AT&T Inc.’s WarnerMedia is preparing a restructuring that seeks to reduce costs by as much as 20% as the coronavirus pandemic drains income from movie tickets, cable subscriptions and TV ads, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Wall Street Journal reports the overhaul is expected to begin in the coming weeks and could affect staffing across Warner Bros. studios and TV channels like HBO, TBS and TNT.
Rivals including Walt Disney Co. and Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal have also cut jobs in recent months as the film and TV business struggles.
“Like the rest of the entertainment industry, we have not been immune to the significant impact of the pandemic,” a WarnerMedia spokesman said, adding that the company would reorder its operations to focus on growth opportunities. “We are in the midst of that process and it will involve increased investments in priority areas and, unfortunately, reductions in others.”
Jason Kilar
This is the second wave of substantial cuts at the company, after WarnerMedia eliminated more than 500 jobs at Warner Bros. in August.
The move is the latest by WarnerMedia chief Jason Kilar to remake the Hollywood icon since he took control of the division in May. The former Hulu boss ousted many of the unit’s top executives in August and rolled all production operations into a single unit under Warner Bros., suggesting more positions could be at risk.
AT&T has staked much of its media-focused strategy on HBO Max since the streaming video service launched in late May. About 4.1 million subscribers had activated the streaming app about a month after its launch, lagging cheaper rivals from Netflix Inc. and Disney. Overall HBO subscriptions, which include viewers watching the slimmer premium channel through cable TV bundles, still rose to about 36 million.
That early growth hasn’t offset deeper declines at the commercial entertainment cable networks TNT, TBS and TruTV, which used to be known as the Turner networks. The company’s other cable networks include news channels CNN and HLN as well as Cartoon Network.
CBS has unveiled a new brand identity that evolves, simplifies and elevates the look and feel of all its divisions across platforms while creatively featuring iconic elements of the brand’s rich history, it was announced today by President and Chief Marketing Officer Mike Benson.
The updated brand identity for entertainment programming debuted on the Network this week in advance of the upcoming fall season. Viewers can expect to see it rolled out across CBS News leading up to the 2020 election and for CBS Sports by the Network’s broadcast of Super Bowl LV on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Similar iterations are being developed for CBS Television Stations and CBS Television Distribution.
The strategy and execution, developed by Benson and his team with agency Gretel, unifies the CBS brand while differentiating it in an increasingly crowded media landscape. It is designed to create stronger continuity and clarity from the core brand to the subsidiary brands while driving attribution for CBS’ content, whether on the brand’s platforms or others – live, on demand or streaming.
Mike Benson
“CBS has long been one of the most unifying brands in media, bringing people together from all walks of life. Vibrant, trusted, inviting, inclusive – a connector with heart. We needed to make that clearer and more consistent at every consumer touchpoint,” said Benson. “We are defining every aspect of the CBS brand to make it more meaningful for existing and new consumers, regardless of where they encounter the brand.”
The brand identity draws upon CBS’ 91-year history, with key visual and audio elements from the past integrated into the new aesthetic. The ubiquitous CBS Eye logo remains central to the new identity in a unique animated way. The voiceover “This is CBS,” which was used for decades in the Company’s radio and television broadcasts beginning nearly a century ago, is another example of memorable legacy elements playing a strong role moving forward.
In addition, to reflect its role as a prominent content creator for all platforms more accurately, CBS Television Studios, one of the industry’s leading suppliers of programming with more than 70 series currently in production across broadcast and cable networks, streaming services and other emerging platforms, has been renamed CBS Studios.
New elements of the CBS brand strategy and its evolved look, feel and sound:
The iconic CBS Eye will be used across the brand identity in a flexible style that elevates it as a standalone logo and leans into the shapes and elements that make it up – separating and rejoining in unity via lively animation.
Brand attribution will be applied to programming and promotion that drives better connection between the CBS core brand, its sub-brands and our premium content available across CBS-owned and third-party platforms.
