Grumpy Editor

CORONAVIRUS HYPOS CONSUMPTION OF NEWS

Axios finds "news consumption has skyrocketed in the U.S. over the past few weeks due to the coronavirus, according to TV ratings, web traffic, app downloads and social media interactions,” notes Grumpy Editor.

Here's the quickest review of the story so far — how it happened and how the U.S. lost control, compiled by Axios.

• The first known cases in Wuhan emerged in November or December, and Chinese officials spent part of January downplaying the problem.
• In early January, China posted the virus' genome for all to study — and later that month, China put strict measures in place that helped eventually limit its outbreak.
• Communities around the globe that had previous experience with the SARS outbreak prepared early and have so far avoided the worst impacts.
• The U.S. bought itself some extra time by screening passengers from Wuhan mid-January and advising against unnecessary travel to China later that month.
• But the U.S. squandered that time — failing to resolve the breakdown of its testing system, to ramp up production of masks and ventilators, or to move quickly on social media distancing measures.
• Invalid comparisons with seasonal flu outbreaks led individuals and leaders to downplay the virus’ danger.
• For now, until we develop treatments and vaccines, distance and hygiene are the only weapons against the spread of the new virus.
• Shutdowns cause widespread economic harm. So does mass illness. Economies can recover.  The dead can’t. 
• Our errors have all been on the side of underestimating the virus and, despite warnings, under-preparing for the crisis.
• Whatever mistakes lie behind us, each day offers new chances to limit future harm.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

HISTORIC HOTEL SHUTS DOORS.  The historic Hotel del Coronado in California takes the unprecedented step of shutting its doors temporarily in the face of dramatic declines in business because of the continuing spread of the coronavirus.  Closing the 132-year-old oceanside hotel affects 1,171 staffers.

 

MARINES TO REDUCE UNITS.  The Marine Corps decides it must eliminate its tank battalions and reduce its infantry and artillery units in 10 years as it converts its force to one more aligned with taking on potential adversaries such as China, reports Stars & Stripes.

 

TEXAS CITIES LEAD IN POPULATION GAINS.  Dallas and Houston metropolitan areas lead the biggest U.S. population gains over the past decade.  Dallas added 1.2 million people while Houston increased by 1.1 million.

 

TONY AWARDS SHOW POSTPONED.  The coronavirus causes the 74th annual Tony Awards, scheduled for June 7 in New York, to be postponed.  The show was slated to be carried live on CBS.

 

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER SHELVED.  The White House Correspondents’ Association postpones its annual dinner scheduled for April 25, but still hopes to hold the event this summer or fall if the coronavirus threat abates.

 

ST. LOUS NEWSPAPERS HIT.  Webster-Kirkwood Times Inc., ceases publishing a trio of St. Louis area newspapers, the latest media company to be hit by the coronavirus.

 

TWITTER DONATES $1 MILLION. Twitter is donating $1 million between the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Women’s Media Foundation to further their work related to supporting those reporting on COVID-19.

 

POSTAL SERVICE NEEDS HELP.  The Postal Service needs “urgent help” amid the coronavirus pandemic or it could shut down as early as June, warn Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (New York) and Gerry Connolly (Virginia).

 

BASEBALL PLAYERS OK WITH EXTENDING SEASON.  With the coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball players are willing to extend the season as long as needed to cover as close to a full schedule as possible, even if it involves several day-night doubleheaders.

CORONAVIRUS FORCES SOME LOCAL NEWSPAPERS TO SHUTTER

 

The coronavirus crisis is smacking some local newspapers hard, forcing them to suspend publication, perhaps indefinitely, notes Grumpy Editor.

Forced closing of “non-essential” businesses --- ranging from movie theaters to restaurants to concerts--- is producing a sudden steep drop in ad revenue for newspapers.

Staffers are being laid off and print editions are ceasing to be published.

Typical are small weekly newspapers in California and Nevada.  Jeff vonKanael,  president of the Sacramento, Chico and Reno News & Reviews, says the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic “could be the end” for the organizations.

He reports the Chico News & Review, for example, lost 50 percent of its ad revenue in less than a week.

 

Media companies are working to offset revenue losses by turning to companies more likely to advertise now, such as streaming services, food delivery and e-commerce companies.

 

Meanwhile, The Denver Post is suspending its regular sports section "until things start returning to normal,” says its publisher, adding the sports staff will now be free to help the newspaper focus on covering the impact of coronavirus in Colorado.  On Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays the Post will produce a smaller than normal sports section, then on Wednesdays through Saturdays any sports news will be placed in the paper’s main section.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

CHINA REVOKES PRESS CREDENTIALS.  China revokes press credentials of American journalists representing The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post.  It represents the largest expulsion of media since the Mao era, amid an escalating battle with the Trump administration over media operating in the two countries.

