Google Pressured To Stop Serving AI Video To Kids
Child development experts have sent a letter signed by over 200 specialists urging Google to stop serving AI‑generated videos on YouTube and YouTube Kids. They describe the low‑quality “AI slop” as misinformation that can distort early learning and note that top AI‑focused channels earn roughly $4.25 million annually. The petition calls for a parental‑control toggle, clear labeling, and a ban on algorithmic recommendations of AI content to minors. Google responded that it already limits AI channels, labels content, and offers parental filters, but the group says these measures are insufficient.
I Used Apple Music's New AI Tool to Break Out of My Music Rut - and It Worked
Apple Music introduced Playlist Playground in iOS 26.4, an AI‑driven tool that generates playlists from user‑provided prompts. The feature can produce themed collections for activities like walking, workouts, or focused work, but its success hinges on how precisely users describe the...
Real-Time AI Video Is Nvidia’s New Pitch to Agencies—And It’s Turning Creatives Into Curators
Nvidia is positioning its latest computing platform as a real‑time AI video engine for advertising and entertainment agencies. At Runway’s AI Summit, the chipmaker demonstrated how its hardware can power Runway’s models to generate and modify video scenes instantly, turning...
MOR Rays Games For Tampa Bay MLB Fans
The Tampa Bay Rays have secured a limited over‑the‑air broadcast partnership with Hearst Television for the 2026 season. Hearst’s stations in four Florida markets will air ten selected Rays games, including the April 6 home opener at the newly repaired Tropicana...
Tom Selleck's Favorite Blue Bloods Episode Is One Of The Show's Most Emotional
Tom Selleck says his favorite Blue Bloods episode is “The Job,” the season‑2, episode‑12 story that reveals Frank Reagan survived the World Trade Center’s North Tower on 9/11. The emotionally charged episode, written by Brian Burns, earned a Humanitas Prize...
Upfronts 2026: Enter the YouTube Era at Brandcast May 13
YouTube will host its annual Brandcast Upfront on May 13 at Lincoln Center, featuring CEO Neal Mohan, CBO Mary Ellen Coe, and Google President Sean Downey. The event highlights YouTube’s claim as the #1 U.S. streamer, reaching over 238 million adults...
How Fox News Is Luring in Gen Z
Fox News is expanding its reach to Generation Z by leveraging TikTok, where chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst posts daily bulletins to a million followers. The network’s traditional cable dominance remains strong, outpacing CNN, MSNBC, and even broadcast rivals like...
Harmelin's Meder Weighs In On Principal Media, Rebates Too
Mary Meder, president of Harmelin Media, publicly condemned the practice of agencies pocketing media rebates, urging advertisers and peers to reject the opaque fee structures. She argues the rebates undermine client trust and inflate campaign costs. Meanwhile, Meta has assembled...
Headliner Introduces Full Circle: Turn Video Into Video Clips
Headliner, the platform used by more than 1.5 million creators, unveiled Full Circle, a new feature that transforms existing video into short, shareable clips. The tool leverages AI‑driven autoframing, automatic captioning, and highlight detection to streamline the editing process. Users can upload...
New Ozone Unit to Crack How AI Will Shape Publishing
Ozone, the publisher‑centric digital advertising platform, has launched Ozone Labs, a collaborative R&D centre to investigate how large‑language‑model AI will transform publishing and marketing business models. The Labs will operate alongside Ozone’s core platform, offering a sandbox where partners can...
Endemol Shine Brasil Is Preparing Its New Docu-Reality Series Underground City
Endemol Shine Brasil, part of Banijay Americas, is launching *Underground City*, a docu‑reality series that delves into São Paulo’s subway system. The show will air on GNT, Globoplay, and TV Globo’s Fantástico, offering unprecedented access to control rooms, maintenance yards,...
Brendan Carr Ignores The Law, Rubber Stamps More Right Wing Media Consolidation, Then Lies About It
The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, approved Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna in a closed‑door vote, allowing the combined entity to reach 54.5 % of U.S. television households—well above the 39 % cap that previously limited market concentration. The...
