Grumpy Editor

SINGER DOLLY PARTON'S $1 MILLION GIFT BOOSTS COVID-19 RESEARCH

 

Dolly Parton's $1 million gift aids research 

 

Missed by some media is that a $1 million gift from country singer Dolly Parton helped researchers develop a coronavirus vaccine, observed Grumpy Editor.

 

She said she felt "very honored and proud" to have given money to research into one of the most promising Covid-19 vaccines.

 

The gift went to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center leading to the development of Moderna’s experimental coronavirus vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is reported to be nearly 95 percent effective.

 

"I just felt so proud to have been part of that little seed money that will hopefully grow into something great and help to heal this world,” said the singer.

  

Parton’s donation also is supporting a convalescent plasma study and research involving antibody therapies, said a Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson.  Convalescent plasma is used to treat people who are battling a Covid infection.

 

Funds from Parton’s gift are also supporting research into monoclonal antibodies that act as a temporary vaccine for Covid.  Two of these antibodies are now being tested by a global pharmaceutical firm.

 

Vanderbilt's plasma pilot showed enough promise for the U.S. National Institutes of Health to step in with $34 million in additional support to conduct a national, multi-site clinical trial into the benefits of convalescent plasma.

 

Parton pointed out “my longtime friend Dr Naji Abumrad, who's been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards that research of the coronavirus for a cure.”  She mentioned her $1 million donation toward that research would “encourage people that can afford it to make donations."

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

SMALLER TURKEYS THIS YEAR.  Fewer guests at Thanksgiving dinners this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, means smaller turkeys — 12 to 14 pounds rather than 16 to 20 pounds.

 

BIG BUCKS FOR RUDOLPH AND SANTA.  A buyer at a Hollywood auction was willing to pay $368,000 for the six-inch-tall Rudolph and 11-inch high Santa Claus figures used in the 1964 Christmas special “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”

 

MARS SEEKS TO EXPAND.  Mars, candy maker of  Snickers, Milky Way and M&Ms reached a deal to acquire Kind, which makes nutritional snacks, as a move to expand the candy maker's snack menu.    

 

NEWS CORP. EYES BOOK PUBLISHER.  Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is making a play for Simon & Schuster, home to best-selling authors like Stephen King and Hillary Clinton. It is one of more than half a dozen inquiries, with one topping $1.7 billion.

 

JOURNALISM SCHOOL HONORS DR. FAUCI.  Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease expert, was honored by the journalism school at San Jose State University for his role in delivering vital public health information during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The William Randolph Hearst Foundation is for excellence in mass communication.

 

MOTORSPORTS BROADCAST BOOTH WELCOMES WOMAN.  Fox Sports said veteran NASCAR reporter Jamie Little, with 20 years in broadcasting, will move to the broadcast booth to call play-by-play for the ARCA Series in 2021 — becoming the first woman named as the television voice of a national motorsports series.

 

CORONAVIRUS DELAYS RETURN TO WASHINGTON POST OFFICES. Because of the coronavirus, Washington Post staffers won’t be back in the offices until at least June 1 next year.

 

MLB MINIMUM SALARY UP $7,000.  Minimum Major League Baseball salary next year rises to $570,500, up $7,000 from this year.

 

2021 MARDI GRAS PARADES SHELVED.  The annual New Orleans Mardi Gras parades, previously scheduled for January and February, will be canceled for 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

 

Kiplinger: Skip latte, put cost toward print subscription

With business and finance publications running into choppy waters, as advertisers and subscribers abandon ship, Knight A. Kiplinger, editor in chief, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, wonders why some people who “gladly pay $4 for a latte at Starbucks --- sometimes every day --- balk at paying even $1 for an issue of a useful magazine,” notes Grumpy Editor. 

Under his “The Power of Print” message to readers in the October issue, he points out “falling advertising and subscription revenues are plaguing many excellent magazines these days, including this one,” and cites  SmartMoney, “a worthy competitor,” that is ceasing its print edition with the September issue. 

Founded in 1947, Kiplinger’s was the first magazine to offer money management advice. 

In his message, Kiplinger mentions, “our readers are among the most highly educated and affluent of all magazine readers.  They tell market researchers that they really trust this magazine, and they spend a lot of time with each issue.” 

He adds that advertisers “don’t seem to acknowledge the print audience” and “they are abandoning magazines at a steady pace, apparently believing that they can reach you more effectively on Web sites, including ours.” 

Kiplinger observes that out of a half dozen personal finance publications competing in the 1990s, only Money and Kiplinger’s continue to roll off presses. 

“We’re gratified that our Web audience continues to grow, but we love the business of print publishing, and we’re committed to it,” he concludes.

Globe takes on printing of competitor Herald in Boston

The Boston Herald later this month will add to long-time competitor Boston Globe’s bottom line with the latter printing and distributing a good portion of Herald copies in a deal hailed by Globe Publisher Christopher Mayer as an “advantageous business opportunity” for the New York Times Co.-owned broadsheet, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The Globe also will start delivering other publications that the Herald currently handles, including Barron's and New England editions of the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal. 

In two weeks, the Globe will deliver the Herald's city edition Sundays through Fridays and print the tabloid’s full press run on Saturdays. 

Editorial department operations at the Herald and Globe will remain separate. 

Some Herald copies will continue to be printed at a Chicopee, Mass. plant and distributed by wholesalers, including some controlled by the Globe.

But the deal means about 50 Herald truck drivers and other workers will be laid off and paid severance. 

The agreement came as the Herald prepared to move its offices to Boston’s Seaport District. 

The Boston arrangement followed a year-end announcement that The Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett Co., Inc. publication, will be closing its printing plant in this year’s fourth quarter with The Columbus Dispatch taking over the printing.  About 200 jobs will be affected by that move. 

“Media companies are facing numerous challenges, and a streamlined approach to operations will ensure the economic viability of both newspapers and allow each of us to serve our readers and advertisers with a distinct voice,” said Patrick J. Purcell, president and publisher of the Boston Herald.