NPR gets $17 million grant to expand and develop a consistent digital platform

The USA's National Public Radio network has accumulated a total of $17 million dollars from grants that it will target to expand coverage and to create a consistent digital platform.  Among the expanded focal points will be global health care and educational development.  Simultaneously, the network is putting an expanded emphasis on the development of a flexible yet durable digital, (web-based), national listening platform.  Almost $10 million of the funds will be dedicated to the creation of the new platform.  

Among the grant sources for the $17 million were the Knight Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wallace Foundation and the Ford Foundation.   

The strategy is to uplift and protect local relationships that member NPR stations want to protect. The new plan will act to maintain localized habits, encouraging listener loyalty at the local level. This effort has been underscored by the Knight Foundation which is particularly sensitive to localization and the value of protecting it. Another layer of this makeover will be an enhancement of the network's Code Switch effort to positively enhance race, ethnic and cultural programming. 

Duck Dynasty star gets booted, fans complain

Phil Robertson, charismatic star of A&E's Duck Dynasty reality show, was summarily fired after it was learned he had made homophobic comments in a recently published GQ magazine article.  

A variety of Republican supporters of Mr. Robertson including former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindel contacted A&E to protest what they claimed was intolerance of Robertson's beliefs.  Simultaneously, GLAAD, a gay rights organization, issued a statement condemning Robertson's comments and threatening an advertising boycott that led A&E to move quickly to let Robertson go, leaving many fans befuddled.

Fergal Ringrose departs TVBEurope

China growth slows

The NBC Universal News Group has decided to team up with NowThis News, a social media start-up that intends to provide short segment news pieces that can be easily inserted into either broadcast news programs or used on-line and in mobile news feeds. The new service has caught the attention of major news organizations like the Wall Street Journal and others seeking reliable news feeds to build on-line and broadcast news uses. This will be a bite-sized offering featuring 15 second news bites.  Given the brevity of such portions, plans are to provide up to 50 pieces a day for insertion. One of the powerful attractions to potential customers is the low cost of these feeds.  The service is intended to add layers of meaning or detail rather than to create actual breaking news stories. As part of the editorial mix, therefore, the service can provide an affordable and  needed extra layer.   

Among the newer ways to secure access to ATMS these days is a range of biometric scanning devices from iris scans to finger slots and now palm readers. At some ATMs in Japan, customers can place their hands down on a pad and have their palms scanned in order to get access to their accounts. Other experiments are going on using iPhone 5 models to scan fingers for fingerprints. Users are applying the scans to laptops, tablets, phones and even desktop systems, and for physical access to buildings and vehicles. The added cost of such access control can be stiff at current levels.  

Most of the biometric scanners cost over $100 each.  Voice prints are another approach getting added credence today.  That makes it possible to speak to a device to gain entrance. It can be hacked or stolen, however. Even so, it rarely can be used successfully to break in. 

Now that Time Warner is about to negotiate with Viacom, it appears to have absorbed and learned a lesson from its recent costly battle with CBS. Instead of doing battle again in such a short time frame, they have chosen to renew their agreement with Viacom for multiple years. Furthermore, Viacom represents access to younger and more desirable viewers. Because of the aggressive stance it took with CBS, Time Warner reportedly lost 300,000 subscribers out of 11.7 million. By reaching this decision with Viacom before the deadline they have averted a similar outcome.

Despite the lure of the large screen and Hollywood tinsel, many entries at the venerable Sundance Film Festival are choosing to skip the big screen altogether and target either TV or Internet distribution. Since 2006 when "Little Miss Sunshine" and other Sundance-introduced films grossed over $171 million dollars, grosses have declined.  2013 grosses only topped $86 million. At present many directors and producers are targeting their output to either television or the Internet.  

Data mining is nothing new.  After all, virtually all theInternet companies, like Google, do it on a daily basis, as does the government through the NSA. Now it's been revealed that Pandora, the Internet music service, can second guess your music habits because it is capturing and storing information on everything you download or listen to.   

Like Amazon and Netflix, Pandora then keeps track of your play lists and creates a song preference file on you. That way it is able to intuit exactly what you like and feed you more to click on, as if by magic. Because Pandora subscribers provide zip codes when they register, they can also be targeted with ads very specifically catering to local businesses or outlets of national or international chains. Advertising revenue at Pandora provided $375 million of their total $427 million revenue. Even customers who refuse to register with their zip codes, must pay a small fee -- $36 -- for the privilege not being bombarded with advertising.

Herman Schloss, 83, a former senior executive at Sony, Panasonic and JVC died June 19, 2013 

Information has reached us, belatedly, of the passing of Herman Schloss in June. Schloss died in  Prescott Arizona, where he retired in the early 1980s. Schloss, 83, had been a Vice President of Marketing at Sony, Panasonic, JVC and Ikegami.  He was a pioneer in the professional television equipment industry. A previous position, prior to Sony, was a stint at Bosch TV's American operation. His wife and a daughter survive him.

