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The BBC World Service has announced plans to close ten of its foreign language services, almost all of them in Eastern Europe, in order to start an Arabic TV service in the Middle East. Is the move purely a response to marketplace considerations? Or are there other factors at work too? Bob puts the question to Jerry Timmins, who runs the organization's operations for Africa and the Middle East.
Have you been itching to watch Fox News personality Shepard Smith, but don't have the cable access necessary to tune him in? Don't worry - Shep and his Fox News cohorts could soon be coming to you free and over the air. Fox News is getting into the broadcast news business, if not with a new evening newscast, then at least with behind-the-scenes training of local news personnel. Brooke talks to TVNewser.com editor Brian Stelter about the changes in store.
Many films about war have strong anti-war messages. But when real soldiers need to get psyched up for battle, they often pop these very movies into the DVD player. And the films' intended message is lost in the cinematic smoke. Brooke talks to Lawrence Weschler, who wrote about the "trouble with war movies" for Harper's.
When it comes to murder mysteries, good writing is all in the details. How do authors unfamiliar with real-life gore get the particulars just right? By asking an expert, of course. Dr. Robb Bettiker, an infectious disease specialist and advisor to would-be mystery writers, joins Brooke to discuss the bridge between biological truth and fictional blood 'n guts
Do you want to be on TV, but don't have the talent, time, connections, or money? Then reality TV might be the way to go. Still in need of a shortcut? Just fill out an application at RTVStar.com, a talent clearinghouse that offers casting directors a searchable database of aspiring Survivors and Apprentices. Bob talks to the website's creator, Brian Ostrovsky.
The recording industry is hurting. And what began as a bit of malaise in the early days of Napster is beginning to look like a chronic wasting disease. Forrester Research media analyst Josh Bernoff says that the music business is responding to its dire straits just as a person would - with denial, anger, depression and only then, acceptance. Bernoff explains to Bob what the media industry can learn from the fate of big music.
Listeners weigh in on PhRMA's literary endeavor and our story on the past and future of the nightly news.
Last month, Ted Peshak passed away. You might not recognize the name, but if you came of age just after World War II, there's a good chance you're familiar with one of his "hygiene films." The ten-minute black and white films, often screened in classrooms, illustrated the dangers of shyness and the virtues of soap and water. Brooke discusses Peshak's legacy with Ken Smith, author of the oral history Mental Hygiene.
Highlights from Past ShowsJournalists in Iraq face an increasingly dangerous situation every time they step outside their hotels. On Monday, what little sense of refuge remained inside their hotels was shattered when suicide bombers attacked the Palestine and Sheraton Hotels, home to many foreign correspondents. Reporter Mark Danner joins Brooke to discuss the insurgents and their new "media strategy."
The New York Times and reporter Judith Miller have become a mysterious sideshow to the CIA leak investigation set to conclude next week. Something of an explanation began last week with 9,000 words of newsprint. The stories answered several questions, but raised a great deal more. Bob takes a closer look at the Timesian approach to coming clean.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
