Bob Iger Vs. The Bob Iger Book
Disney has retained high‑profile litigator Charles Harder to counter an unauthorized biography of former CEO Bob Iger. The book, tentatively titled "The House of Mouse: Bob Iger and the Fight for the Soul of Disney," is being written by Robbie Whelan and was first reported in 2023. Harder, known for defending controversial figures such as Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein, will lead Disney’s legal offensive. The move signals the company’s willingness to protect its leadership image aggressively.
Americans Still Opt for Print Books over Digital or Audio Versions
A Pew Research Center survey from October 2025 shows that 75% of U.S. adults read at least part of a book in the past year, but print remains the dominant format. Only 64% reported reading a physical book, down from...
Silence and Denials
The blog notes that Pam Bondi cancelled her anticipated testimony in the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein investigations, while former First Lady Melania Trump publicly denied any association with Epstein. These withdrawals add uncertainty to a case already plagued by missing witnesses...
What Is Fox Really After with the NFL and Streaming?
Fox Corporation filed a public comment with the FCC urging regulators to extend the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act protections to streaming platforms, arguing that pay‑walled services threaten free over‑the‑air sports and local news. The move comes as broadcast sports inventories...
John Ourand: FCC Pressure, Lack of Bidding Market Could Hurt NFL’s Leverage in Media Deal Renegotiations
The NFL is renegotiating its broadcast contracts ahead of the 2026 season, eyeing a roughly 50% revenue increase from a new deal with CBS. John Ourand warns that the league’s leverage is eroding because there are no fresh bidders for...
Can We Ask You Something?
Substack’s premium newsletter "The Vault" is launching a three‑day flash sale, slashing prices by 30 % for both monthly and annual subscriptions. The service promises daily exclusive coverage of Hollywood gossip, royal affairs, unfiltered court documents, and real‑time true‑crime reporting. Subscribers...
“Catturd” Gets More X Engagement than the New York Times
A pseudonymous right‑wing account called Catturd consistently generates higher engagement on X than the New York Times, despite the newspaper’s 53 million‑follower base. Analyst Nate Silver highlighted that Catturd’s posts routinely attract thousands of likes and replies, while NYT tweets often linger at...
Meta Is Pulling Ads that Recruit Plaintiffs Suing Meta
Meta Platforms is removing more than a dozen paid advertisements that law firms used to recruit plaintiffs for social‑media addiction lawsuits. The move follows a California jury verdict that found Meta negligent in fostering compulsive use of its services. Axios...
Amazon to Cut Off Old Kindles in May
Amazon announced it will discontinue cloud support for its first‑generation, second‑generation, and Kindle DX e‑readers after May 20. After that date users cannot purchase, borrow, or download new titles, and any device reset or deregistration will render the hardware inoperable. The...
I Used Notes Templates Every Single Day for 90 Days. Here’s What the Data Actually Shows.
After struggling with inconsistent subscriber gains, the author analyzed his top‑performing Substack Notes and used Claude AI to extract common structures, creating a personal Notes Writing Playbook of 30+ templates. By writing daily from these templates for 90 days, he...
EFF Quits X as Posts Now Get 3% of What Tweets Once Got
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced it is quitting X after its posts now generate only about 3% of the impressions they once did. In 2018, the nonprofit posted 5‑10 times daily and earned 50‑100 million impressions each month. By 2025,...
Hire Nano Banana 2 and Fire Your Agency
The post showcases how Nano Banana 2, paired with Claude Code and Kling, can turn a single product image into a full‑featured animated microsite in a single day—work that would normally command $15‑20 k from a creative agency. It also demonstrates a static‑ad...
The Infuriating Hypocrisy of Usha Vance
Usha Vance, the U.S. Second Lady, launched a new podcast titled “Storytime with the Second Lady,” in which celebrity guests read children’s books on a YouTube‑style show. The first three episodes have drawn roughly 6,000 views each and feature no...
