“Mr. Grossman moved to Washington in 1976 to take charge of PBS, at the time little more than a loosely aligned group of hundreds of locally controlled educational TV stations around the country. During his eight-year tenure, he maintained financial stability while giving PBS more of a national presence, largely through cultural programming and news. … He introduced such programs as Live From Lincoln Center and concerts from the White House and the Kennedy Center and approved production of a 13-part series on the history of the Vietnam War. He led efforts that expanded The MacNeil/Lehrer Report to a full hour in 1983, making it the first hour-long nightly newscast on any network.”
Blog
What’s The Most Cultured City In The US? If You Go By Engagement, It’s Not NY, LA Or DC
“We looked at the 30 most visited museums in the US in our 2016 survey and found that, while places such as Chicago might have more museumgoers, residents of cities such as Minneapolis, Grand Rapids and Bentonville are more engaged with their local institutions.”
CDs And Vinyl Are Once Again Outselling Digital Downloads
“The RIAA released its 2017 year-end revenue report on Thursday, showing that revenue from digital downloads plummeted 25 percent to $1.3 billion over the previous year. Revenue from physical products, by contrast, fell 4 percent to $1.5 billion. Overall, the music industry grew for the second straight year. And with $8.7 billion in total revenue, it’s the healthiest it has been since 2008.”
Forget Chasing Youth – Venues Should Focus On Older Audiences To Survive: Study
“Arts organisations will need to focus more on older audiences over the next 10 years to cater for England’s ageing population, new research has claimed. Engagement with audiences by theatres and other cultural organisations, along with their workforces, business models and use of technology, is set to change over the next decade, according to a report by development agency Nesta commissioned by [funder] Arts Council England.”
Audiences Are Really Like Murmurations Of Starlings
Matt Trueman: “A few years ago, I learned how birds fly in flocks. It’s a complex science. When they murmur, seemingly so completely in sync, starlings are in fact steering themselves independently: each to its own. There’s no leader, no one follows, but the flock falls into line because each bird reacts to those around it. … If one flinches, those next to it follow suit; climb and the whole flock climbs with you. Every individual impulse ripples through the group and it grows as it goes. Audiences are the same.”
Those Brown Spots On The Murals In King Tut’s Tomb? No Reason To Worry, Say Getty Conservators
“For decades, visitors to the world-famous tomb of King Tutankhamen in Egypt have noticed ugly brown spots covering the wall paintings lining the burial chamber. And for years the Egyptian authorities worried that these blotches might be microorganisms fueled by humidity and the sweaty bodies of tourists. Now, scientists from the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles have completed an analysis – determining that the spots are not alive and not a threat to any of the tomb’s illustrious attractions.”
Seattle Symphony Musicians Extend Contract, Get 12% Pay Raise
“The musicians’ annual base pay, currently at a minimum of $98,100, will increase each year of the [four-year] contract by 3.9 percent, 2.5 percent, 2.4 percent, and 2.6 percent, respectively, reaching a final base salary of $109,745 in 2022.”
Appeals Court Throws Out Olivia De Havilland’s Defamation Lawsuit Over ‘Feud: Betty And Joan’
“Whether a person portrayed in one of these expressive works is a world-renowned film star – ‘a living legend’ – or a person no one knows, she or he does not own history,” said the unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel. “Nor does she or he have the legal right to control, dictate, approve, disapprove, or veto the creator’ portrayal of actual people.”
Brazil Has One Jackson Pollock – And Its Museum Is Selling It To Keep Itself Afloat
“The Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro announced on Sunday that it is selling the only Jackson Pollock painting currently on public view in Brazil. The museum expects the work, Nº 16 (1950), to sell for around $25 million, which would help the museum sustain itself for at least 30 years. This will be the first time a museum in Brazil has deaccessioned an artwork to pay off debt. MAM currently has a deficit of 1.5 million reais (roughly $454,170), and because it’s a private institution, it does not receive any governmental assistance.”
There’s ‘Simmering Unrest’ Backstage At English National Opera, Warns Union
“Entertainment union BECTU has warned of a ‘simmering unrest’ within English National Opera that can only be addressed by ‘real improvements to working conditions’. The warning comes as BECTU members voted by a narrow margin – 51% in favour to 49% against – to accept a pay offer for 2018 to 2019.”