MEDIA

In its capacity to unite a nation across generational boundaries, broadcast live music, freed from the trappings of stardom and commerce, had proved its worth. DR had fulfilled its responsibility to deliver not what it thinks we want more of – as social media does – but what we didn’t yet know was good for us. - The Guardian

Shapiro has spent 25 years at the network, the last ten of them as a host of the flagship afternoon/evening newscast. In his announcement, he stressed that the funding troubles and political controversies around NPR have nothing to do with his departure, which is a personal career decision. - Variety

“While the back-and-forth on a TikTok ban remains a juicy topic (for the media), it's been a source of frustration and confusion for creators — many of whom just want the uncertainty to end. And ... (user) numbers in the U.S. have trended down” even as global usage rises. - TheWrap (MSN)

While Hollywood writers and directors wage public battles over AI's threat to human creativity -- with more than 400 industry figures recently petitioning the White House to strengthen copyright protections against AI companies -- film schools are taking a more opportunistic view. They're racing to integrate AI tools into their curricula. - The Wrap (MSN)

As something of a generative-AI skeptic, watching the program raised all kinds of questions. - Wired

Almost every person I spoke with for this story said that AI is already a core part of the “previz” process, where scenes are mapped out before a shoot. - Wired

“There is no intimacy between men, no talk of abortion, no logos of banned companies or jokes about Putin. By August, censors had cut at least 64 hours of content from 152 Western series.” Here’s what five episodes from very well-known shows look like when Russian audiences get them. - The New York Times

FEMA had been using the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to evaluate proposals and award grants for the Next Generation Warning System Grant Program, which funded upgrades to local stations’ emergency alert systems. But now the CPB is closing down. - Inside Radio

“Ne Zha 2, an animated fantasy adventure movie written and directed by the Chinese filmmaker Jiaozi, broke multiple records after it premiered in China earlier this year. With box-office earnings of more than $2.2 billion, it is the highest-grossing film of 2025 and the highest-grossing non-English-language film in history.” - Slate (MSN)

Outside the network, the rebrand became a subject of bemusement and mockery. - The New York Times

Now, some of those philanthropists are banding together in hopes of staving off that worst-case scenario by providing an emergency $26.5 million cash injection to stabilize the stations most at risk. The group is aiming to raise additional money for the fund and hopes to reach $50 million this year. - The New York Times

American Public Media Group, MPR’s parent organization, warned last month that between 5% and 8% of staff would see their jobs eliminated; the arrived-at figure is 6%, or 30 employees. No newsroom positions were cut; affected departments are data journalism, IT, YourClassical, The Current, and national distribution. - The Pioneer Press (St. Paul) (Yahoo!)

A basic - and weird - misunderstanding of fandom accompanied the director on a six-city tour and lecture series about Megalopolis (still unavailable to stream in the US). - The Atlantic

The rate of Grisham adaptations has, of course, slowed down in recent years, which means there’s been time to catch up. - NPR

“Before KPop Demon Hunters became the megahit we know today, director Maggie Kang spent many years writing and animating her idea. And part of that hard work involved the animators acting out their own movie.” - CBC