AllCity Network Strikes Sales, Content Partnership with KC Sports Network
AllCity Network announced a strategic partnership with the Kansas City Sports Network, becoming its exclusive sales representative while collaborating on content and distribution. KCSN will retain editorial and production control, leveraging its 33,000‑subscriber YouTube channel and 20,000 Substack followers. The...
Who Wants an Early Read of I Eat the Stars?
Author Sarah Wilson shares a draft of her upcoming book "I Eat the Stars" and asks readers for help identifying compelling excerpts. She plans to turn those snippets into social‑media tiles to attract new readers before the official launch. Wilson...
Brett Gipson on Taking Over David Harbour’s Hopper in ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85’
Seasoned actor Brett Gipson has been tapped to voice Jim Hopper in Netflix’s animated spin‑off *Stranger Things: Tales From ’85*, debuting April 23. He approached the blind audition by channeling the Hopper‑Eleven dynamic rather than mimicking David Harbour, and was...
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández Joining Fox Sports as Analyst for 2026 World Cup
Fox Sports announced that Mexican soccer legend Javier “Chicharito” Hernández will serve as a studio analyst for its FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage. Hernández, Mexico’s all‑time leading scorer with 52 goals, retired in 2025 after a 17‑year career spanning clubs...
Holly Rowe Elaborates on Deleted X Post Criticizing Tennessee Athletic Department
ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe posted, then deleted, a scathing X message targeting the University of Tennessee athletic department for allowing the once‑dominant Lady Vols program to "disintegrate." She singled out Athletic Director Danny White and linked the criticism to...
‘Miraculous’ Season 5 and Another Special Hitting Netflix in April & May 2026
Netflix confirmed a double‑header for the French animated hit Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. A new Miraculous World special, "Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir," lands on April 30, 2026, with Brazil as the sole exception. The full...
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Builds on Momentum From "Countdown to the Oscars" - Scores Big with Show's Post-Oscars Week
"Live with Kelly and Mark" leveraged its "Countdown to the Oscars" lead‑in to post its strongest ratings in seven weeks, with total viewers rising 6% to 2.71 million and a 5% lift in household ratings. The after‑Oscars episode delivered double‑digit gains...
Seedance 2.0: The Most Controversial AI Video Model in the World Just Landed in the US
ByteDance's Dreamina Seedance 2.0 AI video model, once paused amid controversy, is now live for U.S. users through CapCut. The rollout follows a brief global pause and promises integration across CapCut's Video Studio. CapCut emphasizes safeguards, including limits on real‑face...
‘Wednesday’ Season 3 Casts Lena Headey, Andrew McCarthy and James Lance
Netflix announced that former Game of Thrones star Lena Headey, veteran Andrew McCarthy and James Lance will join the cast of Wednesday Season 3. Filming began in Ireland in February 2026 and is slated to wrap by November 2026, with a 2027 summer or fall release....
Cannes 2026: Meta Ousts TikTok to Become the Festival's Official Social Partner
Meta has been named the official social media partner of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, taking over the role previously held by TikTok. The partnership runs from May 12 through the festival’s closing date, giving Meta branding rights on the...
How France Télévisions Is Defying Budget Cuts to Dominate European Public TV
France Télévisions is outperforming its European peers despite a 15% reduction in its public‑service budget, according to a new NPA Conseil study. The report finds the broadcaster holds roughly a 30% audience share and ranks highest for audience efficiency across the continent....
The Cost of Cutting Corners: French Producers Warn That TV Budget Slashes Are Driving Viewers Away
French producers Vincent Gisbert and Jérôme Caza warn that France Télévisions' 5% budget cut to unscripted ("flux") programming announced in September 2025 is eroding production quality and alienating viewers. They argue that treating unscripted shows as a cost‑adjustment lever jeopardizes...
Women Drive the Housemaid to Record-Numbers as Starz's Best-Performing Pay 1 Film Ever
STARZ announced that the psychological thriller *The Housemaid* became its best‑performing Pay 1 title ever, setting a record for acquisition cost and streaming viewership. The film, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, premiered on the STARZ app on April 1 after a...