Content on CBS and CBS-owned platforms will be tagged with “CBS Original,” “CBS News,” “CBS Sports” or “CBS Presents” to reinforce its role as a leading creator and content provider for its platforms and many others. For example: “CBS Presents The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards.”
Content produced by CBS Studios will also include “A CBS Studios Production” and CBS Studios branded marks.
An audio expression of the updated brand identity comes to life in a five-note mnemonic written by assigning musical notes to the historic “This is CBS” voiceover slogan, creating a new melody and animation that will appear at the top of the hour during primetime programming on CBS.
The Texas Democratic Party is launching its largest ad buy in Black media this cycle, a six-figure investment that comes less than a month before Election Day, reports The Hill.
Now in the home stretch leading up to Nov. 3, the ad buy — which features print, digital and audio spots — follows a $500,000 purchase that the party made two weeks ago.
Both ad buys are part of a Get Out the Vote campaign that began at the beginning of the year. It started with the goal of getting 2 million previously unregistered Texans signed up to cast a ballot on Election Day in hopes of regaining control of the state House for the first time since 2000.
The Texas Democratic Party's efforts, coupled with the state's struggles with the coronavirus pandemic, have put Texas, typically a Republican stronghold, into play in the general election.
The new ads encourage Black Texans to vote and cast their ballots early. Texas has some of the strictest voting laws in the country, but does have an early voting period from Oct. 13-30.
“Early voting starts on October 13. Be one of the first to vote to move our country forward,” one of the digital video ads says.
Since 2010, Texas’s electorate has increased in size and become more diverse. From 2010 to 2018, the Lone Star State added 400,000 eligible Black voters and well over 1 million eligible Latino voters. As of 2018, Texas has the largest population of eligible Black voters and the second largest population of eligible Latino voters in the U.S.
Townsquare Media Killeen-Temple, TX announced today that Shannon Brazier, brand manager of the Company’s KOOC-FM B106 and KSSM Kiss 103.1, has been promoted to Director of Content for the local media cluster. He replaces Chad Heritage, who departs the Company.
Brazier, who goes by the air name Trey the Chok-Lit Jock and has been with the company since 2015 commented, “Townsquare Media is a unique company that I’ve been so proud to be a part of for the past five years. Local content is what we do and we do it best. I am very thankful for Kurt Johnson and Todd Lawley who have given me an opportunity to continue to lead our local team into 2021 and beyond. I’m ready for the challenge!”
Kurt Johnson, Townsquare SVP/Programming, added, “Promoting our great talent from within is important to us. Trey has done an outstanding job elevating our Hip Hop and R&B brands to dominant positions and I’m very happy to now have him leading all our stations in Killeen-Temple.”
Brazier will now oversee all the local media cluster’s brands, including Hip Hop KOOC-FM (B106), R&B KSSM-FM (Kiss 103.1), Country KUSJ-FM (US 105.5), Classic Rock KLTD-FM (K-Rock 101.7), and Local News-Talk/Sports KTEM-AM.
iHeartMedia has announced the launch of “HBCU Homecoming Celebration on iHeartRadio,” an uplifting month-long celebration showcasing Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ (HBCU) school pride and elevating student achievement through iHeartMedia’s multiple platforms, including on-air across iHeartMedia’s Hip Hop and R&B broadcast radio stations, streaming, social channels, iHeartMedia’s Black Creator podcasts and live virtual events. Beginning October 19 and continuing through November 12, the celebration will bring together HBCU students and alumni with their favorite musical artists, influencers and entertainment.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of HBCUs and their students and alumni will not be able to attend in-person homecoming celebrations to honor their institutions’ rich histories, cultural impact and notable alumni.
