Category: media

Museum director Michael Govan met with members of the group Save Film at LACMA, who later “said they were impressed with Govan’s enthusiasm and openness but they also expressed concern that his big-budget vision for the film department might be counterproductive.”

“While WGBH produces some of the Public Broadcasting Service’s marquee programming, including ‘Frontline,’ ‘Nova,’ and ‘Antiques Roadshow,’ it must trim about $7 million from its budget this year. … The health of WGBH, which started in 1951, is especially important to PBS. The network depends on the station for over a third of its prime-time TV lineup, and WGBH produces more programs than any of the 349 other PBS stations.”

“Instead of just voting for one nominee, the way Academy members have almost always done on the final ballot, voters will be asked to rank all 10 nominees in order of preference — and the results will be tallied using the complicated preferential system, which has been used for decades during the nominating process but almost never on the final ballot.”

Sci-fi blockbuster District 9 “explores the plight of huge, chitinous aliens who’ve been trapped and maltreated for decades after their unexpected appearance in the skies above Johannesburg — touching on themes of apartheid, xenophobia and redemption along the way. Now District 9 is playing in South Africa … and many of those emerging from theaters over the weekend responded to subtleties in the film that may have been lost on many American audiences.”

Cathy Anderson (“At a quick glance, one is reminded of Vivian Vance, Lucille Ball’s endearing sidekick”), the head of the city’s Film Commission, talks about attracting television series to the city and convincing producers and writers to change a script’s setting to San Diego.

“Television as a medium, in terms of being literate and telling stories, has short-changed itself since its inception. That is because of advertising.”

“Over the next few days, money-losing TV stations in two Canadian cities will be shut down, their signals suddenly going black in Victoria and Red Deer, Alta. At the same time, a number of others slated to close will attempt to begin the climb back to profitability, having been rescued by new owners willing to gamble that small-market TV can be profitable.”

“The battle for levies on new digital music players, such as the popular Apple iPod, was fought and lost in 2007 and early 2008, when the Federal Court of Appeal blocked an attempt by the Canadian Copyright Board to impose a tariff of up to $75 on new iPods and similar devices. Levies on smaller devices in place in 2003 and 2004 were struck down by the court. Now industry insiders have another avenue to pursue the levies.”

“The broadcast networks, including the CW, as a whole have once again grown older than ever. This year, the five broadcast networks’ average median age of live viewers is 51. Ten years ago, the networks’ median age was 43.”

Ratings for talk in Seattle are down. “I think music is more enjoyable, and news causes you to think and contemplate.” In a recession, contemplation apparently isn’t a ratings booster.