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☆ Frank Field, Who Brought Expertise to TV Weathercasting, Dies at 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Richard Goldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Frank Field, who as a meteorologist brought a groundbreaking credential to his job as a television weather forecaster in New York, and who also had a long career presenting network programs on science and medicine, died on Saturday in Florida. His death was announced by WNBC-TV in New York, where Dr. Field began his broadcast career in 1958. Dr. Field, a presence on New York and network television for more than 40 years, was not the city’s first popular TV forecaster. Ms. Reed signed off her nightly reports on WCBS-TV with a cheery “Have a happy.” Both enjoyed long runs on television. “Weather forecasting used to be in a class with reporting real estate transactions for the newspaper,” Dr. Field told The New Yorker for a 1966 profile.

Persons: Frank Field, Field, Tex Antoine, Carol Reed, Mr, Antoine, Wethbee, Reed Organizations: WNBC, NBC, ABC, WCBS, New Yorker Locations: New York, Florida

☆ Trump’s GOP lead grows after latest indictment, poll finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Mark Murray | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. Former President Donald Trump has expanded his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the rest of the Republican presidential field since Trump's latest indictment on federal criminal charges, according to a new national NBC News poll. Yet the poll shows Trump with a sizable — and growing — lead over his Republican presidential rivals in the aftermath of that federal indictment. When the GOP presidential race gets reduced to just two candidates in the current survey, Trump gets support from 60% of Republican primary voters, while DeSantis gets 36%.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, it's, Bill McInturff, Jeff Horwitt, Horwitt, Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, DeSantis Organizations: Washington Hilton, Washington , DC, Florida Gov, Republican, NBC News, Trump, GOP, Republicans, Democratic, Hart Research Associates, NBC, New, New Jersey Gov Locations: Washington ,, New Jersey, New York

☆ Poll: 61% of voters disapprove of Supreme Court decision overturning Roe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Mark Murray | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

People march together to protest the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case on June 24, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards NBC News PollAnd by more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters say abortion access across the country has become too difficult rather than too easy. "A year after the Dobbs decision, though, there is no change in voters saying access is too difficult in their state." In the poll, 61% of all voters say they disapprove of the 5-4 decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which leaves the legality and conditions of abortion up to individual states. And they're nearly unmoved from Aug. 2022 — two months after the Dobbs decision — when 58% disapproved, while 38% approved.

Persons: Allison, Roe, Wade, there's, Democratic pollster Aileen Cardona, Arroyo, Bill McInturff, McInturff, Dobbs, —, they're, Cardona, Yasin Ozturk, it's Organizations: Jackson, Anadolu Agency, Getty, U.S, NBC News, Republican, NBC, Democratic, Hart Research Associates, Health Organization, Black, Washington , D.C Locations: Dobbs, Miami , Florida, Washington ,, West, Midwest

☆ Qatari fund buys passive stake in Wizards parent, Sportico reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Apr 7, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards center Jay Huff (34) dunks the ball against the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/File PhotoJune 22 (Reuters) - The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is buying a passive minority stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the parent of the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals, Sportico reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Monumental declined to comment, while QIA did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The report comes weeks after another deal in the sporting world that involved a Middle Eastern country. Reporting by Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jay Huff, Geoff Burke, Sportico, QIA, LIV, Granth, Maju Samuel Organizations: District of Columbia, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Capital, USA, Qatar Investment Authority, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Washington Capitals, Basketball Association's Washington Mystics, NBC Sports Washington, PGA, Thomson Locations: Washington, District, USA, Saudi, Bengaluru

☆ Pat Sajak to retire from record TV stint as 'Wheel of Fortune' host
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We’re thrilled to have him remaining close to the Wheel of Fortune family!” she said. "Wheel of Fortune" originally aired as an NBC network program on daytime television in 1975, with Chuck Woolery as host. While "The Price is Right" holds the record as the longest continuously running game show on American television, "Wheel of Fortune" has the longest unbroken run of any syndicated U.S. game show. Sajak left the NBC evening edition of "Wheel" when his own short-lived late-night talk show premiered on CBS. Meanwhile, Sajak was replaced on NBC's "Wheel" by Rolf Benirschke, who was in turn succeeded by Bob Goen when the network program moved to CBS, then briefly back to NBC.