The month-long “HBCU Homecoming Celebration on iHeartRadio” will feature special themed podcast episodes and a month of custom vignettes celebrating Black excellence and achievement highlighting its alumni and students including singer, songwriter Bobby Valentino; singer and songwriter Brian McKnight; recording artist, songwriter, actor and activist Killer Mike; actress and personality La La Anthony; actor Lance Gross; singer, songwriter and actor Lionel Richie; producer, songwriter and DJ Metro Boomin; actor and entertainment reporter Terrence J; singer and songwriter Toni Braxton; recording artist Wale; film producer Will Packer; and iHeartRadio on-air personalities Bev Johnson, Bushman, Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, Kendra G, Kyle Santillian, Mike Evans, Monica Barnes, Queen B and Zach Boog.
“HBCU Homecoming Celebration on iHeartRadio” was developed in partnership with several partners including McDonald’s, through its Black & Positively Golden movement, and Ulta Beauty – all of whom have collaborated to create unique and impactful programming to celebrate students and alumni while bringing awareness to the profound influence historically Black colleges and universities continue to have on our country.
The celebration will culminate with a special event across all iHeartMedia Hip Hop and R&B stations and include a special pre-show and performance sponsored by McDonald’s through its Black and Positively Golden movement, which shines a positive light on Black excellence through initiatives that provide opportunities for the next generation of leaders taking steps today to own tomorrow.
“Homecoming is a time of celebration and unity on college campuses across the country. With in-person activities being cancelled due to COVID, the “HBCU Homecoming Celebration on iHeartRadio” will keep our communities connected, engaged and entertained during a challenging time,” said Thea Mitchem, Executive Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia. “As a HBCU graduate, I understand the transformative role HBCUs play in enriching and improving the lives of young people.”
Beasley Media Group is pleased to announce Jaime Frankel, general sales manager of Philadelphia’s Sports Talk radio station, 97.5 The Fanatic, has been named among the 2020 Women of Distinction by the Philadelphia Business Journal.
The annual selection process recognizes Philadelphia’s most influential women who are making a difference in the region’s business community.
“Jaime has been an instrumental part of The Fanatic’s growth and has been an amazing contributor to our company for nearly 15 years,” said Beasley Media Group Philadelphia Vice President of Sales, Paul Blake.” She’s literally done it all…National Sales Manager, Local Sales Manager, General Sales Manager. Jaime certainly has distinguished herself with all of us…and now the rest of the city realizes it!”
Since the inaugural report last year, Americans’ share of listening to spoken word audio is up over eight percent. This year, NPR and Edison Research explore what is driving this increase and how news, podcasts, audiobooks, and talk radio continue to cut into time that was previously spent with music.
The radio inustry is invited to join Michael Smith, Chief Marketing Officer from NPR, and Megan Lazovick, Vice President from Edison Research, on Tuesday, October 13 at 2:00 p.m. EDT as they host an online presentation of the findings from the second annual Spoken Word Audio Report.
➤Click here to register for the Spoken Word Audio Report webinar on Tuesday, October 13 at 2pm EDT
In this webinar, registrants will learn:
Which listeners are spending more time with spoken word audio
How time spent with audio has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Excerpts from in-depth interviews that help explain changes in listening behavior
Results from a new national survey that measured these behaviors on a larger scale
The Spoken Word Audio Report is derived from a national quantitative survey and analysis of in-depth, one-on-one interviews. It also includes six years tracking data from Edison Research’s Share of Ear® study, measuring the daily listening habits of Americans using a 24-hour diary.
Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic nominee Senator Kamala Harris faced off last night in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the lone vice presidential debate, sitting distanced from each other by more than 12 feet and with plexiglass shields between them as precautions against the coronavirus. The first topic was the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus, which Harris called "the greatest failure of any presidential administration," citing the toll of the dead and sick and the economic fallout. Pence, who heads the president’s coronavirus task force, defended the administration's handling of the pandemic, citing Trump's early ban on travel from China and what he described as the biggest mobilization since World War Two.
Other issues they discussed included the economy and taxes, the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, climate change, our relationship with China, foreign policy, and racial justice and policing. In a amusing moment that seemed to grab all of social media's attention, a fly landed on Pence's hair at one point, and remained there for more than two minutes, spurring all kinds of fly memes.
