Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

• Twitter erupted yesterday when Vassy Kapelos (who now works for Global National in Ottawa) posted a screenshot of a text message conversation she had with Danielle Smith. After asking about ruling out public roles in the future, Smith replied “Piss off Vashy.” Smith later apologized. Clearly Smith was upset after having just lost her nomination race. And we all say things we regret from time to time. She probably should have just ignored Kapelos, and she should have at least spelled her name correctly! I don’t think Kapelos did anything unethical, but based on the reaction it’s obvious that for a lot of people posting a screenshot of a text message conversation feels wrong. More importantly to me, the exchanged added nothing of value to the story. Smith is human, of course she’s going to be upset. And yeah, I know she’s a public figure, but that feels like a pretty flimsy excuse to go after pageviews.
• One other thought on that – if Vassy Kapelos were to send you a text message now, would you reply?
• CBC announced last Thursday that it is cutting another 244 jobs over the next six months, and 37 of those are right here in Alberta. A total of 18 jobs will be cut in Edmonton but specifics won’t be known until April.
• CISN’s afternoon show is no more as they’ve let Clayton Bellamy go and Chelsea Bird is moving to 104.9 Virgin Radio where she’ll host the new morning show with Ian MacKinnon, who joins from SUN FM in Kelowna.
• Head over to Yellowhead Brewery on April 16 for Salute to The Spin Doctor, recognizing Daryl Hooke’s more than 40 years of service in broadcasting!
• From Vintage Edmonton, here’s a look at the news on March 30, 1899.
• The winners of the TELUS STORYHIVE competition will be announced on April 2. You can browse the top 29 finalists from Alberta and BC now. One winner from each province will receive $50,000 in grants and distribution through TELUS Optik TV.
• The Huffington Post Alberta has an Alberta Photographer of the Month feature, and the latest showcases Edmonton photographer Randee Armstrong.
• Here are the latest social media notes from Linda.
• Don’t miss Karen’s Edmonton blog roundup for March 30.
• Canada’s Competition Bureau has approved Postmedia’s proposed acquisition of 173 Sun Media publications. Soon the Journal and the Sun will have the same corporate parent! Here is The Ryan Jespersen Show on the news.
• Bell Media is in trouble after a Globe and Mail story suggested president Kevin Crull intervened in how CTV reported on the CRTC’s recent “pick and pay” decision. Crull has since apologized.
• Nielsen has said it will begin offering data on viewing by Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers by the middle of the year. It doesn’t sound like Netflix or Amazon are willingly providing the data, so we’ll see how accurate this is.
• Here’s a CNN Money interview with pioneering blogger Andrew Sullivan. “The truth is, I had to stop primarily because it was killing me,” he said.

Global Edmonton’s Quinn Ohler & Nancy Carlson were among the local media who walked at Western Canada Fashion Week

Metro has an updated look

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:

• Wednesday, March 25 will be Nicola Crosbie’s last day on Global Edmonton as she is making the move to CRUZ FM 95.7 where she’ll co-host the morning show with Lochlin Cross. Here’s the statement she posted to Facebook: “I have loved my job at Global and have appreciated greatly everything that a career in television has helped me to achieve.” She is making the change to spend more time with her kids.
• Congratulations to the Edmonton Journal’s Sarah O’Donnell who has been nominated for a National Newspaper Award for excellence in editorial writing. “The Journal has a long history of taking strong editorial positions, crafted by accomplished editorial writers,” O’Donnell said. “It’s very special to think I am part of that tradition.” You can see the full list of nominees here. The winners will be announced in Toronto on May 22.
• Among other things, Omar Mouallem writes the Footnotes column every week for Metro Edmonton. He’s still going to be doing that, but starting next week, he’ll also be Metro National’s biweekly culture columnist. Congrats Omar!
• Edmonton native Stephen Keppler is replacing Alex Hindmarch on Fresh FM, who is rumored to be heading south to Calgary when he leaves the station on April 2. Stephen was most recently in Red Deer at KG Country.
• Here is Marty Forbes on Cam Tait and his new book, Disabled? Hell no! I’m a Sit-Down Comic!: “Cam Tait is one impressive human being.”
• The Edmonton Broadcasters Club spring luncheon is taking place on April 15 at the Norwood Legion. The event will celebrate CHQT’s 50th anniversary.
• Congrats to Janice Johnston on 10 years with CBC!
• Boyle McCauley News has updated its website with a new responsive design. Now it looks good on mobile devices too!
• Matt Bowes is the new Arts + Film editor for The Pulp. Their latest issue went live today.
• Congrats to Nicole on relaunching VV Boutique Style as The Spirited Thrifter!
• Here’s another blast from the past – some clips of ITV from 1996!
• HBO’s upcoming miniseries on Lewis and Clark is shooting in Alberta and they’re looking for extras! There’s an open casting call taking place at the Sandman Hotel all day Saturday.
• Premier Jim Prentice will deliver a 24 minute television address on Tuesday evening, just two days before the budget is announced.
• Here’s another iMEDIA recap, this time from Elliot Rose.
• And speaking of social media, here are Linda’s latest notes. I like the new graphic!
• I think it was grade five that I was introduced to ham radio. Here’s a feature on the Northern Alberta Radio Club who use their hobby to support charitable events.
• The CRTC has made a big decision about TV bundles: “By December 2016, Canadians will be able to subscribe to channels on a pick-and-pay basis, as well as in small packages.” They say the change will offer Canadians more choice and affordability.
• Why do NHL players speak in cliches? How has “hockeyspeak” developed over the years? The Edmonton Journal’s Chris O’Leary discusses what some call “drive-thru journalism” and others call simply the code among hockey players.
• From the New York Times: “Nothing attracts news organizations like Facebook. And nothing makes them more nervous.”
• Here’s a feature on The Verge, one of the few sites that I read every single day.

