Glendale Daily Planet: 5 Years of 24/7 Online News

Dec. 16, 2009 - PRLog -- Glendale, AZ -- Five years and counting: Glendale Daily Planet celebrates their fifth anniversary of being Glendale Arizona's independent 24/7 online news source.

It all started with a curious nature. Then, a technological propensity stepped in, and the Glendale Daily Planet was launched.

Today, Ed Sharpe and the Planet’s parent company, CouryGraph Productions, is celebrating their fifth anniversary of bringing online news to West Valley residents. During the past five years, Sharpe’s news gathering skills, coupled with his vast knowledge of electronics technology have brought the Glendale Daily Planet/KKAT-IPTV numerous awards from the media industry. Sharpe was awarded an Emmy (r) award for online news. Add to that: several Ava and EMPixx awards, rows of Telly, Hermes Creative, Aegis Millennium, Videographer, Omni Intermedia, Communicator, W3, Marcom, and numerous others.

But the awards that mean the most come from the local community. He has also received the Arizona Black Journalist "Online Media Diversity", an Arizona Press Club and the Glendale Chamber of Commerce "Keys to Glendale’s Success" awards.

Glendale Chamber President Don Rinehart said, "As Glendale’s all-volunteer Internet news source, you can always find the latest in current breaking local news, courtesy of Ed and Bette Sharpe …"

Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs said, "The Glendale Daily Planet gives our residents and others the opportunity to learn about and see events that are creating our city’s history … During the past five years, Ed Sharpe has continued to learn from the professionals and invest in technology in order to bring the highest quality product to his readers and viewers …"

Sharpe also helps out local public safety officials with quick uploading of critical information, especially when it comes to lost children, criminals, dangerous hazmat situations or fires.

Glendale Police Chief Steve Conrad said, "Congratulations on your five years of serving this community! Thank you for your continuing commitment to cover the Glendale Police Department, and safety issues that are so important to the citizens of our city."

Glendale Fire Department spokesperson Daniel Valenzuela also congratulated Sharpe’s fifth anniversary and awards, saying, "We thank them for their coverage of the Glendale Fire department as we continue to proactively serve our customers with fire and life safety services."

Sharpe is a member of national press associations: Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), and attends local meetings of those groups to sharpen his skills.

Sharpe also has an extended network of talented associates

Sharpe said, "I would also like to take this time to thank all my associates here, Lesa Holstein - Book Topics Editor, Bette Sharpe -
Photographer, Jamise Liddell - Entertainment Editor, Chef Eric Reinert - The Budget Bistro, Erick O’Donnell - Reporter and Bill Schreiner  - Associate Engineer... we make a great team!"

Sharpe credits the mentorship of other community news publishers for his success... He said, "My favorite lesson was from Carolyn Dryer at The Glendale Star that ‘There is always a story wherever you look; you just have to look.’ I really doubt we would have  achieved what we have without input and encouragement from our brothers and sisters out there."

Sharpe offers a continuous 24/7 stream of archived footage in the player, but  when a special event arises, has the ability to go live, interrupting the pre-programmed content to cover the event. Looking toward the future Sharpe states "We were the first in Arizona shooting some of our news video in 3D.  Since 3D will be common place for entertainment, we set our sights on having an archive of 3D news event footage."

To learn more visit http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com

Contact:
Ed Sharpe
Glendale Daily Planet/KKAT-IPTV
5802 W. Palmaire Ave
Glendale, AZ 85301
623-435-1522
twitter@GlendaleMedia.com
http://www.glendaledailyplanet.com