South Florida classical station WKAT went out of business in August. Was it because the region couldn’t support a classical station? “The fact is WKAT’s failures were largely self-inflicted, a result of disastrous managerial decisions and the inherent problems faced in presenting symphonic music on AM.”
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FCC Fines Disney, Viacom Over TV Ads
Viacom and Disney have been fined a collective $1.5 million for exceeding the number of commercials aired during children’s programs. “The advertising violations were discovered in routine audits of cable system operators. Federal regulations stipulate that children’s programming may contain no more than 10 1/2 minutes of advertising per hour on weekends and 12 minutes per hour on weekdays.
Viacom acknowledges that Nickelodeon violated that regulation nearly 600 times over approximately 10 months, representing the equivalent of 1,021 extra 30-second ads.”
NYT Names Grimes As Book Critic
William Grimes has been named the New York Times’ new book critic. “Mr. Grimes, who stepped down as chief restaurant critic at the end of 2003, has spent most of this year writing reviews of consumer products and recounting his experiences under the heading “Just Browsing.”
The Bolshoi’s New Road
The Bolshoi Ballet has had a rough several years. But the company has a young new director, and a corps of new dancers…
Nothing To Watch In The 210-Channel Universe
Tim Goodman says that his TV provider tells him he has 210 channels. “I have no idea. It looks like I’m capable of receiving 400, possibly 700 or so channels, but only half that comes into the house.” But even with 200 channels – shouldn’t the programming be better? Why is it there never seems to be much good on? Why doesn’t it get better? Becase: “It’s the money thing. For future reference: It’s always the money thing.”
A Handful Of New Theatres For NY
New York gets five new Off-Broadway theatres, carved out of a former movie multiplex. Ambitious, but how do they work for the live stage?
Will Movies Change Politics?
This has been the year of the political film in America. “Beyond the partisan bickering and charges that these films are merely political propaganda or media manipulation, some observers even see them signaling a new era in the way Americans choose to be politically informed. Such films, they suggest, may represent a seismic shift in American journalism.”
Will Levine Transform Boston?
The James Levine era begins at the Boston Symphony this evening, and to say that expectations are high would be a gross mischaracterization of the situation. “Levine has such a strong artistic vision it will reach beyond the BSO players and audiences. BSO audiences will take their ears to other organizations and will be listening in a different way.”
Pops Goes The Producer
The Boston Pops has made a lot of money from recordings over the years. But with the recording industry all but getting out of the business of recording orchestras, the Pops had a big void to fill. So the orchestra has decided to self-record and produce its own recordings…
Emin Fights Film Rating
Artist Tracey Emin is showing her first film at the London Film Festival. But she’s angry at the UK ratings board who gave the movie a rating that bans kids from seeing it. “Top Spot, which receives its premiere at the London film festival today, was awarded its rating by the British Board of Film Classification for its depiction of suicide. But the decision has surprised and dismayed the 41-year-old artist, who hoped her ‘modern morality tale’ would be watched by teenagers.”