie Russell and Charles Rusnell are finalists for Smoked Out and the Edmonton Journal’s Larry Wong is a finalist in the photojournalism category.
Congrats to the Journal’s Curtis Stock on winning his 11th Sovereign Award for this story.
A couple of major anniversaries to note! Gordon Kent has been with the Journal for 30 years, and Su-Ling Goh has been with Global Edmonton for 10 years. Congrats to both!
Alberta Street News may be forced to fold because the publication “no longer has any funding coming in to pay for the printing costs.” There’s more on the story here. A fundraising campaign has been setup to try to save the paper.
Chad Huculak now has a book deal with new local publisher Monto Books for a collection of his popular End of the Earth comics. Looking forward to it!
Yesterday was Kim Smith’s last day at CTV Edmonton. She is off to Global Calgary.
Karen is back! Episode 35 of the Seen and Heard in Edmonton features Mayor Don Iveson. He talks about “how and why he started blogging, why he brings bloggers into his office once a year to talk about the budget, what he thinks about the shrinkage of local mainstream media, what it’s like to be a politician on social media, and what he thinks about the changes happening at The Gateway.”
K97’s Todd James has been named an honorary board member of The Rock and Roll Society of Edmonton. He has also been nominated for the John Poole Award for Promotion of the Arts. Congrats!
The print edition of The Gateway is no more, but Cameron Lewis argues that he’s not worried about the publication’s future.
The business cards don’t lie! Dave Breakenridge is Deputy Editor for both the Journal and the Sun.
Here are more details on the Edmonton Broadcasters Club luncheon taking place Wednesday that will chronicle the 60 year history of CFCW.
Friday is the big day: Meet the Media Tweetup 6 takes place from 6-11pm at The Pint downtown.

Justin Jackson & Karen Unland at the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

In her latest social media notes, Linda points to this article about the Snap Pack. “Even as they grasp that their postings can draw scorn, the Snap Pack seems unable to relinquish the habit of social media, and the illusion of image control it affords.”
Postmedia has “struck a special board committee to oversee a review of its struggling business.” The news comes just after the company posted a Q2 loss of $225 million. “Faced with a continuing free-fall in print ad returns and an inability, so far, to offset those losses with digital revenue, Postmedia is pushing ahead with deep cost-cutting.”
Jim Rutenberg argues in the New York Times that the Panama Papers signal a shift in mainstream journalism: “The official WikiLeaks-ization of mainstream journalism; the next step in the tentative merger between the Fourth Estate, with its relatively restrained conventional journalists, and the Fifth Estate, with the push-the-limits ethos of its blogger, hacker and journo-activist cohort, in the era of gargantuan data breaches.”
A coalition of US newspapers including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post are concerned about Brave, “a web browser launched this year by Brendan Eich, the co-founder and former chief executive of Mozilla.” The browser blocks ads and apparently a future update will “introduce a feature that will replace the ads it strips out with others from its own advertising network.”
Forget apps, bots are the future. NBC-owned Breaking News is now available as a personalized Slack bot.

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 April 10, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

The City has kicked off its spring roads and parks maintenance program, which is great news for those of us suffering from all the dust! “Approximately 60,000 tonnes of sand mix were applied to roads to make them safe over the past six months.” Now crews will do their best to remove it. The City has also begun its annual offensive against mosquitoes.
With spring in mind, the City is encouraging Edmontonians to get involved with Capital City Clean Up. Do your part to keep our city tidy!
Edmonton’s fourth Historian Laureate is Chris Chang-Yen Phillips. His two-year term began April 5.
Tom Mulcair lost the national NDP leadership today at the convention here in Edmonton. Don Braid argues that Rachel Notley should “formally split with the federal party” as a result.
Edmonton’s unemployment rate was up slightly in March to 6.9% from 6.8% in February, but that’s still quite a bit less than Calgary at 8.6%. The overall unemployment rate in Alberta dropped though, from 7.8% to 7.1%, just slightly below the national average.
The Oilers finished the 2015-2016 season in 29th, with only Toronto faring worse. It doesn’t matter though, because tickets are still selling! The team announced this week they are increasing the limit on season seats by 1,000 for the 2016-2017 season due to demand. “The Oilers will continue to offer Power Packs and individual game tickets in Rogers Place, though Season Seats are the best guarantee of tickets to the biggest games of the season.”
Should anyone wear the C next season for the Edmonton Oilers? Ryan Batty thinks that Taylor Hall should, and I agree.
ICYMI: Here’s my recap of the Farewell Rexall Place celebration that took place in Churchill Square.
Congrats to the 38 high school students that graduated from EPS’ Youth Recruit Academy, a three day event offering a glimpse into a career in law enforcement.
Expect to see reminders on Twitter about how to use 911 appropriately. “The Edmonton Police Service is taking to social media for the next several weeks to educate the public about when to call 911 and when to call the non-emergency line.”
403, 780, 587, and now 825: Alberta’s new area code went into effect this week.
For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Farewell Rexall Place, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

