Half of those surveyed said they were spending less time with YouTube in order to spend more time with podcasts. That is twice as many as those who say they are shifting time away from broadcast radio for on-demand audio. - Inside Radio
Studios are cutting writing budgets to the bone by hiring fewer people for shorter time periods, often without paying for lower-level writers to be on set during production, which makes it all but impossible to learn the skills necessary to run a show. - The New Yorker
Contracts generally prevent unions themselves from joining in, but individual members may choose to honor the picket line — though not necessarily without consequences. Here's what various unions are advising members to do. - The Hollywood Reporter
The work stoppage by the Writers Guild of America has led to the temporary closure of the weekday late-night shows on NBC, ABC, CBS, HOB (Bill Maher) and Comedy Central. Saturday Night Live and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver have also halted production. - The Hollywood Reporter
"Vice, the brash digital-media disrupter that charmed giants like Disney and Fox into investing before a stunning crash-landing, is preparing to file for bankruptcy, according to two people with knowledge of its operations." - The New York Times
"The Guild (wants) a TV staffing minimum, which would range from six to 12 writers per show, based on the number of episodes, ... (and) a guaranteed minimum number of weeks of employment per season, ranging from 10 weeks to 52 weeks." The studios flatly reject both demands. - Variety
"Television and movie writers declared late Monday that they will launch a strike for the first time in 15 years, as Hollywood girded for a walkout with potentially widespread ramifications. ... The Writers Guild of America said that its 11,500 unionized screenwriters will head to the picket lines on Tuesday." - AP
Most people who write for the internet have had the experience of publishing something that escapes the bounds of one’s usual audience and goes viral. The experience can be mesmerizing. - Slate
“We have a bunch of A.I.s that are creating a bunch of entertainment that people are kind of OK with.” In their attempts to push back, the writers have what a lot of other white-collar workers don’t: a labor union. - The New York Times
But you probably will. "Contentious labor talks in Hollywood are rarely settled without the pressure of a contract expiration deadline bearing down. The stakes and the tension feel especially heightened this time around." - Variety
"It’s the first topic that comes up in every meeting, every phone call, and everyone claims to have their own inside source about how long a strike will go on and whether the directors and actors will also go out, which would truly be a disaster." - The New York Times
"Investors are no longer sure streaming is a great business; the streamers are searching desperately for new ways to make money. The golden age of high-flying, big-spending streaming seems to be over." - The Verge
Bel Powley, who's playing Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank's family: "I’d shied away from second world war stories – because it’s always all about men. ... So another thing that excited me about A Small Light was it’s completely told from a woman’s perspective." - The Observer (UK)
"Potential financiers would ask if she could make the central family a white one. Others would have preferred something a little bit less action and more art house. Later, the emphasis on comedy became a problem." - The New York Times
