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MEDIA

Government Funding Is Not Public Media’s Most Pressing Problem

"Too many stations simply serve as passthrough distributors for national content. That model was the only way to distribute content in the 1970s. Today, that model is dated — honestly irrelevant. Most consumers can access what they want whenever and wherever they desire." - Editor & Publisher

Why “Views” Are A Poor Measure Of Popularity

A “view,” in reality, is not a universal metric. It’s not really anything. It is whatever a platform wants it to be, which usually has no actual correlation to whether someone actually encountered and experienced a piece of content. You can just make the views whatever you want! - The Verge

Battle In California’s Capital Over Film And TV Tax Credits

With Hollywood reeling from a convergence of factors and production moving to less expensive states and overseas, industry leaders and some lawmakers are pushing to expand tax credits for production. Others argue that, with a looming budget crisis and millions of people in need, California can’t afford corporate giveaways. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)

The Gathering Storm At CBS News

“The exit of 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens in the face of Trump administration pressure has roiled CBS News and alarmed journalists, fueling speculation about where the organization goes from here, especially if there are further concessions to clear the path to parent Paramount Global's merger with Skydance Media.” - TheWrap (MSN)

So, How Much Is “Conclave” Like A Real Papal Election?

While a few dramatic events aren’t credible (for instance, Sister Agnes wouldn't be poking around while the cardinals are sequestered), experts say the film is very well-researched. Said one historian of Catholicism, “It was remarkable the way that they took something that’s secret and really got a lot of it right.” - The Guardian

Facebook Founder Suggests Social Media Is Over

Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, admitted as much during more than ten hours of testimony, over three days last week, in the opening phase of the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust trial against Facebook’s parent company, Meta. - The New Yorker

An Afghan Media Mogul’s “Strange Dance” With The Taliban

“(Moby Group) remains, not just hanging on, but a dominant player in the Afghan market, producing TV and radio entertainment shows and a 24-hour news channel that employs about 400 people. The result is an odd co-existence with the Taliban – a ‘strange dance’, as (Saad) Mohseni put it.” - The Guardian

Pope Dies And “Conclave” Viewership Surges

The film, which won best picture at the Baftas earlier this year and was nominated for eight Oscars, is available on assorted streaming platforms worldwide. According to Luminate, which tracks streaming viewership, Conclave was viewed for about 1.8m minutes on 20 April, and 6.9m minutes the next day – an increase of 283%. - The Guardian

Anti-Streaming: A New Video Store Opens In Brooklyn

Just in time for Easter, the physical video store has risen again. This month, Night Owl Video in Williamsburg became New York City’s first new physical video store in a long time. The store’s provocative slogan is: “Death to streamers! Physical media forever!” - The Guardian

Chief “60 Minutes” Producer Resigns, Saying His Independence Is Threatened

“In a memo obtained by CNN, (Bill) Owens said to 60 Minutes staff that the last few months have made it clear that he ‘would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it’ or make ‘independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes.’” - CNN

Judge Temporarily Halts Trump Order To Shut Down Voice Of America

“Judge Royce C. Lamberth … wrote that the administration's decision to dismantle the agency was ‘arbitrary and capricious. … Not only is there an absence of 'reasoned analysis' from the defendants; there is an absence of any analysis whatsoever." The order also apples to Radio Free Asia but not Radio Free Europe. - NPR

Academy Makes New Rule: No Voting In An Oscar Category Unless You’ve Seen All The Nominees

That wasn’t a rule already? No, it wasn’t, except for Best Foreign-Language Film (now Best International Feature Film) and Best Documentary Feature; otherwise, things were on the honor system. The change could lead to more upsets and surprise wins, although it might also reduce the number of Oscar voters. - TheWrap

Netflix’s Big Time Bet On Streaming Live Sports

The stakes are high. WrestleMania, which began in 1985, is being treated as a litmus test - not just for WWE's global expansion, but for Netflix's potential move into live sports. - BBC

How “Blockbusters” Degraded Hollywood’s Soul

I think Hollywood used to propose itself as a place where artists and creative people could sustain themselves, perhaps even strike it rich, and that’s gone. The loss of that idea is … incalculable. - Los Angeles Times

Will Ryan Coogler’s Movie ‘Sinners’ End The Studio System?

“Directors owning their own movies is the opposite of business as usual — and to studios, cause for freaking out. According to senior executives at rival studios, the Sinners deal sets a ‘very dangerous’ precedent.” - Vulture

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