“Most TV executives cannot fathom a time without regular ratings, given that the Nielsen numbers are used to sell commercial time. But for decades, PBS was content to receive monthly reports about its audience.”
Tag: 12.21.09
Strolling Buenos Aires On Its Annual Bookstore Night
“The city closes a main avenue, and places sofas and chairs where cars and trucks normally idle. … This is the Noche de Librerias, Bookstore Night, a chance for Buenos Aires’ many bibliophiles to peruse the millions of titles in stock at the dozens of bookstores that sit under the neon glow on raucous Corrientes Avenue.”
An Abrupt Departure At the Metropolitan Opera
Exactly why Elena Doria, director of the Met Opera children’s chorus left “has been something of a mystery. A Met spokesman recently said she had retired, though it was midseason, and she was immersed in rehearsals, planning and auditions. Ms. Doria has declined to comment, not even to confirm whether or not she had retired. ‘I will not talk to you,’ she said.”
The Latest In Movie-Watching Luxury
“Forget Milk Duds and popcorn. Welcome to the movie theater industry’s equivalent of the first-class tourist cabin: the luxury theater. Betting that moviegoers will pay triple the average price of a U.S. movie ticket to be pampered like Hollywood moguls may seem odd at a time when the bargain mentality is gripping consumers.”
Honolulu Symphony Musicians Stick Together In Bankruptcy
“We’re doing everything that we can to stick together,” said Steve Dinion, chairman of the musicians’ Orchestra Committee. “It’s been very difficult.”
Strong Year For Hollywood Box Office
“Box Office Mojo said attendance so far this year was about 1.39 billion, already a 3 percent increase over last year, even before counting many holiday blockbuster releases. That is still off about 12 percent from 2002, the attendance peak for the decade, but a far better showing than 2008, when attendance dropped 4.5 percent.”
Australian Ballet Has A Better-Than-Expected Year
“Despite the economy, the ballet’s 2009 subscription sales in Melbourne were the best since 1993, and in Sydney subscriptions were the highest since 2001. Single-ticket sales in both cities also increased.”