You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.

So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!

You can see past Media Monday Edmonton entries here.

Here’s my latest update on local media stuff:

• Legendary Edmonton sports announcer Al McCann passed away last Wednesday at the age of 85. He served as sports director for CFRN radio and TV for more than 30 years. Here’s a tribute video from CTV Edmonton as well as their obituary. Cam Tait also remembered Al, sand said “Al was a trusted voice on television.” Rod Phillips, Chris Cuthbert, Daryl McIntyre, Jim Matheson, Al Girard, and Ryan Rishaug were among those who remembered Al on Twitter.
• The latest radio ratings are out for the period covering December 1, 2014 to March 1, 2015. Once again, 102.3 Now Radio is on top, but CBC Radio 1 has closed the gap considerably. Capital FM has improved from fourth to third, swapping spots with 630 CHED.
• Pepper & Dylan are no longer at Virgin Radio. “Thank you to Virgin Radio. It was a great four years and the privilege to be part of the launch of the brand was a very special experience,” they wrote on March 11. In a follow-up (that received more than 2000 likes and nearly 500 comments) the next day Rob Pepper added, “I want everyone to know that there is no bad blood. Sometimes decisions are made to take things in different directions.” There’s speculation this shakeup is a sign of a format change on the horizon for 104.9 FM.
• Over at Gig City, Mike Ross says of all the radio changes: “All major radio personalities know their days are numbered from the moment they take a radio job that puts their personalities on the line. It takes courage.”
• The travel experiment from The Edmonton Journal now has a name: Passport Post. They’ve launched a presence on Facebook. “At Passport Post, you can connect with fellow travellers realtime and see everything the community is talking about.”
• Looks like media thinker and NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen is visiting Alberta to deliver his “How to be Literate in What’s Changing Journalism” session to the Journal and the Herald. What, no Edmonton or Calgary Sun?
• An Edmonton woman accused have of stalking CTV anchor Joel Gotlib and making threats to him and his familly is facing 18 criminal charges after being extradited from Germany.
• Here’s a piece on Matthew Halton, a former CBC correspondent who worked for the Edmonton Bulletin and the Edmonton Journal early in his career and later reported from the front lines of World War II. He got his start at The Gateway, and now his son David has written about Matthew’s career in a new book.
• The Spruce Grove Examiner is looking for a full-time news reporter to join the team. The deadline to apply is April 17.
• The Western Catholic Reporter is also looking for a reporter. I’m not familiar with that publication, but I see it is owned by the Archdiocese of Edmonton and is published weekly.
• The Yards has a new website and a home for the podcast.
• Katherine O’Neill, a former Globe and Mail journalist, has been picked as the PC candidate in Edmonton-Meadowlark. The race was marked with allegations of bribery, though O’Neill denied any knowledge or involvement.
• If you’re a Shaw customer, note that Speed will be removed from the TV lineup on April 1.
• From the St. Albert Gazette: “The nominations for the 2014 Yeggies are in, and it should come as no surprise to St. Albert residents that this city is well represented.”
• Here is Karen’s latest roundup of local blog posts! Always lots of great stuff to read.
• In her latest social media notes, Linda notes that Twitter is working to step up its live TV game.
• Did you miss iMEDIA on the weekend? Here’s a recap from Adster’s Ellie McFarlane.
• Big changes from the CRTC: they’re reducing the number of hours each day that Canadian programs must be broadcast on television, otherwise known as the Can-on quotas. Local stations still need to keep half of their prime-time lineups Canadian though.
• Tony Haile is the CEO of Chartbeat, one of the companies blamed for causing media orgs to focus on clicks in the first place. Now he wants to reorient the industry to a new metric: attention.

