Disney To Lay Off 7K Workers After Billions In Losses
The Walt Disney Co. has a way with words. In a recent letter to shareholders, the media giant said its past year has been “dynamic,” which is a bit like saying Mt. Everest is “undersized.”
In truth, Disney has suffered staggering losses in its streaming platforms ($4 billion in the last fiscal year alone), has witnessed the theatrical market for its animated films evaporate, was forced to fire CEO Bob Chapek just weeks after extending his contract, and even with a recent rebound has seen its collapsing stock price cost investors some $80 billion. Now, with Bob Iger back at the helm again as CEO, it’s time to see if Disney can become the star of its own Remember the Titans comeback story. Iger presented Disney’s quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, his first since early 2020. Joining to discuss the key takeaways are John Horn, arts and entertainment host for LAist and host of the entertainment podcast “Retake,” and Dominic Patten, senior editor at Deadline who covers the business of Hollywood and more.
Read the full story from LAist here
New Map Shows Some Of The Most Dangerous Roads For CA Mountain Lions
The UC Davis Road Ecology Center has released a new mountain lion mortality map that charts dangerous roads impacting California mountain lions. The report shows that up to two mountain lions were killed every week on state roads and highways between 2015 and 2022. Some of the riskiest roads for these animals include I-280, south of San Francisco, I-15, south of Temecula, I-5 in Siskiyou County and SR 74 or the Ortega Highway in the Santa Ana Mountains. So what can we glean from the map about how to keep wildlife safer? Joining to discuss is Fraser Shilling, director of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center where he developed the mountain lion road mortality map.
Why Is Finding Childcare So Hard?
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2023-24 budget proposal makes key investments in early childhood education programs like preschool and universal transitional kindergarten. However, parents of very young children are struggling to find quality care for their infants. Some parents are simply staying home instead of paying high prices for childcare. The situation isn’t much better for child care providers who are struggling to stay afloat.
Joining AirTalk to discuss are Mariana Dale, early childhood reporter for LAist, Lynn Karoly, senior economist at the RAND corporation and Sue Carrera, owner of a home-based daycare program called The Children’s Network for Early Head Start in Inglewood.
Outdoor Dining Faces Proposed Regulations After Pandemic Emergency Program
Restaurants had some of their lowest points in recent memory after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as the dangers of the largely unknown virus shuttered doors all over the state. In May of 2020 the city of Los Angeles responded by adopting an emergency program that slashed through months of paperwork and allowed for “al fresco” style outdoor dining on the private and surrounding public property of restaurants. This offered a lifeline to many businesses which had been relying on take out, delivery, or had shut down completely. However, a draft ordinance released at the end of 2022 by the Los Angeles City Planning Department proposes official regulation on the use of outdoor private property at restaurants, which in the eyes of many business owners would reimplement long periods of fees, red tape, and paperwork at a time when they are barely recovering. Wednesday evening the planning department held their first public hearing on the proposed ordinances.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the details and impact of this ordinance with Hagu Solomon-Cary, principal city planner for the City of Los Angeles Department of City planning, Christina Vega, a restaurant owner in Sherman Oaks, and Jot Condie, president & CEO of the California Restaurant Association.
Prolific Composer Burt Bacharach, Whose Music Endured Through Generations, Dies At 94
Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of "Walk on By," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and dozens of other hits, has died at 94. The Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday. Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivaled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written. He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century, and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether “Alfie” and “I Say a Little Prayer” or “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and “This Guy’s in Love with You.”
Today on AirTalk, film music journalist Tim Greiving is with us to remember Bacharach’s life and career.
With files from the Associated Press
TV-Talk: ‘Not Dead Yet,’ ‘You’ Season 4, ‘Harlem’ Season 2 & More
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network tv and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we’re going to try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, Larry talks to Kristen Baldwin, TV critic for Entertainment Weekly and Kathryn VanArendonk, television critic for Vulture.
