Category: media

“At Stanford University in California – just a stone’s throw from Apple’s headquarters – 44 per cent of students claim to be either very or totally addicted to their smartphones. Nine per cent admit to ‘patting’ them. Eight per cent recalled thinking that their iPods were ‘jealous’ of their iPhones. These are strange things for students at one of America’s top universities to say about their phones, even in jest.”

Many of public radio’s best-known shows – especially popular weekend series such as the two above – are more than 30 years old; even This American Life and Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me are well into their second decades (and were created by Baby Boomers). NPR, PRI and the Public Radio Exchange are all experimenting with a new generation of programs, many of which started as podcasts, aimed at listeners under 45.

“Having declined by 10% in 2011, Italy’s box office returns were down 12% between January and June this year to $372 million (£237.5m). Spain tells a similar story. Its takings are also 12% down so far this year, having dropped by 2.7% in 2011.”

“PBS topped all networks with 13 kudos Sunday at the Creative Arts portion of the Daytime Emmys. Nickelodeson was second with 10 awards, followed by ABC with eight in the ceremony held at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles.”

More room for advertising! Plus, Netflix. “‘People are increasingly comfortable with iPads and iPhones to watch longer-form content — when you find something you love, it doesn’t matter how long it is,’ Shey said.”

“Huffington, the new magazine from the Huffington Post, is something of a contradiction. As a website, the Huffington Post is a catchall that values speed and timeliness in its stories and blogs. It’s free. It’s thoroughly Internet-y. Huffington (make that “Huffington.” with the period, on the cover), on the other hand, is a deliberate experience, a weekly magazine with deep features and stories breaking four digits in word count. It’s on the iPad, and, after a brief trial period, it’ll be a paid product.”

And it will make us targets for specific kinds of advertising – if only the scientists can agree what our posts mean.

Jason Alexander: “”The downside of being a celebrity is that people kind of know about you, and you really don’t need them to know about you, you need them to know about your work. … When they know too much, and if what they know antagonizes them, it’s a little harder to tell your story.”

“California cannot and should not match states that are providing the highest level of tax breaks and incentives, whether due to higher costs such as in New York or to make up for a smaller pool of skilled film professionals. Instead it should combine strong incentives with a combination of greater flexibility and availability in order to meet the demand that already exists.”

“Telefilm says the romantic dramedy, which earned an Oscar nomination for best makeup and a Golden Globe for Paul Giamatti, grossed $3.2 million at the Canadian box office in 2011.”