“When Tavis Smiley walked away from his National Public Radio show last month, he did not go quietly. In a series of interviews, he cast aspersions on his former employer, telling Time: ‘It is ironic that a Republican president has an administration that is more inclusive and more diverse than a so-called liberal-media-elite network.'” But NPR claims that the real reason Smiley declined to return to its air was a disagreement over salary and creative control. Smiley isn’t exactly denying the charge, but claims that the network’s unwillingness to meet his demands showed a lack of respect, and implies that race was a factor.
Tag: 01.17.05
A Bank That Looks Like Europe
The unexpectedly vibrant design selected last week for the new headquarters of the European Central Bank has critics almost giddy with delight. “What makes the design more than a superficial attempt to spice up the European Union’s image is its subtle relationship to 20th-century architectural history. Its bold forms nod to the idealism that was once embodied in International style Modernism but also critique it, expressing a more nuanced view of Europe’s role in the emerging global culture.”
Better Late Than Never
It’s been three months since the musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra agreed to a new two-year contract, averting a strike and seemingly marking a truce between the players and their management. But a letter sent by the orchestra’s president to key donors late in the negotiating process has the musicians still fuming over its assertion that they were making “financially unrealistic and institutionally ruinous demands.” The musicians have now sent a letter of their own to many of the original memo’s recipients in an attempt to repair what they view as their wrongfully damaged image.
TV Right To Your Cell Phone
“With viewers increasingly abandoning TV for the Internet and video games, studios, and other media outfits are rushing to jump into the fledgling market for cellular video. In just the last month the likes of Fox, Warner Bros. (TWX ), and ESPN have all signed deals to bring everything from sports highlights to comic books to super-small screens.”