Peaky Blinders Star Confirmed to Join Star-Studded Cast of Exciting New Thriller From Homeland Boss
Daryl McCormack, known for his role in Peaky Blinders, has been added to the cast of an untitled Apple TV+ thriller produced by former Homeland executive Alex Cary. The series follows an undercover Treasury agent, played by Dakota Fanning, who infiltrates a multi‑billion‑dollar...
After 15 Years, Philly’s WRNB Welcomes Back Michael Shawn
Michael Shawn is returning to Urban One Philadelphia’s 100.3 RNB (WRNB) for a weekend show debuting on April 4, marking his first on‑air appearance at the station in 15 years. He originally hosted the Michael Shawn & the Takeover Legends Night Show...
WPP Media Launches AI-Driven YouTube Tool ‘YouTube 5K’
WPP Media, in collaboration with Google, launched YouTube 5K (YT5K), an AI‑driven solution that automates channel curation and creative versioning for YouTube advertising. The platform scans channels to generate a refreshed list of over 5,000 brand‑safe options and automatically creates...
Accounts in Transit: Matter Picks Up Clear Channel Outdoor
Matter has been appointed agency of record for Clear Channel Outdoor, tasked with expanding the out‑of‑home giant's earned media, social and thought‑leadership footprint. Marino will lead branding and executive storytelling for Hillpointe, a Sun Belt multifamily developer seeking greater market...
Like Journalists, Prosecutors Shaped a Distorted View of Crime. They Can Help Fix It, Too.
A recent Princeton symposium highlighted how journalists and prosecutors jointly amplify a distorted view of crime by focusing on sensational incidents. Prosecutors, who generate the data behind court filings, now recognize their role in correcting public misconceptions. In Broward County,...
NPR Distribution Highlights New Adaptable Receiver
NPR Distribution’s vice president Badri Munipalla announced at the Public Radio Engineering Conference a next‑generation ContentDepot Edge receiver, a low‑latency terrestrial solution for live broadcast distribution. The Edge platform, currently in pilot, adds station‑to‑station sharing, geo‑targeted delivery, richer metadata and...
‘It’s Not a Completely Authentic Reporting Experience’
Sebastian Walker, veteran foreign correspondent, discusses Frontline’s updated documentary “Strike on Iran: The Nuclear Question,” which blends rare on‑the‑ground footage with satellite‑forensic analysis to examine the impact of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. He explains the opaque...
‘It’s Really Hard to Give Up That Kind of Money’
Kevin Ortega‑Rojas, a solo news creator with 500,000 Instagram followers, faced a backlash after posting a paid partnership with prediction‑market platform Kalshi that promoted betting on the Texas Senate race. He removed the post within an hour and later disclosed...
Tech Creators Are Getting the Star Treatment at a New Talent Management Firm
Reign Maker Group has launched Kernel Management, a talent agency focused exclusively on tech creators such as YouTube’s Tech with Tim. The firm aims to connect creators with AI and software brands, offering sponsorships that can exceed $1 million for long‑term...
Instagram Sets Out Its Stall as a ‘Music Superfandom’ Platform
Instagram is positioning itself as a "music superfandom" platform, backed by a Luminate‑commissioned report that finds 58 % of music superfans use the app and 32 % of daily music engagers qualify as superfans. Meta’s experimental activation program delivered an average 10 %...
TikTok to Let US Creators Sell Personalized Videos In-App Through Its New Cameo Partnership
TikTok announced a partnership with personalized‑video service Cameo, enabling U.S. creators to sell custom video messages directly inside the app. The integration adds a seamless sign‑up flow and a “Cameo” search button, allowing fans to request videos that start at...
The War Against Misinformation Is Over. The Lies Won
The author declares that the fight against misinformation has been lost, arguing that despite fact‑checking and media‑literacy efforts, false content continues to spread unchecked. Citing recent Princeton‑Northwestern research, the piece shows that outrage fuels sharing even when people recognize falsehoods,...
R99 DStv Deal to Keep Showmax Subscribers From Bolting
MultiChoice is offering Showmax users a 12‑month DStv Stream Compact subscription for R99/month (≈ $5.35), a 67% discount from the regular R299 (~$16.15). The promotion aims to retain subscribers as Showmax will shut down on 30 April. Migration is not automatic; users...