Persons: Pat Sajak, Sajak, I've, It's, Suzanne Prete, We’re, Vanna White, White, Merv Griffin, Chuck Woolery, Bob Barker, Alex Trebek, Rolf Benirschke, Bob Goen, Steve Gorman, Robert Birsel Organizations: American, Twitter, Sony Pictures Television, NBC, CBS, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, Los Angeles

☆ How Bravo's 'Vanderpump Rules' and #Scandoval have boosted NBCUniversal's Peacock as streamers increasingly lean into reality TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Peacock seized on the recent runaway success of "Vanderpump Rules" to reach new audiences. It also shows the potential for Peacock's reality-TV shows compared to those on other top streamers. The surge shows how Peacock — whose Instagram bio still reads: "Why are you reading this bio instead of watching Vanderpump Rules rn?" Thanks in part to its Bravo catalog, Peacock is in one of the best positions to capitalize on its unscripted TV pile. Recent Parrot Analytics data first published by TVREV shows Peacock had the second-largest US share of demand for unscripted TV programming during Q1, and ample supply.

Persons: Peacock, Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, Lisa Vanderpump, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss, we've, I've, TVREV, HBO Max, Scandoval Organizations: West Hollywood, Housewives, Beverly, Bravo, Housewives of, Warner Bros, Discovery, HBO, Netflix, Hulu Locations: West, Beverly Hills, Jersey

☆ Data shows how Bravo's 'Vanderpump Rules' and #Scandoval have boosted NBCUniversal's Peacock as streamers increasingly lean into reality TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Peacock seized on the recent runaway success of "Vanderpump Rules" to reach new audiences. Data shows how the streamer's marketing and programming efforts to capitalize on the show's high-profile drama have played out. It also shows the potential for Peacock's reality-TV shows compared to those on other top streamers. The surge shows how Peacock — whose Instagram bio still reads: "Why are you reading this bio instead of watching Vanderpump Rules rn?" Recent Parrot Analytics data first published by TVREV shows Peacock had the second-largest US share of demand for unscripted TV programming during Q1, and ample supply.

Digital Content Next shared the principles with its board and relevant committees Monday. Digital Content Next's "Principles for Development and Governance of Generative AI": Developers and deployers of GAI must respect creators' rights to their content. The urgency behind building a system of rules and standards for generative AI is intense, said Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next. How generative AI will unfold in the coming months and years is dominating media conversation, said Axios CEO Jim VandeHei. "Even with AI tools or generative AI models that work in text like ChatGPT, it doesn't change the fact we're already doing this work," said Looft.

Persons: Andrew Burton, Robert Frost, Vincent Van Gogh, Google's Bard, GAI, Jason Kint, I've, Kint, We've, Jim VandeHei, VandeHei, Barry Diller, Robert Thomson, Thomson, Diller, Chris Berend, Pope Francis, Chris Looft, Berend Organizations: New York Times, Getty, NBC, The Washington Post, Street, News Corp, Development, ., A.I, Digital, Facebook, Nasdaq, Market, Big Tech, International News Media, News Media, NBC News Group, Pentagon, Bloomberg, Axios Technology, Google, Disney, ABC, NBC News, CNBC Locations: New York City, New York, Washington ,

☆ Padma Lakshmi announces her departure from ‘Top Chef’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Megan Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

After 17 years and 20 seasons, Padma Lakshmi has announced she will step aside as host and judge of the cooking competition series, “Top Chef.”“After much soul searching, I have made the difficult decision to leave Top Chef,” Lakshmi wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. Lakshmi received 13 Emmy nominations for her work on the show. “She will always be part of the Top Chef and the NBCUniversal family and has a seat at the judges’ table anytime.”No replacement for Lakshmi has been named. She described the “Top Chef” cast and crew as family and said she would “miss working alongside them dearly.” Lakshmi concluded her post with a message of gratitude to the show’s viewers. “I am deeply thankful to all of you for so many years of love and support.”

Persons: Padma Lakshmi, ”, ” Lakshmi, “, Lakshmi, Padma Organizations: CNN, New York Times, ”, NBC Universal

☆ A telco billionaire gave $1,000 each to 2,500 Boston college graduates and encouraged them to donate half of it, calling it a 'gift of giving'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Robert Hale, the founder, and CEO of Granite Telecommunications, gave 2,500 graduating students $1,000 each. But he called on the graduates to donate half of the gift, or $500, calling it the "gift of giving." He isn't the only billionaire donating to college students. He then urged them to donate half of the gift, or $500, calling it the "gift of giving," according to media reports, including NBC Boston. In May 2022, Hale gifted $1,000 each to 150 graduates at the Roxbury Community College in Boston, per NBC Boston.

