Category: media

“[It] is not a great film. Its compromises are too loud and its emotions too garish. But it had a sense of style that will always linger … [and] a certain wistfulness that is unforgettable. It makes the audience think of its own golden periods of freedom and think about the passing of time.”

“It was not long ago that an essential component for selling a house was a “TV room,” a place that could accommodate some couches and a few comfy chairs angled for multiple-person viewing. Now, between the explosion of available channels, the burgeoning number of devices for multimedia viewing, and the shrinking size of homes, the TV room is going the way of the land line.”

“Government subsidies for film and television productions proliferated in flush times as more than 40 states competed for entertainment work. Those subsidies face an uncertain future as new governors and lawmakers, many of them fiscal conservatives, join incumbents like Mr. Christie in trying to balance budgets without losing jobs.”

“Documentarians, rejoice! The Ford Foundation on Tuesday announced a five-year plan to pour $50 million into documentaries – defined broadly, including online-only efforts – that are focused on social issues.”

“Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has unveiled plans for a new television channel that will carry local news and content. … ‘At the same time we will implement a new licensing regime to foster the creation of local TV services whose output will be carried on the new channel’, he said.”

BBC Director General Mark Thompson: “[The] danger is quite simply that free-to-air broadcasting will become obsolescent and get squeezed out, and the future will belong to closed systems.”

“The Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission gave Comcast the go-ahead once it agreed to conditions designed to promote competition and boost the amount of TV programming for kids, local communities and minorities.”

“Kirstine Stewart, the new head of CBC English-language services, plans to undo one of the most controversial recent moves by the [national public] broadcaster. … She wants to replace Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! with Canadian shows – which she insists can pull in the same kind of ratings.”

“[Garrison] Keillor has been talking about the future of A Prairie Home Companion for some time. At 68 he says there are other things he’d like to do, but he feels a responsibility to the show. ‘It was the result of the hard work of a lot of people and I don’t think I should let it go into dry dock just because the captain gets old. There are other captains,’ he said.”