➤TRUMP SAYS EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT HELPING RECOVERY, CALLS ILLNESS 'BLESSING IN DISGUISE': President Trump released a video yesterday in which he claimed that experimental drug treatment he's received is helping with his recovery from Covid-19 and said his illness could be a, quote, "blessing in disguise" in the fight against the pandemic. However, Trump is still not fully recovered and there's no way to know whether the treatment had an effect. Trump promised to get the experimental antibody treatment he received quickly approved for broader use and to distribute it for free, although he can't order that himself, as the drug from Regeneron has not yet been proven to be safe and effective. Trump also again downplayed the threat from the coronavirus, saying that people who are ill with it will, quote, "get better fast, just like I did." Trump's physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said in a memo yesterday that Trump had been symptom-free for over 24 hours and that his oxygen and respiratory rates were normal.
Trump's reelection campaign is already planning his return to the campaign trial as early as next week, according to ABC News, depending how he feels in the coming days. Trump is also insisting that he will show up in person for the second presidential debate against Joe Biden next Thursday (October 15th) in Miami, which is a town hall format. Biden plans to attend, but has said of Trump, "I think if he still has COVID, we shouldn't have a debate." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that people can end their quarantine 10 days after the start of symptoms. His doctors say Trump's symptoms began last Thursday.
➤WISCONSIN TO OPEN FIELD HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF SURGING CORONAVIRUS CASES: Wisconsin health officials said Wednesday that a field hospital will be opening next week at the state fairgrounds near Milwaukee because a surge in coronavirus cases is threatening to overwhelm hospitals. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the 530-bed field hospital in April, but it hadn't been needed until now. Wisconsin has become third in the nation over the past two weeks in new cases per capita.
Weather.com graphic
➤HURRICANE DELTA MOVES INTO GULF AFTER HITTING MEXICO, HEADING FOR LOUISIANA: Hurricane Delta moved into the Gulf of Mexico yesterday (October 7th) after making landfall in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula just south of Cancun early in the morning with top winds of 110 miles per hour. There were no reports of any deaths or injuries. Delta had weakened to a Category 1 storm, but began strengthening in the Gulf and was expected to strengthen more before making landfall Friday or potentially Saturday morning in Louisiana, possibly as a Category 3 storm. The state is still recovering from Hurricane Laura, which hit as a Category 4 storm in August.
➤ADMINISTRATION FILES EMERGENCY SUPREME COURT APPEAL TO STOP CENSUS COUNT: The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal last night (October 8th) with the Supreme Court, asking it to stop an appeals court decision that extended the 2020 U.S. Census count to the end of the month because of obstacles caused by the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh had ordered the count to go through October, responding to plaintiffs' argument that it would reduce the risk of undercounting immigrants, minorities, and lower-income groups. The Trump administration set a target date of October 5th to stop the count anyway, which Koh said was a violation of her order. Extending the count would push back analysis of the data from the end of the year to next April 30th. The Trump administration has argued Census workers won't have enough time to analyze the data if counting extends to the end of the month.
➤EX-POLICE OFFICER CHARGED IN GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH FREED ON $1 MILLION BAIL: The former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder for George Floyd's death, Derek Chauvin, was released from jail yesterday (October 7th) after posting $1 million bail. In Minnesota, someone who posts bond is required to pay 10 percent to the bail bond company, which would be $100,000 in this case. It wasn't immediately clear where Chauvin got the money. Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd's neck for several minutes as Floyd said he couldn't breathe, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Attorneys for Floyd's family said in a statement yesterday, "The system of due process worked for Chauvin and afforded him his freedom while he awaits trial. In contrast, George Floyd was denied due process, when his life was ended over a $20 bill. There was no charge, no arrest, no hearing, no bail. Just execution."
Newsday 10/8/2020
➤BRITISH ISIS MEMBERS CHARGED IN KILLING OF U.S. HOSTAGES: Two British members of the Islamic State (ISIS) have been charged in U.S. federal court for their alleged role in the torture and killing of four American hostages: journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. Alexander Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh appeared in court in Alexandria, Virginia, yesterday (October 7th) via video link from prison. They face charges of conspiracy, hostage taking resulting in death, and material support to a terrorist organization. They are accused of having a lead role in an ISIS cell in Syria that kidnapped, tortured and, in some cases, beheaded hostages.