The Center Cannot Hold
A new Sounds Profitable study of 4,652 Americans reveals a clear political gradient in podcast non‑consumption: 17 % of very liberals versus 27 % of very conservatives have never listened to a podcast. The gap is not driven by content relevance—both sides...
NEM Dubrovnik Unveils First Speakers for 2026 Edition
The NEM Dubrovnik TV market announced its first keynote lineup for the 2026 edition, scheduled for June 8‑11 in Croatia. Organisers project participation from more than 300 broadcasters, streamers, producers and distributors, making the event about 50 % larger than last year....
‘Hard Knocks’ Returns With Seattle Seahawks Training Camp Edition
HBO Max and NFL Films revive *Hard Knocks* with a five‑episode season that follows the Seattle Seahawks at their Renton, Washington training camp. The series premieres on August 11 and runs weekly through September 8, marking the first time a defending Super Bowl...
France 24 Launches BMW In-Car App with Dotscreen
France 24 has introduced a dedicated in‑car app for BMW Group vehicles in Europe and the United States, using Xperi’s TiVo infotainment platform. Developed by Dotscreen, the app delivers live streams, video bulletins and on‑demand news in French, English, Arabic and...
Meet Morgan Lindholm, Who Plays Cal’s Bartender Daughter Maddie in Yellowstone Spin-Off Marshals
Taylor Sheridan, creator of Yellowstone, serves as executive producer on two hit series, The Madison and Marshals. Marshals, a Yellowstone sequel starring Luke Grimes, currently ranks #1 on Paramount+ according to FlixPatrol. The show introduced Morgan Lindholm as Maddie, the...
Taylor Lorenz’s Screen Time Is Almost 17 Hours a Day
Taylor Lorenz, author of *Extremely Online* and independent newsletter creator, reports an average of roughly 10 hours of iPhone screen time each day, supplemented by a 2024 14‑inch MacBook Pro for video editing. She maintains over 15,000 unread emails and hundreds...
One Of Marketing’s Toughest Execs Says Radio ‘Still Killing It’
Jessica Reyna, CEO of Kill Your Competition, praised radio as the only traditional medium still delivering strong results, rating it "always" while dismissing newspapers, TV, and outdoor. She emphasized that radio’s effectiveness hinges on format fit, timing aligned with customer...
The Handmaid's Tale's "Heartbreaking" Decision Was Necessary, and Was Always Going to Upset Fans
The Handmaid’s Tale ended without reuniting June Osborne and her daughter Hannah because the sequel series, The Testaments, was already in development. Showrunners Yahlin Chang and Eric Tuchman said contractual and narrative constraints forced a shift toward June’s resilience rather...
Spectator Made £6.6m Loss in Year Paul Marshall Paid £100m for Title
British weekly The Spectator posted a pre‑tax loss of £6.6 million ($8.4 million) for 2024 after Sir Paul Marshall’s Old Queen Street Ventures paid £100 million ($127 million) for the title. The 15‑month sale process cost the magazine £11.4 million ($14.5 million), turning a £2.6 million profit...
France: FTA Still Most-Watched TV Service
France’s free-to-air (FTA) television remains the most consumed video service, even as internet streaming expands, according to Arcom’s Q1 2026 audio‑video trends report. While 74 percent of households now receive IPTV, terrestrial digital terrestrial television (DTT) usage has fallen to 34.7 percent, with...
Agency Faces ‘£100,000’ Legal Costs From Mail and Telegraph over £200 Pictures Claim
A UK news agency, Central European News (CEN), is being sued by The Daily Mail and The Telegraph for failing to pay fees for two images, each valued at less than £200 (≈$250). The publishers have incurred roughly £100,000 (≈$125,000)...
When Stars’ Plastic Surgery Is Played for Your Entertainment
Social media creators, often medical professionals, are posting side‑by‑side analyses of celebrity faces, guessing at procedures like Botox, brow lifts and lip fillers. The trend, popular on TikTok and Instagram, mixes authoritative commentary with entertainment, inviting viewers to identify “changes.”...
