The nonprofit Art House Convergence, a group of cinephiles in Highland Park, Illinois, released a report last summer that revealed attendance at local independent theaters is nearly back to 2019 numbers. Their audiences are now younger, more diverse, and hungry for independent rather than big studio content. - Christian Science Monitor
Following a 12% staff reduction last September, the umbrella for NPR news/talk WNYC, classical WQXR, and New Jersey Public Radio is now laying off 7% of its employees, including Chief Content Officers for both WNYC and WQXR. The popular new-music show New Sounds will be cancelled after 43 years. - Radio Ink
The Federal Communications Commission is looking into whether iHeartMedia is compelling artists perform at its upcoming country music festival for free or reduced pay in exchange for more favorable airplay. - The Hollywood Reporter
Bezos wrote in his note, “We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others. - Deadline
“The popularity of Clueless triggered a rash of insouciantly smart high-school-meets-classic literature movies (including 10 Things I Hate About You, Cruel Intentions, and Easy A, to name but a few). Just as importantly, it started a trend for films and TV shows that focused on friendships between teenage girls.” - BBC
“Television Workshop, one of the country’s most successful acting programmes, can be found in a small, unassuming room down a street of former industrial buildings in Nottingham. … Auditions are rigorous and places are allocated based purely on talent.” And the school is now facing a financial crisis. - The Guardian
If the old Academy had a terror of making odd choices, the new Academy seems to be looking for ways to be odd. Its membership seems to have become in love with the unexpected gesture of heralding the unheralded because they value the symbolism, not because the work is worthy. - San Francisco Chronicle
Are we past the point where social media almost entirely drives arts marketing? While it’s unlikely social media platforms will all collapse in 2025, their ubiquity will almost certainly dissolve significantly in the years to come. - ArtsHub
Lester Holt (NBC Nightly News), Chuck Todd (Meet the Press), Hoda Kotb (The Today Show), Norah O’Donnell (CBS Evening News), Joy Reid and Alex Wagner (MSNBC) — all recently departed. And their successors won’t yet have established credibility with viewers at a time when faith in TV news is ebbing. - Variety
“Radio Begum launched on International Women’s Day in March 2021, five months before the Taliban seized power amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. … The Taliban (has) lifted their suspension over alleged cooperation with an overseas TV channel.” - AP
Escapism is more tempting than ever in the digital age and is often associated with guilt or laziness. But some are unlearning those narratives, teaching each other to normalize radical rest and permit healthy doses of escapism with the popularization of concepts like “rot day.” - The Tyee
Oscars voting is finished, but who is one of the bigger voting blocs for the Oscars? That’s right … the actors. So Demi Moore’s win for The Substance and the win for the British film about choosing a new Pope might be strong bellwethers for next week’s big show. - The New York Times
Best Director winner Sean Baker "spoke passionately about the difficulty of making independent films in an industry that is no longer able to fund riskier projects. He said indies are in danger of becoming calling card films — movies made only as a means to get hired for bigger projects.” - CBC