➤NETFLIX FACING CRIMINAL CHARGES OVER CUTIES: Netflix has been indicted by Texas’ Tyler County grand jury over the film Cuties. According to docs obtained by E!, the streamer is facing a charge of "promotion of lewd visual material depicting child." The docs go onto state that Cuties is comprised of "visual material which depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the visual material was created, which appeals to the prurient interest in sex and has no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." Netflix responded to the allegations in a statement to E! News. "Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. This charge is without merit and we stand by the film."
⚾MLB PLAYOFFS: Results from Division Series yesterday:
Atlanta Braves 2, Miami Marlins 0 -- Atlanta leads series 2 games to 0 (NL)
Oakland A's 9, Houston Astros 7 -- Houston leads series 2 games to 1 (AL)
Tampa Bay Rays 8, New York Yankees 4 -- Tampa Bay leads series 2 games to 1 (AL)
L.A. Dodgers 6, San Diego Padres 5 -- Los Angeles leads 2 games to 0 (NL)
🏈NFL FINDS SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF TITANS BREAKING CORONAVIRUS PROTOCOLS: The NFL's investigation into the Tennessee Titans' coronavirus outbreak found several incidents of the Titans possibly breaking coronavirus protocols, AP reported yesterday citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the probe. That came as the Titans had two more players test positive yesterday, according to AP, bringing their total number of cases, including non-players, to 22. The Titans can't return to their facility before Saturday at the earliest, and the NFL has to decide if they'll play the Buffalo Bills as scheduled on Sunday.
➤PATRIOTS' GILMORE POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS: New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has tested positive for the coronavirus, leading the team to cancel practice yesterday and today. Gilmore, the third player on the Patriots to test positive in five days, tweeted that he's asymptomatic. Quarterback Cam Newton has also tested positive, as has practice squad player Bill Murray. The Patriots are still scheduled to play the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
➤DOLPHINS TO KEEP FANS TO 13,000 IN STADIUM EVEN THOUGH ALLOWED FULL CAPACITY: The Miami Dolphins announced yesterday that they will continue to only have 13,000 fans at Hard Rock Stadium for games for the remainder of 2020, even though Florida Governor Ron DeSantis moved the state into Phase 3 of reopening from coronavirus restrictions, which allows them to have full capacity. Hard Rock Stadium can hold 65,000 people.
Nashville Public Radio has announced 91.ONE, WNXP as its new music discovery radio station and names Mickey Lernard Parks as its Assistant Program Director and on-air host. The station, launching later this fall, will be a platform for new local music and serve as Nashville’s Music Experience.
Parks is a Nashville native who hosts This Is The Place, a podcast about the Nashville restaurant and bar scene. Parks hosted several radio shows on Vanderbilt University’s station WRVU from 2000 to 2005 where he had the opportunity to play new bands before they broke through locally and nationally. Parks also served as the store manager in the first several years of Grimey’s New & Preloved Music which has grown to be an important part of Nashville’s music scene. Most recently, he has managed a wide variety of corporate teams in the hospitality industry.
Program Director Jason Moon Wilkins announced Parks appointment. “Mickey Lernard Parks has deep roots in the city and is well-known for introducing so many music fans to their future favorites through his work at Grimey’s and WRVU,” Wilkins said. “We are so fortunate that his desire to return to music coincided with the launch of this station.”
“It’s great to be back on the air in the Music City and so exciting to have the opportunity to share new music with Nashville again,” Parks said.
“The station truly will be ‘Nashville’s Music Experience’ bringing new music AND local music to Middle Tennessee listeners with hosts like Jason and Mickey who are well-versed in Nashville’s music scene,” said Nashville Public Radio’s President and CEO Steve Swenson.