The Edmonton Career Fair takes place Tuesday at the Shaw Conference Centre.
Make Something Edmonton and CITYlab have teamed up to launch 100in1Day Edmonton on Tuesday evening at the EPCOR building.
Jennifer Cockrall-King is launching her new book “Food Artisans of the Okanagan” on Wednesday evening at Audrey’s Books.
Also Wednesday evening is the first edition of Equal Voice’s #YEGparity speaker series.
This year’s Global Woman of Vision celebration will take place Thursday evening at the Shaw Conference Centre.
Urbanist Gil Penalosa will be in Edmonton on Friday evening to speak about his vision for a healthier, happier Edmonton at A City For Life.
Friday is Meet the Media Tweetup 6, taking place at The Pint downtown.
There’s more Cat Yoga on Saturday at the Edmonton Humane Society!
The 2016 Edmonton Volunteer Fair takes place Saturday at West Edmonton Mall.
The Spring edition of the Edmonton Woman’s Show takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
The Edmonton Poetry Festival kicks off on Sunday!
Here’s an early heads up on two workshops for the Transit Strategy. The first takes place April 26. There’s also an online survey you can fill out.
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Media Monday Edmonton: Update #197

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

Jana Pruden has announced she is joining the Globe and Mail. She’ll remain here in Edmonton and will be writing about crime, policing, and more for the Globe’s Alberta bureau.
I typically avoid April Fools’ Day jokes, but Dave Cournoyer’s was pretty funny. “Marking the first complete Blog-to-Paper jump, daveberta.ca is now available exclusively in paper form.” CBC’s Edmonton AM pranked that the magpie had been named Alberta’s official bird.
Here’s why local media matters according to CFCW’s Stella Stevens.
Paige Parsons is back in Edmonton as a reporter for the Journal/Sun. She worked for the Journal from May through December last year.
Aaron Streck’s first story at Global Edmonton in front of the camera aired on the weekend! He was previously a cameraman with Global. Congrats!
Adam Rozenhart, Todd Babiak, and Sarah Chan are hosting the Gateway Newsprint Celebration on Wednesday from 7-9pm. The event will feature notable Gateway alumni. “Join us in celebrating the end of The Gateway’s 106 year print era, and embracing the age of new media as we shift towards our magazine and online format.”
Breanna Karstens-Smith is challenging everyone in the local media to make a Pop and Drop video in support of iHuman’s Power over Poverty campaign.
Do you have a secret place in Edmonton that you’d like to share? Check out Secret Edmonton, a new project by Sam Brooks and Ryan Jackson.
The Bonnyville Nouvelle is looking for a Senior Reporter/Photographer with a focus on sports reporting. The deadline to apply is April 25.
Learn about making your podcast audience happy at the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup on Saturday at 1pm.
Friday, April 15 is Meet the Media Tweetup 6 at The Pint downtown. More than 70 people have already registered.

