I wonder why Nexstar is even pursuing a multibillion-dollar deal to buy TV stations. Traditionally it's been a great investment. But tradition is all that’s left when it comes to the original broadcast model. The ice cube is out of the freezer. Drip drip drip. - Wired
In its statement announcing the event, the General Entertainment Authority described the festival as "the largest of its kind globally," adding that it "reflects the efforts to amplify Riyadh's status as a leading destination for major cultural and artistic events." - NPR
“After previously picking Swiss firm Herzog and de Meuron to design the building, the project was scrapped last year when its budget reportedly ballooned from $400 million to $600 million. (Now the Gallery) has named Formline Architecture and Urbanism + KPMB Architects as the architectural team (to design its first) purpose-built home.” - Georgia Straight (Vancouver)
YouTube froze Mr. Trump’s account after the riot, blocking him from uploading new videos and arguing that the content could lead to more violence. Mr. Trump sued YouTube in October 2021, claiming that it and other social media firms that removed his accounts had wrongfully censored him. - The New York Times
The University of California, Irvine will take over administration and operating costs for the troubled museum, which this year has weathered the announcement that CEO and director Heidi Zuckerman is leaving her post in December, and the resignation of several board members. - CultureOC
When theater officials announced last week that La Fenice’s new music director would be the conductor Beatrice Venezi, some members of the company were outraged, saying she hasn’t had enough experience. - The New York Times
“UC Irvine will oversee the OCMA’s 53,000-square-foot, $98 million facility, which opened in 2022, within the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus in the neighboring city of Costa Mesa. … The new institution will now be named the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art.” - ARTnews
“U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, D.C., ruled that the U.S. Agency for Global Media cannot implement a reduction in force eliminating 532 jobs for full-time government employees on Tuesday. Those employees represent the vast majority of its remaining staff.” - AP
“Electronic Arts Inc., the maker of Madden NFL and The Sims, is set to be acquired for about $55 billion … (in) the biggest leveraged buyout in history, backed by Saudia Arabia's Public Investment Fund and private equity firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, … run by President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
“Anne Hagan, the group’s executive director, said it had become ‘difficult for us to keep up with payments’ for Kimmel base rent and the other costs of performing there. ... The group had been a resident company at the Kimmel’s Perelman Theater since the arts center’s opening in 2001.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
They’ve left the classic façade (and the acoustics) of Powell Hall intact and built around it the gleaming new Jack C. Taylor Music Center, which provides some of the desperately needed facilities (dressing rooms for musicians, sufficient bathrooms for the audience) which Powell, once a movie palace, had lacked. - The New York Times
"I am now the most banned author in the United States — 87 books," he tweeted. "May I suggest you pick up one of them and see what all the pissing & moaning is about? Self-righteous book banners don't always get to have their way. This is still America, dammit." - Newsweek
In July, as part of a widely-reported sweep which affected high-profile critics in three other disciplines as well, the newspaper removed Green as chief theater critic. In his new position, Green will cover classical music and visual art as well as theater, writing “news and news analysis, features and multimedia pieces.” - Playbill
The streaming site says Labs will offer a glimpse of the AI features it's developing for YouTube Music, and it starts with AI "hosts" that will chime in while you're listening to music. Yes, really. - Ars Technica
