Many listeners don't realize how enmeshed public radio is with higher ed: two-thirds of NPR outlets are affiliated with colleges or universities, many of which own the stations' licenses. As culture war politics erupt at universities (e.g., Nikole Hannah-Jones and UNC), public radio becomes vulnerable. - Nieman Lab
Computer Space made its debut in 1971 at a trade show for pinball machines and jukeboxes. (Its creators founded Atari and released Pong the following year.) The common story is that it was too complicated for bar patrons, but that wasn't the real problem. - The Conversation
"Unless an agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the coming days, 60,000 IATSE film and TV workers will go on strike on Monday, Oct. 18, at 12:01 a.m. PDT." The primary issues are rest periods and minimum pay. - The Hollywood Reporter
If the LGBTQ community, including members of your own staff, tells you that — even when couched in calling out racism — 70 minutes of Chappelle insulting gay and trans people is hateful, how can your response be “um, no it’s not”? - Los Angeles Times
Though total TV advertising is set to top $60 billion this year, according to media agency Zenith, the market is expected to shrink by 4 percent in 2021, which creates an incentive to stop digital giants from stealing business. - The Hollywood Reporter
Hoo-boy. "The new Netflix Hub at Walmart will bring Netflix-branded gadgets, clothes, music and games to Walmart's online store exclusively. … (It) will also include programs … like a crowd-sourcing feature called 'Netflix Fan Select' that allows fans to vote on which merchandise they'd like to see." - Axios
Ted Sarandos wrote that, although some people may find stand-up comedy to be “mean-spirited,” “our members enjoy it, and it’s an important part of our content offering.” - Washington Post
Ian Fleming, who introduced the Bond character in his novel Casino Royale, back in 1953, was a devoted jazz fan. His tastes were a bit old-fashioned, but he was hardly the only British writer to prefer traditional jazz even in the face of bebop and other modernist movements. - Ted Gioia
"The wildly popular dystopian drama pits the heavily indebted against each other … for an unimaginably large cash prize. But (the) desperate situation is real – (there's) a large and growing number of ordinary South Koreans who find themselves choked by debt." - The Guardian
"How is it that a quintessentially democratic cultural activity — buying a ticket and some popcorn and finding a seat in the dark — has been reclassified as a snobbish, specialized fetish?" A.O. Scott has an answer to that question. - The New York Times
It’s not that social-media platforms aren’t newsworthy—Facebook consistently dominates headlines. But TikTok is all too often regarded as an unserious thing to write or read about. That’s a mistake, and it’s one that Congress is making as well. - The Atlantic
“For better or for worse, film is an incentivized industry. Around 38 states have programs to incentivize film production. We are always at the bottom of that list.” - Seattle Times
It helps if you're also the writer-director of the documentary, or the sister or parents of said writer-director. But the intense focus is far from easy. - Los Angeles Times
The Harder They Fall is "righteous and rowdy" - and has a Black British musician director who says that his music and films come from the same place: "When I’m writing and these words are coming out, so are melodies and song and score." - The Guardian (UK)
That seems wild, since this year's version was recent - and grim. "The Oscars’ class of 2020 included plenty of good films ... seen only on small screens, unleashed upon an isolated and atomized populace, in the middle of a brutal pandemic winter." - Vulture