2026 Cycle: Video Consumption & Reach Report
Cross Screen Media’s new 2026 Cycle Video Consumption & Reach Report projects political video advertising to surpass $11.2 billion during the upcoming election cycle. The analysis shows streaming services have overtaken linear television in viewership, though the shift varies regionally. It...
Tyler Perry’s Divorced Sistas: Paramount+ to Release New Episodes of Drama Series
Tyler Perry’s Divorced Sistas returns on Paramount+ with the second half of its first season. The eight‑episode conclusion launches April 15 with two episodes, then rolls out weekly through May 27. The series, which debuted on BET+, follows five Black women navigating post‑marriage life...
Government Project: Why We Revived This Lost Classic
Senior fellow Kevin Kosar partnered with AEI Press to revive Edward C. Banfield’s 1951 classic *Government Project*, issuing a new paperback in December 2024. The book, a detailed case study of the New Deal‑era Casa Grande Valley Farms cooperative, quickly...
CBS News to Present "Artemis II Return to Earth" A One-Hour Special, Friday, April 10
CBS News will broadcast a live, one‑hour special titled “Artemis II Return to Earth” on Friday, April 10, from 7:30‑8:30 PM ET. Anchor Jericka Duncan will be joined by astronaut Suni Williams, Lt. Col. Dave Mahan and other reporters from New York, Houston, Washington, D.C., and San Diego. The program...
M.I.A.: Peacock Unveils Premiere Date, Photos and Trailer for Crime Drama
Peacock announced that its new crime drama series M.I.A. will premiere on May 7, delivering a nine‑episode run. The show stars Shannon Gisela, Cary Elwes, Danay Garcia, Brittany Adebumola and a supporting cast, following protagonist Etta Tiger Jonze as she confronts Miami’s neon‑lit underworld...
“We Were Defending the Underdogs a Lot of the Time”: Roisin Conaty and Sara Pascoe on Zero Stars
TLC UK’s new travel series *Zero Stars* premieres on 12 April 2026, starring comedians Roisin Conaty and Sara Pascoe. The duo visits destinations that have earned the lowest online reviews, delivering a comedic take on bad hotels, food and attractions. The launch...
Celebrate the First Annual Local News Day by Supporting Journalism in Your Community
The nonprofit Montana Free Press inaugurated the first annual Local News Day, a national call to reconnect audiences with trusted community outlets and empower newsrooms. The event is backed by major philanthropy such as Press Forward, The New York Times...
Podcasting on Substack
Julie Ciardi, a longtime podcaster, explains why audio should be a core business strategy and outlines five reasons—simplicity, trust, convenience, voice authority, and independence—from discovery to sales. She announces her move from Libsyn to Substack, citing the platform’s all‑in‑one distribution,...
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for "My Killer Father: The Green Hollow Murders"
Paramount+ unveiled the trailer for the true‑crime docuseries “My Killer Father: The Green Hollow Murders,” set to debut all three episodes on April 28. The series follows a decades‑long investigation into the alleged “Monster of Green Hollow,” a serial killer...
The Publisher’s Playbook for the Google Zero Era
Publishers are confronting a steep drop in Google Search referrals, with traffic falling 33% worldwide and 38% in the U.S. between November 2024 and November 2025. AI‑generated snippets now capture the top of the results page, reducing click‑through rates to just 8%...
The $7/Month Mistake — and the Newsletter Pricing Model that Fixes It
The author discovered that pricing a Substack newsletter at $7 per month failed because the price was set before a clear pricing model was defined. By outlining seven distinct Substack pricing models—Content, Membership, Founding Member, Resource/Playbook, Community Access, Done‑For‑You, and Product...
K.G.M. V. META Et Al: Collapse of the Engagement-at-All-Costs Model
In 2026 two landmark juries held Meta liable for harms linked to its platform design, awarding $6 million to a teenage girl in California (K.G.M. v. Meta) and $375 million in New Mexico for facilitating child exploitation. The rulings focus on features...
