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☆ Robert MacNeil, Earnest News Anchor for PBS, Dies at 93
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Elizabeth Jensen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Robert MacNeil, the Canadian-born journalist who delivered sober evening newscasts for more than two decades on PBS as the co-anchor of “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report,” later expanded as “The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour,” died early Friday in Manhattan. His death, at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, was confirmed by his daughter Alison MacNeil. But he came to reject the flashier style of the commercial American networks, and in 1971 he joined the fledgling Public Broadcasting Service. A pairing with Jim Lehrer in 1973 to cover the Senate Watergate hearings for PBS was unpopular with the operators of many local public stations, who thought the prime-time broadcasts weren’t appropriate evening fare. But the two men’s serious demeanor was a hit with viewers, and the broadcasts won an Emmy Award and eventually launched an enduring collaboration.

Persons: Robert MacNeil, The MacNeil, Lehrer, ”, Lehrer NewsHour, Alison MacNeil, Mr, MacNeil, John F, Kennedy, Jim Lehrer Organizations: PBS, – Presbyterian Hospital, NBC News, Public Broadcasting Service, BBC Locations: Canadian, Manhattan, Dallas

☆ China is sending its highest-level delegation to North Korea since 2019 to kick off a ‘friendship year’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The three-day visit, at North Korea’s invitation, shows the “great importance” China attaches to those relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. The delegation will also arrive amid heightened global concern about North Korea, which has in recent months ramped up its bellicose rhetoric and continued its weapons testing. The trip could also be an important opportunity for the upper echelons of China’s political establishment to better understand the circumstances in North Korea today. Balance of powerChina has long walked a thin line in its relations with North Korea. It is a critical economic lifeline for a North Korea crippled by international sanctions over its illegal weapons testing.

Persons: Zhao Leji, ”, KCNA, Zhao, Xi Jinping, China’s, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Li Qiang, Liu Dongshu, …, ” Liu, Kim, Li Mingjiang, Vladimir Putin, Yun Sun Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Beijing, Foreign Ministry, Japanese, CNN, Communist, North Korea –, Hong Kong’s City University, North, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, “, United Nations Security, Stimson Locations: China, Hong Kong, North Korea, Pyongyang, Beijing, Moscow, United States, North, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, Asia, Washington, Philippines, Russia, North Korean, Covid, Pacific, American

WASHINGTON (AP) — The newest group of Kennedy Center honorees, including comedian Billy Crystal and actor Queen Latifah, are being feted Sunday night at a star-studded event commemorating their lifetime achievement in arts and entertainment. Opera singer Renée Fleming, music star Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick also are being honored at the black-tie gala. Bill Cosby received both honors, but they were rescinded in 2018 following his sexual assault conviction, which later was overturned. Along with his late brothers Robin and Maurice, the trio launched a nearly unmatched string of hits that defined a generation of music. Fleming sang the national anthem while Latifah performed “America the Beautiful.”

Persons: Billy Crystal, Queen Latifah, Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb, Dionne Warwick, Kennedy, Deborah F, Rutter, “, Jodie Dallas, ”, Harry Met Sally, Bride ”, Crystal, Mark Twain, David Letterman, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett, Neil Simon, Bill Cosby, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Bacharach, ” Fleming, Barack Obama, England’s Royal Academy of Music . Gibb, Robin, Maurice, Latifah, Dana Owens, Fleming Organizations: WASHINGTON, Kennedy Center, of, England’s Royal Academy of Music, Bee Locations: “, Warwick, Chicago, America

☆ Why Long-Term Care Insurance Falls Short for So Many
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Jordan Rau | Jonel Aleccia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“They tightened their belts,” said Alan Kassan, a senior partner with the California law firm Kantor & Kantor, which represents clients challenging denials. “Then they tightened their claim administration and started denying claims more and more.”In 2022, the proportion of traditional long-term care claim denials varied, from 4.5 percent in Rhode Island to 9.6 percent in Alaska, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. By 2017, she was hobbled by osteoporosis and was struggling to manage her multiple medications, according to her daughter, Ann Kempski. But when the family tried to file a claim, they discovered that Penn Treaty was insolvent and the policy had been taken over by the Pennsylvania state insurance guaranty fund. Her doctor told Penn that she had “mild dementia” and osteoporosis and should be in an assisted-living facility.

