World Series sets another low for television viewers

A development infused with personal memory

I haven’t written here in a while. Early this summer, my mom was unfairly taken from us — from me. Healing, as much as it’s possible, takes time.

Rogers, Telus deny blame for June twister alert barrage

Telecom companies say they aren’t to blame for the barrage of tornado alerts Manitobans received during severe thunderstorms in early June.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced in August it would investigate the unusually high number of alerts, and called on the Pelmorex Corp., which operates the national Alert Ready system, along with telecom companies Bell, Rogers and Telus to respond to a number of questions.

They were given until last Friday to describe their possible roles in the creation, receipt, processing or distribution of alerts issued from Environment and Climate Change Canada in the midst of the June 9 storm.

Telus said in its response that it received 133 alert requests targeted to Manitoba created by Environment Canada and forwarded by Pelmorex between 2:35 p.m. June 9 and 3:29 a.m. the following day. While the majority of those messages contained identical information and were automatically suppressed, 17 were ultimately sent out as alerts in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg venues saying no to AI-made advertisements

Although the days when telephone poles and notice boards across the city were thick with gig posters, either slopped up with wheat paste or wrapped tight with packing tape, are behind us, the art of making an appealing visual ad for live music events is still a vital part of the local creative scene.

However, a widespread backlash against a new kind of slop — the use of generative AI images — has been building, especially among creatives when it comes to promoting live music.

“Live music is and always has been a DIY type of scene, especially locally,” says Evan Simpson, who has been working as a graphic designer for nearly a decade.

“For years people have been making their own flyers, or if they have the budget, hiring a designer or artist to come up with some artwork for their flyers. It’s a whole ecosystem, a scene supporting itself. If you take away the visual side of it, the spark, individuality and uniqueness of each gig poster is lost. What a sad world it would be if all art were made by AI.”

Young Winnipeg Jet hopeful, Viggo Bjorck, shines brightly in prospects tournament

It’s safe to say Viggo Bjorck made plenty of new friends and fans this past weekend — including members of his own Winnipeg Jets prospects team which split a pair of tournament games in Quebec.

Take Davis Burnside for example. The undrafted 22-year-old forward, who signed with the Manitoba Moose last spring after finishing up at Ohio State University, couldn’t believe his eyes when he was put on a line with Bjorck, the eighth-overall pick from this summer’s draft and one of the most exciting young players in 2.0 Jets history.

“You see all the highlights and you just can’t wait to play with him,” said Burnside.

It wasn’t long before they teamed up for a highlight of their own. Bjorck made a sensational through-the-legs, no-look pass to Burnside on Sunday afternoon, setting him up for a shorthanded snipe in an eventual 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs young guns.

World Series sets another low for television viewers

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-2 Game 3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays was the least-watched World Series game ever, beating the record set two days earlier in Game 2.

Friday night’s game was seen by an average of 8,156,000 viewers age 2 and higher on Fox, drawing a 4.3 rating and 10 share, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday. Game 2 was seen by an average of 8,950,000 (5.0/11) and Game 1 by an average of 9,195,000 (5.1/11).

Tampa Bay’s walk-off 8-7 win in Game 4 on Saturday night was seen by an average of 9,332,000, drawing a 4.8 rating and 12 share, and the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory in Game 5 on Sunday night by an average of 10,059,000, drawing a 5.3 rating and 11 share.

Before this year, the only World Series game with fewer than 10 million viewers was Philadelphia’s rain-delayed Game 3 win over the Rays in 2008, viewed by 9,836,000. That game, played on a Saturday night, was delayed by rain for 91 minutes at the start to 10:06 p.m. EDT and the final out was at 1:47 a.m.