 

CENSUS BUREAU HEAD COUNTS EXTENDED.  U.S. Census Bureau is extending the deadline for head counts by two weeks --- now to mid-August, because of the coronavirus.

 

CORONAVIRUS HALTS DENTAL WORK.  Dentists in Nevada are being informed not to perform routine checkups and cleanings in response to the coronavirus.

 

PHYSICAL PROTECTION FOR BIDEN.  Former Vice President Joe Biden now has Secret Service protection as the Democrat presidential candidate is off the campaign trail amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

 

BIRTH IN WALMART STORE.  A woman gave birth in the toilet paper aisle of a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri.  A nurse shopping in the store provides a delivery assist.

 

BASEBALL WATCHERS ONLY ON TV PROPOSED.  Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon advocates starting the baseball season with fans only watching on TV. Doing so could allow MLB to test pace-of-play initiatives.

 

BANK OF AMERICA PLEDGES $100 MILLION DONATION.  Bank of America pledges to donate $100 million to support populations hurt by the coronavirus with the funds distributed to various communities as well as national and global organizations.

 

KANGAROO CONTRIBUTES TO TOILET PAPER CRISIS.   A kangaroo visits a campground in South Australia, enters the restroom to munch toilet paper from a bathroom stall.

WITHOUT SPORTS GAMES TO AIR, NETWORKS LOSE AD REVENUE

Imagine a TV network with no regular fare to show, asks Grumpy Editor.

That’s the problem networks that air sports now face.  Almost every major sports league and conference is suspending play, rescheduling or canceling events stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Among them:  National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and National Hockey League.

 

Losing games puts a big hole in TV networks schedules.

 

Without games to air, networks will take a substantial hit in advertising revenue.

 

The Wall Street Journal points out Walt Disney’s ESPN and AT&T’s Turner, parent of TNT, together spend about $2.7 billion a year to show NBA games nationally while regional networks owned by Comcast and Sinclair Broadcast Group, among others, air NBA games in local markets.

 

In the last NBA season, for example, a reserach firm says TV networks brought in nearly $600 million in ad revenue from NBA games and $972 million from playoffs. 

 

Meanwhile, ESPN, Turner and Fox all have Major League Baseball rights.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

POTENT STORM BRINGS HEAVY SNOW TO CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS.  With an average temperature 4 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, this winter ranks first among the warmest winters on land in the Northern Hemisphere, beating the very mild winter of 2015-2016.  But spring doesn’t arrive until Friday and a large and potent storm system on the West Coast brings very heavy snow to northern and central California Mountains in what looks to be the most significant storm of the season for parts of the Golden State.

WASHINGTON POST INSTRUCTS STAFFERS TO WORK FROM HOME.  The Washington Post instructs employees to work from home, if possible, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. “We have decided to begin encouraging (but not mandating) employees to work from home if your role and equipment needs make it practical to do so,” says the publisher.

U.S. MILITARY EXERCISE SCALED BACK.  The largest U.S. military exercise in Europe in a generation will be scaled back because of concerns about coronavirus, marking a possible setback for the Army after the service spent years building up for the drill known as Defender-Europe 20, reports Stars and Stripes.

KANSAS CITY STAR ENDS SATURDAY EDITION.  The Kansas City Star’s Saturday edition is going away.  But the paper is expanding its Friday and Sunday print editions, so subscribers will continue to get their favorite Saturday features, including comics and puzzles. The Star has not missed a single day of covering the news since its first paper was printed almost 140 years ago.

 

GANNETT URGES TELECOMMUTING.  The head of Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper chain, urges employees able to telecommute to “refrain from coming into the office unless absolutely necessary” because of the coronavirus outbreak.

FOX NEWS CURBS LARGE GATHERINGS. Fox News says it is encouraging its shows to book guest appearances via Skype or remote locations. Staffers are told to avoid large gatherings and, when possible, conduct business by phone or video conferencing.

 

 

PROS AND CONS WITH DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

In the second day of Daylight Saving Time in 2020, there are strong pros and cons on the time change, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Many Americans would like DST to vanish, thus ending the twice-a-year ritual of moving clocks ahead in March and back in the fall.

 

Some states would like to shelve DST.

 

Meanwhile, legislation supporting year-round DST has been introduced in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Vermont.

 

First use of DST in the U.S. started as a temporary measure in 1918 during World War I in order to conserve coal.

 

With World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt imposed DST to conserve fuel.

 

Current time change stems from when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966.