SiriusXM's The Beatles Channel is honoring John Lennon's 80th birthday on October 9 with exclusive programming featuring special guests Paul McCartney, Alec Baldwin, Sean Ono Lennon, and more.
Listeners will hear celebrities pay tribute to Lennon, as well as exclusive specials about his music and legacy on The Beatles Channel.
The weekend-long programming will include a new show, featuring Paul McCartney in conversation with Alec Baldwin. The exclusive show will feature McCartney reflecting on his songwriting partner, bandmate, and friend John Lennon. The special will air on Friday, October 9 at 11:00 am ET, 4:00 pm ET and 9:00 pm ET on SiriusXM radios (channel 18) and on the SiriusXM app. The special will also air multiple times on The Beatles Channel throughout the weekend and will be available On Demand via the SiriusXM app after its debut.
Select audio clips below from Paul McCartney and Alec Baldwin's conversation:
Paul McCartney And Alec Baldwin On John Lennon At 80
Full schedule below of specialty programming airing to celebrate John Lennon on SiriusXM's The Beatles Channel. *Broadcast Schedule (all times ET)*
✔Sean Ono Lennon Guest DJ Musician, songwriter, producer, and the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Sean Ono Lennon joins host David Fricke in a two-part series, sharing memories of his dad along with his favorite John Lennon songs, both with and without The Beatles. Part 1 Saturday, October 10 at 1pm Part 2 Sunday, October 11 at midnight
✔The Ballad Of John And Yoko: 1969 It's hard to imagine the life of John and Yoko in 1969 — The Beatles, Plastic Ono Band, The Bed-Ins for Peace, War Is Over… it's a story only they can tell. Listen to John and Yoko talk about their lives and thoughts on many topics in their own words from 1969. Friday, October 9 at 11pm Sunday, October 11 at 10am
✔Eight Songs A Week… Times Two Beatles fans are giving John Lennon a special birthday playlist composed of their 16 favorite songs with John on lead vocals. It's Eight Songs A Week… Times Two! Friday, October 9 at 1pm Saturday, October 10 at 10am Sunday, October 11 at 1pm Monday, October 12 at 12pm
✔Imagine Special Bill Flanagan explores John Lennon's Imagine: "The Ultimate Collection" in a two-part series. Hear the original masters, alternate versions, and interviews with those who were part of the creation of the landmark album. Imagine – New York Special Saturday, October 10 at 6pm Imagine – UK Special Sunday, October 11 at 3pm
✔Magical Lennon Maxi Concert In honor of John's birthday, The Beatles Channel has imagined the greatest John Lennon concert ever! Sixty minutes of Lennon, Beatles and solo hits live. Saturday, October 10 at 9pm
✔Fab Fourum The Beatles Channel's weekly live Fab Fourum talk show, hosted by Dennis Elsas and Bill Flanagan, will be dedicated to John on his birthday and feature special guests, as well as your phone calls, plus the chance to win an Epiphone guitar and the new JOHN LENNON: GIMME SOME TRUTH deluxe edition box set. Wednesday, October 7 at 9pm Saturday, October 10 at 7am Sunday, October 11 at 6pm
✔Northern Songs Beatles historian and author Bill Flanagan puts together a themed playlist of hits and rarities by the Fab Four for this weekly audio adventure. This week, it's all about John Lennon's songs with The Beatles in honor of his 80th birthday. Friday, October 9 at midnight Saturday, October 10 at 7pm Sunday, October 11 at 6am
✔Peter Asher: From Me To You Musician, host, and friend of The Beatles Peter Asher explores the connection between John Lennon and legendary author Lewis Carroll, plus an Imagine set, Plastic Ono Band, and more. Thursday, October 8 at 9pm Saturday, October 10 at 5pm Sunday, October 11 at 8am Tuesday, October 13 at 1pm
✔Dark Horse Radio In this weekly show dedicated to the music that George Harrison wrote, produced, sang and loved, musician and host Laura Cantrell will explore the special relationship between George and John Lennon. Thursday, October 8 at 3pm Saturday, October 10 at 11pm Sunday, October 11 at 4pm Tuesday, October 13 at 1am
The Beatles Channel, SiriusXM's channel created in collaboration with and fully authorized by The Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd., celebrates popular music's most legendary and influential band, showcasing all-things-Beatles with regular and special programming spanning the history-making careers of the band and its members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Six months into a coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 200,000 lives in the United States, and before President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, a new Pew Research Center analysis finds that the share of U.S. adults following news about the outbreak very closely has dropped from 51% in early March to 35% in early September and that this decline is sharper among Republicans (from 48% to 26%) than Democrats (from 53% to 44%).