US viewers can watch Preakness Stakes coverage on NBC, NBCSports.com, and Peacock. The Preakness Stakes is the second race of the Triple Crown, which also includes the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. The winner of the 2023 Kentucky Derby, Mage, is competing at this year's Preakness Stakes. How to watch the Preakness Stakes in the USYou can watch the Preakness Stakes on NBC, Peacock Premium, and NBCSports.com. Preakness Stakes scheduleEvent Day and time Channel Preakness Stakes broadcast May 20, 4:30 p.m.

CNN —One of the horses scheduled to run before today’s Preakness Stakes, the Bob Baffert-trained Havnameltdown, has been euthanized, after suffering a serious injury in an undercard race this afternoon, officials said. How to watchThe Preakness Stakes will take place on Saturday at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Julio Cortez/APThe controversy started after Medina Spirit, who died in December 2021, won the Kentucky Derby two years ago. After the race, Baffert revealed that the horse had tested positive for elevated levels of betamethasone. In February 2022, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced its decision to disqualify Medina Spirit.

☆ Expert Picks: Who Will Win the Preakness?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mage, ridden by Javier Castellano, executed a frantic stretch run to capture an unpredictable Kentucky Derby that saw five contenders, including the favorite, scratched ahead of the race. Now, in only his fifth race, Mage moves on to Baltimore and the 148th Preakness Stakes, where he will be a Triple Crown contender and the only Derby horse in what is considered a weak field. First Mission, considered to be his biggest challenger, was scratched on Friday morning with a left hind ankle injury. Below, the Preakness horses are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds, set by Keith Feustle of Pimlico Race Course, were revised to reflect the scratch.

☆ How 2 dancers built TikTok side hustles and how much money they make
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dance trends helped TikTok gain traction when the app first exploded in early 2020. TikTok has also helped several trained dancers earn income through brand deals and land jobs. TikTok has revolutionized the dance industry, helping professionals like Mahale earn more money and changing the fabric of choreography itself. From January to March, she made $1,500 in paid brand deals, according to documentation viewed by Insider. TikTok has also helped Mahale get more opportunities as a professional dancer.

☆ Twitter's new CEO hasn't even started yet, but she already has a parody account that's 'suspended' Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Yaccarino already has a parody Twitter account – and it's "suspended" Musk. More than four months after vowing to step down as Twitter's CEO, Elon Musk has finally found someone to replace him. While she won't start until June, someone's already created a parody account under the username @lindayaccarina – and one of its first actions was to "suspend" Musk's Twitter account. The account, which states in its bio that it's an "official parody account of the Twitter ceo," already has 13,000 followers. Twitter responded to Insider's request for comment with an automated message that didn't address the inquiry.

☆ How much 2 professional dancers who create content for TikTok on the side have earned from brand deals — and how the app has opened doors for them into TV and film
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dance trends helped TikTok gain traction when the app first exploded in early 2020. TikTok has also helped several trained dancers earn income through brand deals and land jobs. From January to March, she made $1,500 in paid brand deals, according to documentation viewed by Insider. TikTok has also helped Mahale get more opportunities as a professional dancer. Tay Marquise, who has 606,800 followers on TikTok, said he's also landed multiple brand deals and part-time opportunities because of his dance videos on the app.

☆ Oakland Athletics’ announcer apologizes for using racial slur
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Oakland Athletics play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper has apologized for using a racial slur during the team’s pre-game show prior to the A’s road game against the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Kuiper was discussing the “phenomenal” time he had visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri with A’s TV analyst Dallas Braden when he used a racial slur to describe the museum during the NBC Sports California broadcast. I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. … I just wanted to apologize for that.”The Athletics called Kuiper’s language “unacceptable.”“The language used by Glen Kuiper during (Friday’s) pregame broadcast is unacceptable,” the team said in a statement. “The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language.

CNN —Two more horses have died at Churchill Downs, the home of the famed Kentucky Derby, officials from the track announced on Saturday. A total of seven horses have now died at the racetrack in the week-long lead up to the race. On Friday, racehorse trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was suspended indefinitely by Churchill Downs following the “highly unusual” deaths of two of his horses, Parents Pride and Chasing Artie. Three other horses – not trained by Joseph – also died in recent days. According to Churchill Downs, Wild on Ice, a Derby contender, was hurt while training on Thursday and Take Charge Briana was injured in a race on Tuesday.