 

Those for the time change cite a switch to DST brings more light to enjoy in the evening, the crime rate drops, energy consumption is lower and there are fewer traffic accidents.

 

However, a poll by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds four in 10 Americans would like clocks to stay on standard time year round while about three in 10 prefer DST.  About three in 10 prefer the status quo.

 

Only Arizona and Hawaii skip the time changes.

 

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Various Gibson guitars

 

GIBSON TO REPLACE LOST, DAMAGED GUITARS.  Gibson, the iconic guitar manufacturer headquartered in Nashville since 1894, says it will replace guitars lost or damaged in last week’s devastating tornado.

SMITHSONIAN ADDS COMMAND MODULE.  New addition to the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center is the Columbia command module in which Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins went to the moon in 1969.

WARMEST WINTER HITS MOSCOW.   Moscow, Russia, usually blanketed in snow during winter months, sees the warmest winter in the 140-year history of meteorological observations, recording a staggering 13.5 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

THIEF USES FISHING ROD.  Melbourne, Australia police are seeking a thief who used a fishing rod through a hole in a window to hook a Versace necklace from a mannequin’s neck at a high-end designer store.

U.S. ARMY OFFICER SELECTION CHANGES.  In the biggest shift since the Vietnam War era, the U.S. Army changes  how it selects a key class of officers.  Rather than relying on physical fitness scores and  recommendations of generals to promote officers to battalion commander, the new routine includes surveys by subordinates, writing tests, psychological assessments, cognitive evaluations and a series of simulated scenarios.

HOSPITAL THERAPY DOGS 'WED.'  Therapy dogs Peaches and Duke, golden retrievers, "tie the knot" at Methodist Mansfield (Texas) hospital where the facility's vice president of pastoral services performs the ceremony followed by the newlyweds enjoying a "doggy wedding cake” before returning to help physical therapy patients.

 

AUSSIE NEWS AGENCY TO SHUTTER.  Australian Associated Press (AAP), the country’s only news agency, is closing after 85 years.  CEO Bruce Davidson says the business is no longer viable in the face of increasing free online content.

 

U.S. LEADS WITH SUPER RICH.  The U.S. leads the world with the super rich with 13,443 individuals last year with fortunes of $30 million or more, according to Knight Frank’s 2020 Wealth Report. China comes in second with 7,892 people, while Japan is a distant third.

 

AMENDING CALIFORNIA LAW AFFECTING FREELANCERS IN WORKS

After getting heavy static from writers groups, the author of a new California labor law that restricts to 35 the number of assignments freelance journalists and photographers can take a year is seeking to amend the statute, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-SanDiego) says she will seek to remove the submission limit freelance media workers can produce for a company.

 

If the measure passes the California Assembly and Senate, it wouldn’t take effect until January, 2021.

 

However, two freelancer groups — American Society of Journalists and Authors, and National Press Photographers Association — are asking for immediate relief from the law’s restrictions.

 

They are suing on free-speech grounds, continuing their legal case in Los Angeles federal court. 

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

WORLD WAR II FLIGHT CREW HONORED.  Crew of a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress is remembered in a ceremony in Ramsholt, England, marking 75 years after their bomber crashed in the nearby Deben River in the closing months of the war.  Hundreds of people honor the crew of 10, eight of whom died when the plane came down shortly after takeoff on Feb. 20, 1945 after one of its engines caught fire. 

 

WARNING ON CENSUS BUREAU JOB SCAMMERS.  The Better Business Bureau says to beware of scams involving thousands of temporary jobs with the U.S. Census Bureau.  Scammers are asking to be paid fees for applications or training.

 

NEWSPAPER TEMPORARILY CUTS PAY.  Staffers at the Tampa Bay Times will see a 10 percent temporary reduction in pay starting March 13 stemming from falling revenues. Cuts will last 13 weeks.

 

IN-THE-NEWS VIRUS AFFECTS BUYING BEER.  Although the beverage has no relationship with current coronavirus fears, a report in Newsweek says some people are scared of buying Corona beer.

 

JCPENNY TO SHUTTER MORE OUTLETS.  Department store chain JCPenney plans to close six additional stores as sales and profit continue to decline.

 

POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS SHELVED.  The Arizona Republic, Phoenix,  says it will no longer endorse political candidates for the 2020 presidential race.

 

RANSOM PAID FOR RETURN OF DOG.  A Northern California man says he paid a $1,000 ransom for the safe return of his dog --- a three-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel that was stolen from his parked car in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District.

 

FOX NEWS DOMINATES CABLE.  Fox News Channel continues its cable news domination in February, reaching its highest viewership in the network's 23-year history.