The Best Movies and TV Shows Streaming in April 2026
April 2026 sees a wave of new streaming titles, highlighted by AMC+ debuting the tech‑satire series “The Audacity” on April 12 and Amazon Prime Video launching an eight‑episode adaptation of Isabel Allende’s novel “The House of the Spirits” on April 29....
Who Covers Education in Indy?
Indianapolis’ education beat is fragmented across 11 public school districts, making comprehensive coverage difficult. Local newsrooms—Mirror Indy, WFYI, IndyStar—maintain dedicated education reporters, while Chalkbeat Indiana’s three‑person team partners with them to fill gaps. The collaboration yields joint stories on issues like...
YouTube Reveals Upfront Event Details, Including Trevor Noah and Chappell Roan
YouTube announced its Brandcast 2026 upfront event for May 13 at 5:30 p.m., hosted at Lincoln Center in New York City. Comedian Trevor Noah will serve as host while singer‑songwriter Chappell Roan headlines the musical segment. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and Google Americas president...
ITV’s Grace Has Returned For Season 6 – Here’s Where It Was Filmed
ITV has launched the sixth season of its crime drama Grace, debuting on March 29 across ITV1 and the streaming service ITVX. The series continues to follow Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, played by John Simm, as he tackles new cold‑case...
Future Share Price Plummets After Warning Google Traffic Loss Has Worsened
Future plc’s shares tumbled 28% to $3.58, valuing the company at roughly $339 million after the publisher warned that Google‑driven traffic losses have accelerated. Audience metrics fell 20% in the first half of the fiscal year, echoing a similar drop in...
Native Advertising, Recommendation Widgets, and the Toenail Fungus Problem
Shirley Marschall argues that recommendation widgets, not native advertising itself, are the primary cause of low‑quality, click‑bait ads that appear alongside premium editorial content. These widgets are engineered to maximize clicks, often delivering sensational or unsettling content like "toenail fungus"...
Why Audience Participation Is Becoming Core Publishing Infrastructure
Publishers facing trust erosion and AI‑driven search are turning audience participation into a core infrastructure. Rather than treating user‑generated content reactively, newsrooms are designing structured contribution systems that integrate directly into editorial workflows. Examples from Mediahuis, the San Francisco Chronicle, and...
The 13% Problem: Why Identity Accuracy Is Advertising?s Blind Spot
The advertising industry’s reliance on identity signals is exposing a costly blind spot: IP‑based targeting on connected TV delivers only 13‑16% accuracy. As media ecosystems fragment across streaming, mobile and linear TV, inconsistent identifiers cause brands to waste up to...
Inside the Snappys: Snapchat Launches Inaugural Awards Show, With Kylie Jenner, David Dobrik Among Winners
Snapchat launched its inaugural awards show, The Snappys, live‑streamed from its Santa Monica headquarters. The ceremony honored creators across categories, with David Dobrik taking Creator of the Year and DJ Khaled receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. The event suffered notable absenteeism,...
Local Publishers Hit By AI Traffic Drops Collaborate For Revenue Relief
Local news publishers are seeing 25%‑50% traffic drops as AI‑generated answers replace clicks and social platforms lock users inside walled gardens. The Local Media Consortium (LMC) is countering the loss by pooling resources, launching the NewsPassID single‑sign‑on marketplace and other...
7News Extends Tonight for PM’s Address
Seven Network will extend its 7NEWS broadcast tonight to accommodate the Prime Minister’s national address, pushing the regular primetime slot back by 30 minutes. The address, slated for 7:00 pm AEDT in most states, will focus on Australia’s response to the...
Got Milk? In Nova’s Case, No Thanks
Sydney’s Nova radio network marked its 25th anniversary, reflecting on a quirky branding backstory. Former programming boss Dean Buchanan revealed that ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi initially proposed the name “Milk,” complete with milk‑filled meeting rooms. The team rejected the...
BAFTA and Cannes Lions Grand Prix-Winning Duo Smith & Foulkes Sign with SEDONA Productions in Australia and New Zealand
Australian production house SEDONA announced that acclaimed directing duo Smith & Foulkes have signed for commercial representation across Australia and New Zealand. The pair, celebrated for the Honda Grrr spot that won Cannes Lions Grand Prix, a BAFTA, an Annie and an Oscar...