The survey of 9,220 adults conducted Aug. 31-Sept. 7, 2020, as part of the Center’s American News Pathways project, finds that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) say the country has not controlled the coronavirus outbreak as much as it could have. At the same time, about four-in-ten Americans (39%) believe that the outbreak has been made into a bigger deal than it really is. The study finds deep disagreement between Democrats and Republicans on these issues, and particularly within the GOP, public opinion varies by media diet.
Respondents were asked whether each of eight news providers is a major source of political and election news for them. Researchers then grouped these responses based on the political composition of the outlets’ audiences. For example, Republicans were analyzed based on the degree to which they get political news from the outlets with conservative-leaning audiences and Democrats were categorized based on the degree to which they get news from the outlets with liberal-leaning audiences. See here for more details about how respondents were grouped by their major news sources.
Among the report’s other key findings:
• About two-thirds of Republicans and independents who lean toward the GOP (68%) say the U.S. has done about as much as it could in controlling the outbreak. This view is held by only about one-in-ten Democrats, including independents who lean Democratic (11%). Republicans and leaners are also more likely than Democrats and leaners to say that the outbreak has been made into a bigger deal than it really is (66% vs. 15%).
• Fully 90% of Republicans who rely only on Fox News and/or talk radio (among eight providers asked about) say that the U.S. has controlled the outbreak as much as it could have, as do 62% of Republicans who use Fox News, talk radio and other sources. In contrast, among Republicans who do not rely on Fox News or talk radio but do rely on at least one of the other major news providers asked about, 46% say the U.S. controlled the outbreak as well as it could have.
• There are far smaller differences on this question among Democrats with varying media diets. But unlike other groups, Democrats whose major sources of political and election news are only those with liberal-leaning audiences – MSNBC, CNN, NPR, The New York Times and The Washington Post – are almost unanimous in saying that the U.S. has not controlled the outbreak as much as it could have (97%).
• Similar patterns by media diet emerge among the GOP on the question of whether the pandemic has been made a bigger deal than it really is. Among Republicans who only use Fox News and/or talk radio as major news sources, 78% say the coronavirus has been made a bigger deal than it really is. That falls to 54% among Republicans who use a mix of major sources, and 47% for those who name some major sources, but not Fox News or talk radio.
• About three-in-ten U.S. adults (31%) say they try to tune out news about the coronavirus, with Republicans (43%) about twice as likely as Democrats (20%) to say this. But on the whole, most Americans (68%) say they are trying to stay tuned into news about the pandemic.
• Americans are about evenly split over whether it has become harder or easier to identify what is true and what is false about the coronavirus outbreak since the early days of the pandemic; and there are major partisan differences. While 38% of U.S. adults say they are now finding it harder to identify what is true and what is false, an almost identical share (36%) say they are finding it easier. The remainder (26%) say it hasn’t changed much in either direction. Nearly half of Republicans (49%) say it is now harder to determine what is true, while Democrats are more likely to say it has become easier (42%).
• Partisan disagreement also arises when it comes to how susceptible young people (under the age of 18) are to becoming infected with the virus. A plurality of Republicans (44%) say young people are far less susceptible than adults, and a majority of Democrats (61%) say those under 18 are about as susceptible as adults. (There is no strong evidence that younger people are less likely than adults to be infected with the virus, though there are differences by age in likelihood of death and severity of symptoms.)