Another cool photo of Red Bull Crashed Ice, courtesy of retired CTV cameraman Al Girard

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:

• Congratulations to Jeff Samsonow, the new Product Strategist at Postmedia Labs. He made the announcement in a new blog post about building community. This is a great hire for Postmedia – I can’t wait to see what the team is able to accomplish!
• The nominees for the 2014 Yeggies have been announced. Congrats to all! The show will take place on Saturday, May 9. Karen collected them on Flipboard here and of course in her latest local blog roundup.
• The winners of the Alberta Magazine Awards were announced on March 5 in Calgary. Edmonton did fairly well – congrats to all!
• iMEDIA takes place this weekend at the Robbins Health Learning Centre. There’s a great lineup of speakers plus Linda is the emcee!
• And speaking of Linda, here are her latest social media notes.
• As you might expect, the latest Postscript column is all about mirrors.
• The Sun has a feature on Lindsey McNeill who was invited to the Cannes Film Festival.
• Andy Captain is now doing weekends on HOT 107 FM.
• I received the latest issue of The Yards today! Did you get yours?
• Are you a Breaking Bad fan? RJ Mitte, who played Walter Jr., is speaking at MacEwan on Thursday.
• Edmonton-born Natasha Mekhail is the editor-in-chief of Spafax Luxury Brands which publishes a portfolio of lifestyle and travel publications. She’s doing an online webinar on Nailing the Travel Feature on Friday, March 27.
• I watched the Phil Kessel interview in which he defended Dion Phaneuf. Ken Price thinks this is just the latest example of athletes telling the media, “you need us a lot more than we need you.” Pretty fascinating read.
• The other big sports media issue was the live tweet on TSN that caused the threat of legal action and led to TSN’s decision to stop airing tweets during live shows.
• Details about the Apple Watch were released today at Apple’s ‘Spring Forward’ event. Neiman Journalism Lab says there’s not much new detail for news organizations. It appears you’ll be able to get breaking news alerts on your watch.
• Totally unexpected for me: Gigaom is shutting down. It launched in 2006 when tech blogging was taking off.
• FiveThirtyEight’s new managing editor is 21-year New York Times veteran David Firestone. Key hire.

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:

• It’s official: Tim Querengesser is taking over as managing editor of Metro Edmonton in a few weeks. Congrats Tim!

• Congratulations to the Edmonton Journal’s Larry Wong, Ed Kaiser, and a team led by Ryan Jackson on your nominations from the News Photographers Association of Canada.
• Congratulations to Ryan Jespersen and Kari Skelton! Thrilled for you!
• The March/April issue of YEG Fitness Magazine features CBC Edmonton’s Mark Connolly. Read it online to see how he keeps in shape!
• Venture Publishing is now looking for a Deputy Editor for Alberta Venture magazine.
• Congratulations to host Jaamac and the team at CJSR for ten years of Somalis in Edmonton. The celebration took place yesterday. A half-hour TV show on Omni launched in September and the plan is to expand it to an hour.
• Gig City reports that Tiny Plastic Men, Edmonton’s sole representative at the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards, was shut out during Sunday night’s ceremony. Here’s an interview they did with TV, eh? before the awards show.
• Join Paula Simons and Jana Pruden on Thursday, March 26 for His Girl Friday, a 1940 film described as “Howard Hawk’s classic screwball comedy about a woman, a man, and a scoop.”
• The latest Postscript column looks at Ryan Jackson’s feature on the ice road up to Fort Chipewyan.
• Here is Karen’s latest Edmonton blog roundup.
• And fresh from a trip to Disney World, here is Linda’s latest social media notes!
• As Linda points out, iMEDIA returns on March 13 and 14 to cover the latest developments in the world of social media.
• Rayanne Forbes reports that she’ll be leaving the Edmonton Examiner at the end of the month.
• Another month, another complaint about edmontonjournal.com. The latest annoyance is the autoplay video ads that appear in the middle of the article as you scroll down the page! Are you kidding me?! And you can’t skip or silence them for 5 seconds.
• Ready for a blast from the past? Here’s an Edmonton TV commercial for K97 from 1993!
• I had the opportunity to tour CKUA recently with none other than Ken Regan himself. Really informative and tons of fascinating history!

CKUA’s CEO Ken Regan

CKUA Media Library

• It’s crazy, but #TheDress made all kinds of headlines last week. It may have started on Tumblr, but with more than 25 million views in a single-day, perhaps it’s Buzzfeed that capitalized on it best. I agree with Paul Ford: Buzzfeed is “an organization at the peak of a craft they’ve been honing since 2006.” I mean, they published 31 articles about the damn dress. That said, Tumblr had incredible numbers too.
• Bloomberg is planning to launch a Canadian TV channel sometime this year. Reuters says it will “feature content from bureaus in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg.” Why not Edmonton?
• The Columbia Journalism Review has relaunched its website, but the cool thing is that the redesign was led by students!

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.