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Like Many In Times Of War, Ukrainians Turn To Diaries To Document The Crisis

"The women were telling me that they were writing by hand at night with no electricity, by candlelight, just to not go insane." - The New York Times

People Actually Do Want To Wear Masks At The Theatre

At least, they do in Washington, D.C. - and the lack of a mask requirement is, many say, why they're not returning. - American Theatre

After Decades Of Brutal Conflict, Kashmir Has Reopened Its Cinemas. Here’s Why Kashmiris Aren’t Flocking Back.

"Just to reach the cineplex, people need to pass through a police checkpoint manned with heavily armed officers. Then they are then frisked at the theater entrance for bombs and weapons. Only those who've bought tickets online ahead of time are allowed in." - NPR

Making Performing Arts Accessible To The Blind And Visually Impaired: Expensive, But Doable

Bay Area choreographer Jess Curtis created a consulting company, Gravity Access Services, which aims "to help ... producers bring their work to life to BVI audiences with audio descriptions that describe movement in more expressive ways, beyond play-by-plays of events." - KQED (San Francisco)

For The First Time, NPR Will Let Individuals Donate Directly To The Network

In the past, member stations have pushed back hard against any move by the network to raise funds directly from listeners rather than via the dues member stations pay.  This initiative is aimed at "digital natives" who listen entirely online, and proceeds will be distributed to member stations. - Current

Booker Prize Winner Asks People Not To Pirate His Book

Shehan Karunatilaka, who won for his book The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, wrote on Instagram and Facebook, "The book took seven years to write, with countless hours of research, craft and hard work poured into it." - The Guardian (UK)

How The Geffen Sounds, From Every Seat In The House

The hall "seems to have achieved a rare distinction in its engineering for sound: consistency. No seat in the hall ... is appreciably better or worse than any other." And the sound, which is cool, has a "lack of sonic plumpness." - The New York Times

Report: Audience, Funding, For Public Media Have Been Steadily Growing

According to an analysis performed by one of our authors, total direct revenue for the largest 123 news-focused public radio licensees has grown steadily, from roughly $678 million in FY2009 to just under $1 billion in FY2020. - Current

Are The Oscars As We Knew Them, Doomed?

The more important factor in the dwindling of the Academy Awards viewership is that the Academy has been hurting itself by doing its job: honoring the best movies each year. “Best” is famously a matter of taste, but most observers would agree that it doesn’t mean “most successful financially.” - The Daily Beast

Climate Activists Throw Tomato Soup On Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

Or rather, on the glass protecting it. "'What is worth more, art or life?' said one of the activists. ... 'Is it worth more than food? More than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?'" - The Guardian (UK)

One Week La Scala Packed A 5,000-Seat Sports Arena. The Next, It Barely Half-Filled A Theatre.  Why?

It's not about COVID fears.  The difference between the two events was as simple as could be: price. - Gramilano (Milan)

Streaming Reimagines Itself As… Cable TV?

Some companies are coming to the conclusion they will need a dance partner to pursue growth instead of going it alone. Other Hollywood giants realize they probably should have one major offering in the marketplace, rather than two or three separate ones. - The Wall Street Journal

How Colleen Hoover Rose To Bestseller List Domination

Yes, BookTok. But not only BookTok. The woman who self-published her first book while she was earning $9 an hour and whose books outsold the Bible in 2021 says, "It's not me ... The readers are controlling what is selling right now." - The New York Times

Streaming Services Want To Fill The Family Movie Void

A Netflix exec: "We loved going to see great original family films. ... Sadly, now when you look at what a lot of the offerings are, they aren’t live-action family. It’s usually animated for family, and then it’s reboots, remakes, sequels, low-budget horror." - The New York Times

How To Get Newspapers To Drop Their Paywalls

Get them to become part of public media networks, as with the Chicago Sun-Times. - Nieman Lab

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