Persons: ”, Alan Kassan, Kantor, Kantor & Kantor, Alice Kempski, Ann Kempski, Penn, Kempski Organizations: Kantor &, National Association of Insurance, Penn Treaty, American Network Locations: California, Rhode Island, Alaska, Wilmington, Del, Penn, Pennsylvania

NEW YORK (AP) — For what it's worth, CNN's best-known international journalist, Christiane Amanpour, also found it odd that she's had little visible presence on the company's North American network for the past several years. The London-based Amanpour envisions her show as a weekly letter to Americans about what is going on in the world and why it's important to them. Amanpour, 65 and celebrating her 40th year at CNN, was for a long time the face viewers were most likely to see reporting from the world's hotspots. That has primarily, although not always, been left to others since she began hosting the studio show “Amanpour” each weekday. I know we can live in a world that's not 100% tribalized.”Amanpour said she's optimistic about Mark Thompson, a fellow Brit who recently began as CNN's new chief.

Persons: Christiane Amanpour, Chris Wallace, Michael Smerconish, Victor Blackwell, Amanpour, ”, “ I've, I've, Yitzhak Rabin, Sameh Shoukry, Jane Hartley, Sir Robert John Sawers, —, ” Amanpour, Mark Thompson, Chris Licht's, Donald Trump, “ Organizations: CNN, CNN International, PBS, Associated Press, Brit, Columbia Journalism School Locations: London, United States, Israel, U.S, Britain

☆ Chipotle just revealed a top reason customers demand refunds — and has a plan to prevent them
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chipotle's app now lets customers know if they are going to the wrong location to pick up an order. Digital orders have slowed down for Chipotle since the early pandemic but remain a source of growth. The new notifications use improved technology to determine customers' locations as they order. Digital sales at the Mexican-grill chain reached $3.4 billion in 2021, thanks to improvements to its app and early-pandemic demand for delivery. Digital sales represented 39.4% of all sales in 2022, several percentage points lower than 46.2% in 2020.

☆ ABC News staffers were stunned at the departures of veteran colleagues and 'outraged' about how the exits were handled
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some ABC News staff were in tears on Thursday after layoffs of respected news veterans. Kim Godwin has made positive changes as ABC News president and has faced a string of complex situations. ABC News staffers are in shock over the departure of multiple senior-level colleagues, most notably Wendy Fisher, SVP news gathering. ABC News alone lost 50 staffers on Thursday as part of the slim-down and a leadership reorganization by division President Kim Godwin. A second ABC News insider said it was unprecedented to dismiss longtime veterans in such a manner.

☆ I make $3,000 a month renting out my backyard as a dog park. I spend 10 minutes a day on this easy side hustle that cost me nothing to set up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Kimanzi Constable | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rick Powell and his wife make $3,000 a month using Sniffspot to rent their yard out as a dog park. If someone has a fenced-in yard, they can list it on Sniffspot, and dog owners can rent it by the hour. The memberships start at $30 a month, and members get two hours each month. They can book four hours for $66 a month and eight hours for $120 a month. I spend two hours a month ensuring no yard waste is missed and mowing the lawn.

☆ Factbox: Key facts about pioneering broadcast journalist Barbara Walters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The following are key facts about the life and career of pioneering broadcast journalist Barbara Walters, the first woman to anchor an American network evening newscast, who died on Friday:* Walters was born in Boston on Sept. 25, but she did not like to reveal the year, which reportedly was 1929, 1930 or 1931. * Walters started at NBC's "Today" show as a writer in 1961 and in 1976 became the first woman to co-anchor a network evening news broadcast on U.S. television. * Walters singled out her "Today" co-host Frank McGee and Reasoner on ABC News for making her life miserable. * Walters felt she was unfairly mocked for her asking actress Katharine Hepburn what kind of tree she would like to be. * Walters' marriages to businessman Robert Katz, theatrical producer Lee Guber and television executive Merv Adelson all ended in divorce.

☆ Pioneering U.S. television journalist Barbara Walters dead at 93
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Bill Trott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Television personality Barbara Walters arrives for the premiere of the film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" in New York September 20, 2010. "I asked Yeltsin if he drank too much, and I asked Putin if he killed anybody," Walters told the New York Times in 2013. "These two men were really quite brutal to me and it was not pleasant," Walters told the San Francisco Examiner. The New York Times called her "arguably America's best-known television personality" but also observed that "what we remember most about a Barbara Walters interview is Barbara Walters." Walters' three marriages - to businessman Robert Katz, theatrical producer Lee Guber and television executive Merv Adelson - ended in divorce.

☆ Queen Elizabeth’s funeral marks the end of television dominance that started with her coronation
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( David Zurawik | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

On social media, the queen was often discussed and, in many cases, denounced for Britain’s history of colonialism and her handling of royal scandals. CNN, for example, will start carrying live TV coverage at 5 a.m. Although Thompson expects a “very big” audience, he does not see it proportionally rivaling the 1953 the coronation. “I don’t think this funeral can possibly penetrate the global attention the way the 1953 coronation did — or even the wedding in 1981. And yet, the coronation coverage found an audience of 85 million viewers in the US, according to the BBC.

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