We're Hiring a Head of Audience
Transformer, a niche AI policy publication, is hiring a Head of Audience to accelerate its subscriber base from 11,000 to over 20,000 by year‑end. The senior role will own cross‑platform growth, analytics, paid acquisition and content packaging, reporting to Editor‑in‑Chief...
Kerry Condon Joins Netflix's Series Adaptation of "The God of the Woods"
Netflix announced that BAFTA‑winner Kerry Condon will star as Alice Van Laar in its upcoming series adaptation of Liz Moore’s New York Times bestseller "The God of the Woods." The multi‑generational drama, set in the Adirondacks, is co‑showrun by Liz Hannah and...
The Art and Science of Brainrot
Meta has open‑sourced TRIBE v2, a foundation model that predicts second‑by‑second brain activity from video, audio, or text inputs. Trained on over 1,000 hours of fMRI data from 720 volunteers, the model often outperforms noisy individual scans by filtering out...
CBS’s Late-Night Exit Leaves Affiliates Holding The Bag
CBS has handed its 11:35 p.m. and 12:35 p.m. late‑night slots to Byron Allen, effectively exiting the daypart for the first time since David Letterman’s 1993 debut. The network will lease the hours as a time‑buy, swapping high‑cost production for guaranteed revenue....
Rich Eisen Returns to Bristol, Conn., To Host "SportsCenter" Sunday Night
Emmy‑nominated sportscaster Rich Eisen is back at ESPN’s Bristol headquarters to anchor a midnight SportsCenter on Sunday, marking his first appearance on the flagship program in more than two decades. The host, who rose to fame alongside Stuart Scott from...
"The Ultimate Fighter" Returns with Coaches Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping on Sunday, June 14 Exclusively on Paramount+
The Ultimate Fighter returns for a 12‑episode season on Paramount+ premiering June 14, 2026, with Hall of Famers Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping as rival coaches. The reality series will showcase 16 bantamweight and strawweight prospects competing for a UFC contract....
COURIER Has Launched The Cover-Up, a Major Campaign on the Jeffrey Epstein Story
Courier has launched "The Cover-Up", a dedicated campaign and microsite focused on the Jeffrey Epstein case. The initiative delivers original investigations, sharp analysis, and a newsletter featuring reporters such as Camaron Stevenson and Nina Burleigh. Recent reporting uncovers unredacted DOJ...
OpenAI’s Sora Shutdown Is a Warning to Chinese AI Video Rivals, Not the Market Opening It Appears, Says Bloomberg’s Catherine...
OpenAI pulled the plug on its Sora video‑generation model after it burned roughly $1 million a day in compute, signaling that the technology is not yet cost‑effective for mass‑market social media. Bloomberg columnist Catherine Thorbecke warns that Chinese rivals such as...
Dear Journalists: You Are Dismantling Democracy and You Should Be Ashamed
A new federal statute, Section 1250A of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, makes it illegal for the president to withdraw the United States from NATO without a two‑thirds Senate vote or an act of Congress. The law, co‑authored by...
Monday TV Ratings: Memory of a Killer, The Neighborhood, American Idol, Wild Cards, St. Denis Medical
Monday, April 6, 2026 TV ratings were released for Fox’s primetime lineup, covering new episodes of American Idol, The Rookie, The Neighborhood, CIA, Wild Cards, Extracted, Memory of a Killer, St. Denis Medical, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, and The Voice. The Neighborhood aired a farewell special, while Penn & Teller: Fool Us reran. All figures use Fast Affiliate...
The Greenberger Mile
Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, quietly launched a video podcast called MDMeets, featuring interviews with high‑profile political and tech figures such as Reza Pahlavi, Viktor Orbán, Sam Altman and Satya Nadella. Simultaneously, he gave Jonathan Greenberger a dedicated budget and mandate to recruit and...
SPECIAL OFFER: You’ve Seen The Headlines. Now See What They’re Not Saying.
Front Page Detectives is offering a limited‑time 30% discount on its subscription for four days, unlocking full case breakdowns, original court documents, and live investigative tracking. The promotion targets readers who are tired of surface‑level headlines and want the underlying...