Balloon Fluttering Upon City Scape, photo by IQRemix, from the Spring Instagram Meetup

And here is some slightly less local media stuff:

In her latest social media notes, Linda highlights the big Snapchat update.
The big story everyone is talking about today is the Panama Papers. Here’s how reporters pulled off the biggest leak in whistleblower history.
Twitter tells me that today is National Hug a News Person Day, so hugs.
Corus has completed its acquisition of Shaw Media and has launched a redesigned brand and updated senior leadership team as well.
TELUS has announced it plans to invest $4.5 billion by 2019 in new “advanced communications infrastructure” across Alberta. That includes connecting Edmonton to the gigabit-enabled TELUS Fibre network later this year, as previously announced.
Sportsnet NOW is a new streaming service available for $24.99 per month to all Canadians. Analysts expect TSN to follow suit with its own service.
This is interesting: the New York Times has launched a podcast team to create several new shows this year.

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 April 3, 2016

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

The City is conducting another municipal census this year and you can count yourself in online. You have until the end of the month to fill out the census. All you need is a Secure Access Code that will come in the mail. The door-to-door census will begin April 15 and for the first time, will be completely paperless.
Limitless sprawl is not only expensive for Edmonton it also means we’re losing farmland “at a rate three times as fast as the Calgary region.”
You’re going to hear a lot this week about the end of Oilers hockey at Rexall Place. “The circular concrete rink in the city’s north end hosts its final Edmonton Oilers hockey game Wednesday.”
Paula Simons wrote about MacEwan’s new Centre for the Arts and Culture this week. “At $180 million, it’s a genuine bargain, compared to the bloated $850-million price for the proposed downtown Galleria,” she wrote.
The City has published two new discussion papers as part of a series supporting the development of The Way We Finance. The plan is slated to be approved by Council later this year. One idea put forward is to introduce distance-based fares and tolls for LRT and roads.
As if things couldn’t get worse for the Walterdale Bridge project, it turns out that “Capitol Steel Corporation, a subcontractor on the $155 million project, is suing the prime contractor Acciona / Pacer Joint Venture (APJV) for more than $16 million claiming the company delivered steel that was inadequate to the job.” The City says that despite the lawsuit, they are confident in the new bridge’s construction.
Thanks to some gorgeous weather, bike corrals are returning to five Old Strathcona locations, with a sixth to be added in the coming months.
The Government of Alberta has appointed Stan Magidson as Chair and CEO of the Alberta Securities Commission. He will begin in his new role in July.
Edmonton Events announced this week that our city will host an event in the FISE World Series 2016 in September. More details are expected on Thursday.
ICYMI: It seems that Edmonton was featured as the backdrop in a recent episode of the anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans”. We’re on the map now!
Connor McDavid was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for March as he “led all rookies with 11 assists and 16 points in 15 games.”
As of April 1, new development permit notification signs are now required in mature and established neighbourhoods for infill projects.
There is just under a month left to nominate someone for the 2016 Top 40 Under 40.
The Edmonton Police are warning car buyers to “look out for stolen cars masquerading as legitimate vehicles for sale, which are also known as ‘car clones.’”
If you like maps and Edmonton, you’ll want to check out the two new interactive building age maps that have recently been developed.
For more recent headlines, check out ShareEdmonton.

Edmonton At Night – Building Up and Over, photo by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

Mayors from across the country will be in Edmonton this week for the Cities Reducing Poverty conference, taking place at the Chateau Lacombe.
Rapid Fire Theatre’s Bonfire Festival gets underway Tuesday at the Citadel theatre.
Learn about Naming Edmonton and Open Data on Wednesday at lunch at the Stanley Milner Library.
Wednesday is going to be a memorable day in Edmonton! A tribute to Rexall Place will take place during the lunch hour at Churchill Square. The Oilers have said that “over 100” alumni will be there. That evening, the Oilers will host the Canucks for their last ever game at Rexall Place.
Also Wednesday evening is Green Drinks: Local Resilience taking place at Yellowhead Brewery, and a tribute to the print edition of The Gateway, taking place at the Telus Centre.
The Edmonton Motorshow kicks off on Thursday and runs all weekend at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
The next Culture Collective Arts Market takes place Thursday evening at Yellowhead Brewery.
I am looking forward to the latest installment in the Last Lecture series at the University of Alberta, taking place Thursday evening.
Make it Edmonton takes place Friday through Sunday at the Enjoy Centre.
Head over to Variant Edition Comics on Sunday afternoon for the next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup.
For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

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