Amid Sale Of San Diego Union-Tribune, Changes To Sports Section, A Look At The Future Of The Los Angeles Times
Last week the Los Angeles Times sold its sister paper The San Diego Union-Tribune to MediaNews Group. This came a month after the paper laid-off 13% of its newsroom. The LA Times is following a growing trend amongst media outlets shrinking their newsrooms, the most recent being the New York Times absolving its sports desk. So, what does the future look like for the LA Times and how likely are more media sell-offs? Joining us to discuss is Barbara Kingsley, professor of journalism at CSU Long Beach and advisor at its newspaper, the Daily Forty-Niner. We also hear from listeners about what they think about the recent newsroom downsizing.
CA Board Of Education Approves New Guide To Teaching Math— What Will It Mean For K-12 Outcomes In The Subject?
The 11 experts that make up the California’s Board of Education unanimously approved a framework last Wednesday that is meant to improve the K-12 teaching guide for math and create a more equitable baseline education for students. In the new process, it’d be an easier process to take pathways outside of the typical ‘algebra-to-calculus’ pathway folks were accustomed to; now students can simply progress to calculus, statistics, computer science, and financial algebra.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss this notable step for California’s math classes, joining us are Linda Darling-Hammond of the state’s Board of Education and Williamson Evers, Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute. We also hear from parents.
Summer Beach Reads Have Taken Over – Why Do We Love Them So Much?
While there is no agreed upon definition of what constitutes a “beach read,” most of us can probably agree on some qualifying attributes – a compelling setting, strong characters, and a gripping plot. Typically, a “beach read” is a quick and easy read, some might even say disposable. We’re often drawn to them for their flashy abstract covers, which seem ubiquitous these days. We stay for the juicy murder mystery, or the romantic twist. And when we finish, we’re likely to insist on a friend reading it so we can discuss the salacious plot together. The “beach read” has become so popular it’s basically a sub-genre of books and from the looks of its popularity, summer break is here to stay.
Joining us today on AirTalk is the owner of Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica, Zibby Owens and book critic and author, Ilana Masad. Listeners also share their favorite books to read while lounging in the sand.
The Painstaking Process Behind Displaying The Space Shuttle Endeavor
It may not come as a surprise that space shuttles are heavy–like, half a million pounds heavy, once you factor in the full stack, including rocket boosters and external tank. No one knows this better than the folks at the California Science Center, who are in the process of settling the space shuttle Endeavor into its final resting place at the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. When all is said and done, the shuttle will be displayed vertically, as if on a launch pad. Getting there, however, is a process. The saga begins in a couple of days, when workers will begin fastening the bases of the rocket boosters onto a giant, earthquake-proof concrete slab. Eventually, a giant crane will hoist the space shuttle into position, after which construction begins on the rest of the building that will house the shuttle and its accompanying exhibits. Joining us to talk about this exciting time at the California Science Center is its president and CEO, Jeffrey Rudolph.
The Wilhelm Scream Is Probably Film’s Most Famous Sound Effect. A Local Professor Recently Discovered The Original Recording
It is, arguably, the most recognizable sound effect in the history of film and television. It has been used in mega-franchises like Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Die Hard, and in beloved TV shows from X-Files to Spongebob Squarepants to Game of Thrones. It is the “Wilhelm scream,” and its original recording was recently discovered by a local film and video professor, CalArts’ Craig Smith, while working on preserving a collection of audio files he was given by USC Cinema. The scream was first used in the 1951 film “Distant Drums,” but drew its name from a character in the 1953 film “The Charge at Feather River” named Private Wilhelm for whom the sound effect is used when he’s shot through the leg with an arrow. It rose to prominence, however, in 1974’s “Star Wars: A New Hope” as an effect used for a stormtrooper who falls off a ledge. The voice of the scream is not known for certain, but most of the film community believes it to be that of Sheb Wooley, a singer and actor during the 1950s probably best known for his song “The Purple People Eater.”
Today on AirTalk, Craig Smith is with us to talk about how he discovered the original recording of the audio session where the Wilhelm scream was first uttered, and talk about the need for more and better preservation of sound effects from film and television history.
Radio Is Still Relevant – But The Pandemic Changed How We Listen
When the pandemic hit, many of us experienced the upending of our daily routines. How we shopped, exercised, socialized, commuted…The list goes on. One of our habits that changed dramatically was how we listen to the radio, and what we chose to listen to. Radio broadcast ratings took a quick dip as people no longer tuned in during their morning and afternoon commutes to work. Many turned to streaming services or relied on digital assistants like Alexa and Siri to play a podcast, the latest pop songs, or public radio. This reality has led us to wonder how our AirTalk listeners changed how or what they choose to listen to since the beginning of the pandemic. Do you consume more or less news? Are you gravitating to podcasts or top 40 hits? We hear from listeners about what they listen to and how the pandemic changed the audio they consume.
