Category: media

Goli Sheikholeslami, who since 2014 has led a major turnaround as Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ), will take the helm at New York Public Radio (which includes WNYC, classical station WQXR, NJ Public Radio, and WNYC Studios, a major podcast producer) in October. She succeeds Laura Walker, who presided over extraordinary growth over more than two decades but came under pressure after a series of accusations and scandals involving longtime radio hosts. – The New York Times

In an interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin, CEO Bob Bakish cited ViacomCBS’s content library, which includes 140,000 TV episodes, 36,000 films and 750 series, as enough ammo to fight the likes of Netflix, Disney, Comcast and others entering the TV streaming wars. – CNBC

“[Science fiction] isn’t a new genre in Indian cinema, but it has nothing like the profile it has in the West. … While Hollywood has a long tradition of making more naturalistic films about space travel – from 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Gravity and First Man – it’s only now, with the enormous strides in India’s own space exploration, that such films are beginning to resonate with the public.” – The Guardian

Francis Ford Coppola: “No one wants to make a pro-war film, everyone wants to make an anti-war film. But an anti-war film, I always thought, should be … something filled with love and peace and tranquility and happiness. It shouldn’t have sequences of violence that inspire a lust for violence. Apocalypse Now has stirring scenes of helicopters attacking innocent people. That’s not anti-war.” – The Guardian

Netflix prides itself on a digital-first strategy, but insiders say the multimillion-dollar deal for the streamer to buy the brick-and-mortar Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood is nearly complete, just in time to potentially showcase its films during awards season. – The Hollywood Reporter

The company’s decision to give creators less room to prove their show can be a hit has a lot to do with how Netflix earns money. – The Verge

Netflix has been evolving its public policy strategies in recent months to align itself more with Hollywood and less with Silicon Valley, a shift driven by the streamer’s maturation into a full-fledged film and TV studio, by its international expansion and by the intense scrutiny Washington is now applying to the tech companies. – The Hollywood Reporter

After a half-decade of near unchecked dominance in the premium streaming video space that allowed it to aggressively poach entertainment’s top executives and A-list creative talent, the company now finds itself under attack. – The Hollywood Reporter