The growing dumbphone fervor may be motivated, in part, by the discourse around child safety online. Parents are increasingly confronted with evidence that sites like Instagram and TikTok intentionally try to hook their children. - The New Yorker
“All of this frankly is a bit of a distraction relative to the transformation our organization needs to undergo in order to best serve our mandate,” Maher said in an interview. - The Wall Street Journal
"The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to approve a bill that would ban TikTok nationwide unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells its stake in the popular app. The development will likely result in a court battle between the U.S. and TikTok, which argues that the legislation violates the First Amendment." - Variety
“We’ve operated with a board-approved budget deficit for two years and we’re now projecting a higher-than-expected budget deficit (for) this fiscal year,” the station's CEO told the staff. “This is not sustainable long term and we need to take action and find savings to get us back on track.” - SFGATE
The deal also sets a minimum rate for AI replication of session singers’ voices, in the amount of three “sides” per project. (A “side” is equivalent to the payment for one audio track lasting up to 4 minutes and 30 seconds.) - Variety
"While lawmakers in the House advanced a similar bill last month, this effort is different for two reasons: It is attached to a sweeping foreign aid bill providing support for Ukraine and Israel. And it addresses concerns from some (Senators) by extending the deadline for TikTok to find a buyer." - NPR
"For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed." - The New York Times
"This isn't inventing a fictional narrative for the sake of entertainment — this is tinkering with the fabric of reality itself to manipulate a true story that actually happened.” (There’s more at the subscription-only 404 Media.) - Futurism
"According to ad sales company Raptive, Google’s Search Generative Experience could lead to a drop in search traffic ranging from 20% to 60%, a potential hit of up to $2 billion in global ad revenue." - The Present Age
The injuries were minor, but this isn’t great. "Universal Studios tour is one of the theme park’s most popular attractions, taking riders on a one-hour backlot tour to see behind the scenes where some of Hollywood’s most memorable films and television shows were filmed." - The Hollywood Reporter
Maybe! "Sony and Apollo’s entry would complicate a deal already in the works for the storied studio behind Mission: Impossible and The Godfather. Paramount, the parent of CBS, MTV and other networks, is holding exclusive talks with Skydance Media." - Bloomberg (Yahoo)
It’s a sad tale about a sudden, depressing end to the feisty - and revived - digital news publication, and a cautionary discussion about management and public radio. - Washingtonian
Before Strangers with Candy, there was TV comedy, sure, and also true, not many people watched the show while it was on. But it rewrote the rulebook, and “although it’s unlikely anyone could — or should — remake the show in 2024, its filthy, irreverent spirit lives on." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
David Zaslav’s 2023 pay consisted of a $3 million salary, and more than $23 million in stock awards, as well as $22 million in non-equity incentive compensation and $1.6 million in other compensation, including security costs. - The Hollywood Reporter