If you're aiming to watch the Kentucky Derby live, we've got you covered with complete details on how to catch all the action on TV or online. US viewers can watch Kentucky Derby coverage on NBC, NBCSports.com, and Peacock, starting with a series of early races at 12 p.m. ETThis year's race will be the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. How to watch the Kentucky Derby in the USYou can watch the Kentucky Derby on NBC, NBCSports.com, and Peacock Premium. Kentucky Derby scheduleEvent Day and time Channel Kentucky Derby undercard May 6, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The seizure was to "thwart the activity" of Islamic State and "impair its ability to further its goals," the NBCTF said on its website. The NBCTF document, which has not been previously reported, did not give any details on the value of the crypto seized, nor how the accounts were connected to Islamic State. Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by trading volumes, did not respond to Reuters' calls and emails seeking comment. The U.S. Treasury said in a report last year that Islamic State had received crypto donations it later converted to cash, accessing funds via crypto trading platforms. The owner of the two Islamic State-linked Binance accounts seized by Israel was a 28-year old Palestinian called Osama Abuobayda, the NBCTF document shows.

LOS ANGELES, May 3 (Reuters) - Hollywood writers have for decades penned sci-fi scripts featuring machines taking over the world. The Writers Guild of America is seeking to restrict the use of artificial intelligence in writing film and television scripts. A spokesperson for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which is negotiating the contract on behalf of the studios, did not comment. The dispute over AI is one of several issues that led Hollywood’s film and TV writers to strike Monday, marking the first work stoppage in 15 years. Screenwriter John August, a member of the WGA negotiating committee, said writers have two concerns regarding AI.

☆ Inside NBCUniversal, female execs are eyeing leadership's next moves after CEO Jeff Shell's ouster over 'inappropriate relationship': 'We're watching'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NBCUniversal insiders are reeling after chief Jeff Shell's stunning departure and asking questions about what's next for the Comcast division. News of Shell's hasty exit dropped April 23 after an investigation into what he called an "inappropriate relationship" with a company employee. "It's shocking," said one employee, wondering how an executive at Shell's level would take such a risk with his career. Two staffers also grumbled that the company hasn't widely addressed the matter internally since its terse statement announcing Shell's exit. Keeping Cavanagh atop NBCU could serve another purpose — to help bring about a merger of Comcast with Warner Bros.

More than one in four Americans say they themselves, their family, a friend or a coworker has been the victim of gun violence, according to a new national NBC News poll. Twenty-eight percent say that they have been affected by gun violence in that way, while 72% say that they have not. But the gun violence experience does not appear to be shared evenly across the country, with significant demographic and partisan differences. People of color were more likely to say they've experienced gun violence through this lens than white people. Among whites, 23% say that themselves or someone in their orbit is a gun violence victim, compared to 31% of Hispanics and 46% of Blacks.

☆ Comcast Revenue Slips Amid Advertising Slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Patience Haggin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Comcast’s movie studio and Universal Studios theme-park units posted revenue growth in the first quarter. Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty ImagesComcast Corp. said revenue fell by 4.3% in the first quarter, partly due to a sharp decline in advertising, while its Peacock streaming service continued to gain new subscribers at a healthy clip. The Philadelphia-based company, owner of Xfinity-branded broadband and cable services, the NBCUniversal media empire and the Sky TV business, posted revenue of $29.69 billion, while net profit rose by 8% to $3.83 billion.

☆ NBCUniversal insiders are asking what's next after CEO Jeff Shell's 'shocking' exit, and female execs are watching leadership closely after a string of high-profile sexual allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

They're asking what Comcast exec Mike Cavanagh's elevation to handle Shell's remit means for NBCU's future. NBCUniversal insiders are reeling after chief Jeff Shell's stunning departure and asking questions about what's next for the Comcast division. News of Shell's hasty exit dropped Sunday after an investigation into what he called an "inappropriate relationship" with a company employee. "It's shocking," said one employee, wondering how an executive at Shell's level would take such a risk with his career. Keeping Cavanagh atop NBCU could serve another purpose — to help bring about a merger of Comcast with Warner Bros.

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