Category: AUDIENCE

Why Right-Wing Talk Radio Is So Effective

Good talk show hosts know their job isn’t to find or interview “good guests”; it’s to build a trust relationship with their audience, cemented over years, caller after caller, day after day. Truly effective hosts like Limbaugh and Michael Savage talk to their listeners as if they’re close and trusted friends. This is a dynamic unavailable to podcasting or television, as it is impossible to replicate without live listener interaction. – The Nation

Are Movie Studios Killing Theatres In Favor Of Streaming?

The Wall Street imperative now is too strong to resist. The conglomerates are sacrificing the future of moviegoing for the pandemically friendly practice of moviestaying. We were heading that way before COVID. Now we’re there. Outside the river of streaming content, for most studios the rest is just sentiment and small potatoes. – Chicago Tribune

AI Can Now Translate Movie Dialog In The Actors Voices

Deepdub, which came out of stealth on Wednesday, has built technology that can translate a voice track to a different language, all while staying true to the voice of the talent. This makes it possible to have someone like Morgan Freeman narrate a movie in French, Italian or Russian without losing what makes Freeman’s voice special and recognizable. – Protocol

Could The Streaming Wars Hit Their Peak In 2021?

The problem with all this growth is that eventually streaming services will just run out of households to sign up. This year, video-on-demand services have seen more growth than any other time in their history… But in 2021 the industry could see a massive cooling. Everyone will have tried everything and pretty much decided which ones they’re sticking to. – Wired

Christmas Carol Is More Than Humbug, Even For Those Weary Of Tiny Tim

Truly. Even this year, or perhaps especially this year. “‘Will you decide who shall live and who shall die?’ this Ghost of Christmas Present asked Scrooge, a question asked many times this year: Is it those in government who played down the disease, those in law enforcement who disregarded Black lives or those who have put others at risk during the pandemic?” – The New York Times

Barcelona Gives Same-Day Testing For Concertgoers A Try

More than 1000 people gathered for the experiment: Take a same-day, 15-minute antigen test, and then enjoy a concert. In this case, the concert was a free, indoor, rock and roll experiment wherein 500 people got to enjoy the music while the other 500 are serving as a control group. “The crowd reveled in the newfound freedom, dancing closely together and jostling one another for a bit of fun.” – Seattle Times (AP)

Canadian Broadcasters Struggle With How To Deal With Legacy Shows With Inappropriate Content

Robert Hackett, an emeritus professor in Simon Fraser University’s communications department, suggested broadcasters are “caught between a rock and a hard place” when it comes to addressing the problems with beloved content, where they risk facing accusations of cultural insensitivity on one hand or censorship on the other. – Toronto Star

Saving England’s Christmas Pantomimes From COVID

In York, they’re taking the panto around to socially distanced audiences at community centres in every neighborhood. In Coventry, they’re streaming from a studio and using sound effects in place of audience responses. In Liverpool, they’re acting in cinemas with scenery projected on the screen. A South London actor shot a panto in his back garden. Several cities are hosting drive-in pantos, and the BBC has hired major stars for a broadcast. – BBC

Why Producers Are Killing Movie Theatres

“We’re witnessing a transformation of what it means to watch a movie. For over a century, film was at its core a theatrical art form: While it’s true that movies could be watched on TV, the primary cinematic experience was immersive viewing in a theater surrounded by strangers. Now there is a push to make the movie theater merely one platform among others, offering an experience deemed no more meaningful than watching the same feature-length visual narratives on a home entertainment system, a laptop, or even a cell phone.” – The Nation