A statue erected 100 years ago of composer Stephen Foster in his hometown of Pittsburgh shows him with a slave sitting at his feet. Now a campaign to either remove or explain the statue. – CNN
Author: Douglas McLennan
PETERSON PRIZE
Pianist Oscar Peterson has become the first Canadian recipient of the International Music Council UNESCO Music Prize. “The prize is given every year to a musician or musical institution that has contributed to the development and enrichment of music and has served peace and understanding around the world.” – CBC
THE RELENTLESS MARCH OF THE DOT-COMMIES
Dozens of San Francisco arts organizations and hundreds of artists have lost their leases as the city’s landlords go after dot-com tenants. By one count, half the city’s remaining arts organizations’ leases are up for renewal this year. – San Francisco Bay Guardian
WHAT DOES AN AUSTRALIAN ARTS CONSUMER LOOK LIKE?
A new survey paints the picture. The study, which covered 1991-99, shows that each Victorian household spends about $25 a week on cultural pursuits and indicates what culture Aussies prefer to consume. – The Age (Melbourne)
BUY CANADIAN
Canada has elaborate tax-credit laws used to encourage use of Canadian content in the movie and TV industries. But a new audit reveals that up to a third of the companies that took advantage of the tax breaks in the province of Quebec deliberately or accidentally misrepresented their labor and production costs. – National Post (Canada)
ODE TO GEEKS
Geeks are getting a lot of attention these days. “Some constants emerge from geek studies. Geeks are almost always depicted as deficient in traditional social skills but as possessing some special gift or talent in recompense. Writers tend to be divided over which side of this equation should be emphasized (usually to the exclusion of the other). Some fear that the spread of geekdom means an irreparable hole is being torn in the social fabric; others see geekdom as a less hidebound and authoritarian society in the making.” – The Atlantic Unbound
LAST DAYS?
Over the past decade the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has lost more than half its viewers for CBC-produced programming. “From the ’50s through the ’70s, the CBC was one of the world’s great public broadcasters. But the Corporation was also evolving into its own self-contained world of bigger budgets, exploding infrastructure, myriad administrators and, ultimately, a kind of on-air arrogance.” Now budget cuts and a failing mandate with the politicians threatens the network. – Mediachannel 07/00
BUY CANADIAN
Canada has elaborate tax-credit laws used to encourage use of Canadian content in the movie and TV industries. But a new audit reveals that up to a third of the companies that took advantage of the tax breaks in the province of Quebec deliberately or accidentally misrepresented their labor and production costs. – National Post (Canada) 07/13/00
ALL ABOUT THE ADS?
Broadcast companies are beginning to invest in internet radio in a big way. “Traditional radio has been limited in the number of commercials that can be sold, since there is only 24 hours of broadcasting time in a day. Not so with the web, where niche and specialty channels can be created almost without limit, raising the advertising time available for sale.” – The Independent (UK) 07/13/00
THE MIGHTY HARRY
Bookstores report they have been packed continuously since last weekend’s release of the new Harry Potter book. Barnes & Noble said it had its biggest weekend in history, selling 502,000 Potters as of the close of business on Sunday night. The publisher plans to print about two million more copies in the next few months, adding to the 3.8 million copies generated during the first U.S. print run. – Philadelphia Inquirer