Media

For Universal Pictures, which raked in an oddly normal (thus deeply robust) box office total over the weekend for F9, “the opening success is vindication for a studio that in the early days of the pandemic decided to delay its potential blockbuster by an entire year — a move that was considered excessive when it was announced in early March 2020.” – The New York Times

Director Quentin Lee: “Creating queer Asian content is hard because you’re really hitting on two major issues of America that are challenging.” But he and director Fawzia Mirza are two of many trying to change the (truly terrible) numbers. – NBC News

For one thing, “action games in particular—games where reflexes, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination are challenged, like in the now-retro classics Doom and Team Fortress Classic—provided tangible cognitive advantages that help us in everyday life.” – Wired

The move is the latest in a series led by Recording Academy chief Harvey Mason, jr. that reflect an effort to at least calm some of the multiple controversies that have arisen around it over the past few years, ranging from Dugan’s extremely hostile termination to her predecessor Neil Portnow’s 2018 comment that females in the music industry need to “step up” in order to advance. – Variety

“More than 300 stations air the show, hosted by comedian and writer Ophira Eisenberg and featuring Jonathan Coulton as in-house musician. … However, ‘despite the strong work of the team, AMA never quite found its full audience,’ [NPR SVP Anya] Grundmann wrote, ‘and because of our limited resources, we’re sunsetting the show.’ The last episode will feed the weekend of Sept. 24.” – Current

“As Hollywood faces a deteriorating relationship with China, it appears committed to keeping the flame alive even if that means going to humiliating lengths. … On June 11, Hong Kong authorities announced that any movie deemed ‘a threat to national security’ would henceforth be banned from distribution. … The policy, which mimics mainland rules that already have stifled the film industry in the country and abroad, is certain to affect Hollywood’s limited ability to exercise free speech when it comes to China, particularly on the documentary front.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“Last year, EU countries agreed that 30% of offerings on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime should be European-made. The concern among some EU capitals is that currently the UK makes up the vast majority of that 30%, despite Brexit. This month, EU diplomats were invited to discuss whether the ‘privileges’ the UK continues to enjoy were appropriate. They were given a briefing paper, seen by the BBC, which warned that the ‘disproportionate’ prominence of British productions could be a threat to the ‘cultural diversity’ of the European Union.” – BBC

The elections increase the number of women on the organization’s 54-member board from 26 to 31, marking the first time in the group’s 94-year history that its board has been majority female. The number of governors from underrepresented racial and ethnic communities increases from 12 to 15. – Los Angeles Times

Lina Khan’s bipartisan confirmation to the FTC is as strong a sign as any that she has Congressional backing for her most ambitious ideas. – Protocol

The decision by the Television Academy settles the questions over “double-dipping,” where a documentary that entered Oscar competition but did not get a nomination was (if it was later aired on television, as many are) allowed to submit for Emmy consideration. In an unrelated matter, the Academy also made a minor but notable change with respect to gendered acting awards. – Variety

“According to Roku, more active accounts streamed a Roku Original in the first two weeks on the Roku Channel than the number of Quibi accounts did on Quibi over the brief nine months of the app’s lifetime. [The claim] seems credible — but it’s not a particularly high bar.” – Variety

George Lucas’s original vision famously inspired an era of big-budget blockbuster movies whose creators, just as famously, eventually ran out of new ideas and came to rely on sequels and spin-offs. – The Atlantic

One thing that people can draw from a lot of movies now about democracy is it’s not easy. It’s not a sure thing. – NPR

“There has been no contrition, no humility, little recognition of our faults, no inspiring leadership. We do not wish to be associated with a group, ostensibly dedicated to honest journalism and free speech, that relies on consultants and lawyers to speak for them in vague, legalistic terms.” – The Hollywood Reporter

Thanks to a $4.7 milion grant from former Google chairman Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, the newsroom will be based at KCUR in Kansas City, Missouri, and will also include as partners St. Louis Public Radio, Iowa Public Radio, and Nebraska Public Media. The other three regional hubs are in California, Texas, and the Gulf States (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama). – Inside Radio

In an initiative called the Vault by CNN, “the WarnerMedia-owned cable news channel … will ‘mint’ NFTs on the Flow blockchain of memorable moments from CNN’s 41-year history. It will then sell them to the public as digital collectibles.” Yes, TV coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the inauguration of Donald Trump, or the death of Anna Nicole Smith could be yours. – The Hollywood Reporter

“Employees at [WNYC] are terrified that criticizing their station’s leadership could result in being singled out for layoffs and reprimands by human resources.” Employees express particular concern about editor-in-chief Audrey Cooper, hired away from The San Francisco Chronicle one year ago this month. Says one staffer, “I can’t remember a time when newsroom morale has been lower.” – The Daily Beast

CRB hiked the current rate 17% from the current $0.18 for every 100 songs streamed on on-subscription advertising-supported webcasts to $0.21. – Inside Radio

“From 2015 to 2019 US-based National Public Radio saw its podcasting revenue grow ten-fold. Things were tougher last year due to the pandemic, though NPR still managed a small amount of growth, but it’s now bouncing back big time,” with an estimated rise of 30% from last year. – World Association of News Publishers