This Week In Media: CNN+ Shuts Down And The Future Of Netflix As It Loses Subscribers
Big news this week in the world of media streaming. Less than a month after its launch, Warner Bros. Discovery announced Thursday it’s shutting down CNN+. The app launched in close proximity to WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery, leaving its fate in many different hands than originally thought. Also this week, Netflix announced it lost subscribers for the first time since 2011, likely related to increased competition. The company also said it’s taking a hit from password sharing.
Today on AirTalk, we touch on what these two stories mean for the future of streaming with Variety senior TV editor Brian Steinberg and Peter Kafka, senior correspondent for Vox.
With guest host Mariana Dale
Should Suspensions And Expulsions Of Preschool Children Be Banned?
What does it take to get a child suspended or kicked out of school? Your mind probably goes to older kids, suspended or expelled for fighting, vandalism, or some other offense. But preschoolers are expelled at three times the rate of children in elementary, middle and high school for behavior like tantrums, crying, or hitting and biting that can be a normal part of childhood development. And equity plays a major role in this, too, with exclusionary discipline disproportionately applied to Black children, boys, and children with disabilities. According to data from the Children’s Equity project, Black boys make up 19% of public preschool enrollment, but account for 45% of male preschool suspensions, despite the fact that there’s no research showing they have worse or more frequent misbehavior. California already banned state preschool programs from expelling students except in specific circumstances in 2017, but now Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-West Covina), has introduced an expansion to that law. AB 2806 would prohibit suspensions as well as expulsions in state preschool programs except as a last resort.
Today on AirTalk, we speak with Shantel Meek, professor of practice and founding director of the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University and Tunette Powell, director of equity, inclusion & community at an LA private school, about exclusionary discipline in the preschool setting.
With guest host Mariana Dale
As ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ Turns One Hundred We Want To Know: What Is Your Favorite Children’s Book?
Children’s books can make a lasting impression on us well into our adult years. We might even find ourselves revisiting our favorites from time to time, finding new messages and deeper meaning than our first go around. Take The Velveteen Rabbit. First published in 1922, the book asks a big question to its small audience: What does it mean to be Real? The main character is a simple toy "stuffed with sawdust" and ears "lined with pink sateen." He feels inadequate next to the fancier, mechanical toys who are "full of modern ideas, and pretended they were real." So the Rabbit asks the Skin Horse, the oldest and wisest of the toys, "What is REAL?" In the age of 24/7 social media, hot takes and so-called Real Housewives, a story about authenticity might seem out of place. Yet Margery Williams Bianco's rabbit tale still resonates. Excerpts are read at weddings. There have been numerous print, screen and theater adaptations. The story has never gone out of print.
Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by co-founder and CEO of MiJa Books, Stephanie Moran Reed and children’s department manager at Vroman’s Bookstore, Carrie Custer to talk about the important evolution of children’s books and the ones that have withstood time.
With guest host Mariana Dale. You can read the full piece from LAist here.
Thanks to everyone who called in, tweeted, Facebook-ed or emailed to share their favorite children’s books!
We couldn't get to them all on air, so here's a complete list, alphabetized by author’s last name.
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater and Florence Atwater
- Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
- Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
- Thirteen by Remy Charlip and Jerry Joyner
- Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? & Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? Board Book by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle Panda Bear
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
- The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
- The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward
- The Woman who Outshone the Sun by Alejandro Cruz Martinez
- The Garden and the Glen by Elizabeth Moseley
- Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
- Alexander and the Magic Mouse by Martha Sanders
- Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger
- Music Is.. and We Are Music by Brandon Stosuy
- What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele
- Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
- Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
- Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
FilmWeek: ‘The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent,’ ‘The Northman,’ ‘The Bad Guys,’ And More
Guest host John Horn and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Peter Rainer and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.
Robert Eggers On Using Research And Sound To Transport Audiences Into A Viking Era In ‘The Northman’
“The Northman” is set in the age of Vikings, a common theme in popular entertainment today. It stars Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor Joy and Nicole Kidman. Robert Eggers co-wrote and directed the film, which is very different from some of his past projects, including “The Lighthouse.” John Horn talked with Eggers about the inspiration for the film and how it came together. “The Northman” is rated R and in theaters now.
Nicolas Cage On Playing Himself In ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is full of action, crime and comedy and it stars none other than Nicolas Cage, as himself or a sensationalized version of himself along with an alter ego of sorts. Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish also star. Tom Gormican co-wrote and directed the film. John Horn talked with Cage about making the film and the challenge of playing different versions of himself. It’s rated R and in theaters now.