Richard Heffner, host of "The Open Mind" dies at 88

Long-time host of "The Open Mind," historian and broadcaster, Richard Heffner has died at 88.

As one of the broadcasters responsible for the creation of the Public Broadcasting Network and WNET, Heffner pioneered the long-form interview format on PBS. In his nearly half century of interviewing, Heffner sat with Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, William F. Buckley, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Mayor Edward I. Koch, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Gloria Steinem, Malcolm X and many other opinion makers. Heffner didn't steer away from controversy.  

His topics ranged from alcoholism, homosexuality, segregation to anti-Semitism and many more button-pushing subjects. He served as Chairman of the Motion Picture Association's ratings board from 1974 to 1994.  He served also as general manager of Channel 13 from 1961 to 1963.

Eugene B. Stavis, eminent cinema historian

dies at 70

Eugene 'Gene' Stavis, a noted film historian and professor of film at the School of Visual Arts in New York has died at 70.

Stavis was best known for teaching film history and was active in the industry over fifty years.  He worked with many of the most famous names in film. Possessed of an encyclopedic memory for all things film, Stavis could rattle of the credits from virtually any production, even those in the early years of the medium. 

Run Run Shaw dies at 106 

Sir Run Run Shaw, the media tycoon who helped bring Chinese martial arts films to an international audience, died at his home in Hong Kong on Tuesday at the age of 106, according to the television station he founded.  Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) said that the centenarian would be sadly missed, "Although we knew this day will come, no words can adequately express our sorrow or lessen our sense of a profound loss," it said.  

With his elder brother, Runme, Shaw co-founded one of the world's largest film studios, Shaw Brothers. The company produced approximately 1,000 movies since 1958, and helped launch the careers of stars and directors from across Asia. At its peak, in the 1960s and 1970s, the studios were making more than 40 films a year.  He and the company were also associated with some Western films, such as Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" that starred Harrison Ford. Chinese Shaw films were often known for their imaginative "all flying, all swordplay" action.

He was born in 1907 in the city of Ningbo, near Shanghai in China.  With his brother, he opened 139 cinemas in the region by 1939. Run Run Shaw was there at the beginning of the century when cinema took off. After World War II, Shaw moved to Hong Kong and began concentrating on film production, opening a world-class studio called Movie Town in 1961.  Six years later, he co-founded Hong Kong's first free-to-air station, TVB. The network remains one of the world's most influential Chinese-language broadcasters.  The media mogul was knighted by the British Queen in 1977.  

Shaw received Hong Kong's highest honor, the Grand Bauhinia Medal, in 1998, after the territory returned to Chinese rule. He remained involved in Hong Kong's media industry well into his later years, retiring as chairman of the television station, TVB, in 2011 at the age of 104. Shaw is survived by his wife, Mona Fong, and four children. Perhaps he should be called 'Long Run' Shaw.

Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group has named Julius Genachowski a Managing Director and partner in the US Buyout team. He will focus on investments in global technology, media and telecom, including Internet and mobile. Genachowski is returning to the private sector after serving as Chairman of the US FCC for four years, departing last May.

Allan Holt, Co-Head of the US Buyout team, said, "We are pleased to welcome Julius to Carlyle. His addition makes a successful U.S. buyout team even stronger and better positioned to generate premium returns for our investors."

Vizio, the US-based Smart TV company, has announced pricing for its all-new P-Series Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV collection, which was unveiled at last month's CES.   

Starting at just $999.99 with the 50 inch and ranging $999.99 with the 50 inch and ranging to $2,599.99 for the 70", the models from Vizio are pioneering low-priced sets. Matt McRae, Chief Technology Officer at Vizio, commented: "Vizio's new P-Series collection contains a carefully developed assortment of new Vizio innovations that dramatically improve picture quality and Smart TV features, culminating in a beautifully simple Ultra HD option for discerning viewers."   

Visio has for now trumped the plans of many HD set makers to get out in front of the curve with affordable UHD sets before the next holiday season. According to retailers like Best Buy, Vizio UHD sets are not expected in stores until the second half of 2014. 

Strong retail sales in December in the USA are a sure sign that the economy is making substantial gains.  The surge seems to indicate that a strong first quarter is possible.  Economists are estimating the growth at 4.2% in 2013 and feel that this augers well for a strong 2014.

A U. S. government report suggested that GDP is advancing and strengthening at an admirable rate that has positive implications for the overall economic forecast in America.  Another positive sign is the increase in underlying retail inventories.

Barnes & Noble shares took a tumble on news that their Nook e-Book reader sales had eroded seriously and saw a holiday drop of over 60% against competition from Amazon's Kindle, Apple's iPad and others in the reader and tablet business.   

This may be a result of generally weaker B&N performance. It may also be due to their failure to issue a new color tablet in 2013.