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What do the Washington Post layoffs say for the rest of news media?
The Washington Post Building at One Franklin Square Building on June 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
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Andrew Harnik
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Getty Images
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Washington Post layoffs, high-grossing theaters. activity and aging, longetivity and genetics, Michael Connelly, and favorite legal tv shows.
What do the Washington Post layoffs say for the rest of news media?
Listen
18:13
The Washington Post is laying off one-third of its staff in the newsroom and other departments, a brutal blow at one of journalism’s most legendary brands. The troubled Post began implementing large-scale cutbacks on Wednesday, including eliminating its sports department and shrinking the number of journalists it stations overseas. The changes were announced by executive editor Matt Murray in a Zoom meeting with staff. The staff reduction is a significant psychic blow at the Post, known in history books for its Watergate revelations and most recently for aggressive coverage of President Donald Trump’s cutbacks to the federal workforce, and for journalism in general. Staff members in the newsroom were told they would be getting emails with one of two subject lines, announcing that the person’s role has or hasn’t been eliminated. A Post representative confirmed that one-third of the staff would be cut, without saying how many total employees the newspaper has. Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by Katie Robertson, reporter covering the media industry for the New York Times, and Christina Bellantoni, professor of professional practice and director of USC Annenberg’s Media Center.
With files from the Associated Press
AMC theaters in Burbank were the highest-grossing in the nation last year
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17:48
Deadline earlier this year released 2025 box office data, detailing the most profitable theaters in the nation. Among the 10 theaters on the list, five of which came from Southern California, the leader of the pack is the AMC Burbank 30, which consists of its 3 theaters, all within a mile radius of one another. One aspect of the theater’s success is AMC’s premium format offerings like Dolby Cinema 3D and IMAX, which offer an elevated experience for consumers and add to a theater’s respective box office. Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at ComScore, a global media measurement and analytics company based in Sherman Oaks. We also want to hear from you. What is your local theater of choice? What do you like about it? Why pick seeing a film in 70mm over a regular screening? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
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Aging through the eyes of motivation. How do we stay active?
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13:51
As you age, how do you harness your motivation to stay active and fit? A new science-informed book sets out to answer that question. Push: Unlock the Science of Fitness Motivation to Embrace Health and Longevity, by sports medicine physician Jordan Metzl, explores why so many people struggle to stay active even though low fitness is a major health risk. The book breaks down how motivation works in your brain, helps you identify your personal motivational profile, and offers tools to turn intention into action. Metzl joins Larry this morning to discuss his book. Do you have questions about motivation and longevity? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
How much do genetics play a role in longevity? Here’s what recent research tells us
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14:31
A recent research paper published in Science shared an interesting conclusion — genes are a concrete baseline for understanding our longevity. Although it isn’t the only factor to consider, there has been some data analysis showing that centenarians typically come from families that have been found to have longer life expectancies. But can one’s family tree really define one's life expectancy? How much can each individual’s environmental factors play into whether you live to 80 or 90 years old? Joining us to speak about their research paper, and how it fits into the grander scheme of longevity, is Uri Alon, professor of Molecular Cell Biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Forty novels in, Michael Connelly keeps writing and we keep watching
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22:21
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Michael Connelly has written over 40 novels, including a series of books about LAPD detective Harry Bosch, which was adapted into a popular series. Now, Connelly is out with a new book “The Proving Ground,” and the eighth in a series called The Lincoln Lawyer, which itself has been adapted for film and TV. The fourth season of the series premieres on Netflix this week. Joining us to discuss his bestselling books, characters, and adapted series is Michael Connelly.
What’s your favorite legal or legal-ish piece of television?
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12:32
When did television peak you ask? Easy: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 6, Episode 6 entitled Conscience all the way back in 2004, in which renowned actor Kyle MacLachlan (of fame due to his role as Dale Cooper in the surreal television series Twin Peaks) plays the non-recurring role of one Dr. Morton, whose son was killed by a neighbor boy, Jake O’Hara. What makes this episode so memorable amidst the deluge of legal procedurals churned out each and every year is that Dr. Brett Morton believes little Jake is a sociopath, and after the latter is released takes the arbitration of justice into his own hands by requisitioning a police officer’s gun and dispatching O’Hara with prejudice. Maybe this wasn’t the best writing known to man, but it was certainly memorable. Today on AirTalk, we want to hear your favorite legal(ish) pieces of television. Maybe it’s your favorite L&W storyline, or maybe you are one of the 12 people who enjoyed Hulu’s recent Kim Kardashian lawyer show. Whether it’s an arc, episode, or entire series, we want to hear what made it stand out for you. Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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