By David Farrell
What Was Said: Nobody Believes Social Media
The reputation that Twitter and other social media have propagated is so rancid that according to a study released this week by Forrester Analytics, only 14% of people surveyed believe that information they receive from social media is trustworthy.
Who are the 14% who believe social media? You can find them at your nearest 5G tower rubbing sticks together. – Bob Hoffman, The Ad Contrarian
Stephen Harper reveals (his) truth about Canada's liberal media bias
Harper told the story of one of his former communications directors, and how he set out to make a Fox News equivalent in Canada, called Sun News.
Harper said the founder hired "virtually all of the right-of-center journalists in the country. He hired them all and promptly went bankrupt. And then I went into the last campaign with virtually no right-of-center journalists in any outlet in the country."
He then continued by comparing Canada with the UK, and having those in the UK tell him that Canada does not have the BBC. Harper went on to say that if Canada had the BBC, it would be the "farthest right network by a country mile." – Collin Jones, The Post Millennial
Michael Enright leaving The Sunday Edition to host new CBC Radio program
Enright's last day with The Sunday Edition will be June 28. CBC Radio will name a new host to anchor the program, which will continue in its Sunday 9 a.m. time slot beginning in the fall.
But dedicated listeners who enjoy Enright's work will soon be able to hear him on-air again, anchoring his own new CBC Radio program, which is in development.
Over the years, Enright has covered major news events that have shaped the world, including the October Crisis, the Gulf War, the Quebec referendums, the Sept. 11 attacks, the war in Afghanistan, and Canadian and U.S. elections, among others. He travelled to Israel as it marked the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state, and to Ireland to report on the referendum. – CBC
15 years at The Gazette
It was 15 years ago (Sunday) that I walked into the offices of The Gazette, got trained on how to use their software, and began my career as a professional copy editor.
More than a third of my life has been spent employed by this newspaper. And in that time, I’ve never wanted to do anything else, because there’s always something new.
In the past week, as I’ve been doing some pandemic-related cleaning up of old stuff, I went through some old issues I had lying around from years ago, and it amazes me how much this newspaper has changed in that decade and a half.
… To give you an idea of how things have changed, I figured I’d give you a tour of The Gazette in May 2005. – Steve Faguy, Fagstein
How Windsor’s CKLW flouted the brand-new CanCon rules
In 1970, the AM pop-music powerhouse was in the running to be the second-most-listened-to radio station in North America. But 50 years this month, the CRTC announced new guidelines — and changed the station. – Jamie Bradburn, TVO
The horniest show on TV is finally coming to Canada
By now, you’ve probably heard of Sally Rooney’s acclaimed novel Normal People about a brooding love affair between students Marianne and Connell. You also probably know that the TV adaptation has already aired on Hulu in the U.S. and BBC in the UK and has turned certain corners of the Internet into horny teenagers. Well, now we can join in on thirsting after sad, hot Irish people because the show is finally coming to Canada.
The 12-episode series will start streaming on CBC Gem on May 27… – Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery
10 songs about real-life radio stations and DJs, as picked by Alan Cross
The roots of today’s modern radio broadcasting can be traced to the spring of 1920 (I detail some the history of Canada’s crucial role here). Since then, hundreds if not thousands of songs have been written about radio, listening to the radio, music on the radio, and the people on the radio. Here are 10 songs written about real-life stations, DJs, and personalities. – Global News
Canadian newspapers are publishing more obits
The Montreal Gazette’s obituary section this past Saturday looked different from most. The obituaries section in the paper that normally runs about three pages in length spilled across more than eight. Newspapers in other cities, including the Globe and Mail, report similar increases. – CTV News
Facebook, Instagram launch online shopping features
With close to 1M businesses reportedly signed up, merchants will be able to use these third-party platforms to manage their Facebook Shops, as well as the ads tied to those Shops. For example, Shopify said, “Facebook Shops allows Shopify merchants to get control over customization and merchandising for their storefronts inside Facebook and Instagram, while managing their products, inventory, orders, and fulfillment directly from within Shopify.”
In March, Facebook announced that it was creating a $100M grant program for small businesses that would include both ad credits and cash grants that can be spent on operational costs like paying workers and paying rent. It will be available to up to 30,000 businesses in the 30-plus countries where Facebook operates. – Anthony Ha, Tech Crunch
NZ media company sells for a song
One of New Zealand's largest media organizations is being sold for a single dollar to its chief executive, the owners announced Monday.
The organization Stuff prints many of the nation's daily newspapers and runs a popular news website of the same name. It employs about 900 staff, including 400 journalists.
Owned by Australia's Nine Entertainment, Stuff faced financial challenges before the coronavirus pandemic struck and has since seen advertising revenues plunge. – AP
