Mediagazer: Profile of WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer and his thirty year-old-show, whose mix of sophistication and accessibility fosters a sense of community in New York (Jazmine Hughes/New York Times)

11:55 AM ET, March 20, 2020

Top News:

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:

Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video say they will reduce their streaming quality in EU to reduce traffic on the network, as millions are confined at home — BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) YouTube said on Friday it will reduce its streaming quality in the European Union …

Discussion: The Streamable, Variety, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, 9to5Google, Cord Cutters News, 9to5Mac, @internetthought, Engadget, Wccftech and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Financial Times:
EU calls on streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube to limit broadband use and offer programs only in standard, rather than high, definition

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Variety:

China's main state-owned distributor to re-release eleven films, from which cinemas will keep all income to help reignite the sector, starting March 20 — China's main state-owned distributor plans to issue a batch of half a dozen films, from which cinemas will keep all income …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, @sonnybunch, @thr, @dfriend, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, io9, IndieWire, The Playlist and ComingSoon.net

Lara O'Reilly / Digiday:

Children's linear TV ratings rise with COVID-19: Cartoon Network's total day viewing grew 58% this week, Disney Channel 43%, Boomerang 31%, and Nickelodeon 25% — Children's linear TV ratings have been in a slump for years as children's viewing habits shifted to online streaming, social and gaming platforms.

Discussion: Deadline and @mulvihill79

Jason Leopold / BuzzFeed News:

FBI says FOIA requests must now be made via standard mail, not email, because of coronavirus; the office handling requests is closed “at least until March 30” — The bureau said that the global health crisis makes it impossible to process email requests. People are told to use snail mail instead.

Discussion: @jasonleopold, @natlseccnslrs, @fredabrahams, @freedomofpress and @davelevinthal

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Ampere Analysis study of Disney+ US subscriptions finds 50% of households with kids under 10, 42% with kids under 18, and 41% of 18-24-year-olds are subscribers — Disney Plus is one of the few bright spots in the Mouse House's business portfolio amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

Melynda Fuller / MediaPost:

The Week Junior, aimed at kids ages 8-14, launches in the US with the first four issues available for free as PDFs, says it now has 25K paid subscriptions — This weekend, Dennis Publishing delivers the first issue of its kids spinoff magazine from The Week, The Week Junior, in-home.

Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:

SEC filing: Mason Slaine, former CEO of Thomson Financial, takes a 6.9% stake in Tribune Publishing, becoming its third largest shareholder — Mason Slaine, an investor and the former CEO of business information publisher Thomson Financial, has acquired a 7% stake in Tribune Publishing …

Discussion: @nina_metz

Jazmine Hughes / New York Times:

Profile of WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer and his thirty year-old-show, whose mix of sophistication and accessibility fosters a sense of community in New York — New York's beloved radio host is part Mister Rogers, part policy wonk. And he's doing his best to help a city in a pandemic keep its cool.

Discussion: @brihreed, @traciehunte, @shubasu, @jo_tovey, @golisheik, @jimschachter and @bbcnuala

Julia Alexander / The Verge:

YouTube unveils a COVID-19 “news shelf” on its homepage in 16 countries with verified content from authoritative news sources and health officials — Pulling from authoritative sources — YouTube will introduce a new row of verified videos to its homepage for anyone trying …

Discussion: The Next Web, TechCrunch, 9to5Google and Gizmodo

David Sharman / HoldtheFrontPage:

UK's regional dailies and some weeklies are jointly publishing a message to reassure readers and highlight trusted local news, using the slogan #ThereWithYou — The regional press industry has sent a united message of solidarity to the nation with more than 60 titles publishing identical …

Discussion: Behind Local News UK, USA Today, @mshelicat, @dailyechojames, @darrenthwaites, @marcreeves and @bradjones73

Torsten Ingvaldsen / HYPEBEAST:

Report: the total streams for the top 200 most-streamed songs on Spotify dropped in Italy, the US, UK, France, and Spain, as users in the countries self-isolate — Data from Spotify may suggest that widespread self-isolation is to blame. — Olly Curtis/Getty Images

Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette:

London free business-focused newspaper City AM suspends its print edition and cuts employee salary 50% for April as commuters stay home — City AM has suspended its print edition from today and will cut staff pay by half in April in drastic measures to cope with the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Discussion: @pressgazette and @jimwaterson

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