oy, looking forward to spending spring break asking my kids what they know about Epstein…

‘Five Nights at Epstein’s’ Game Goes Viral at US School Campuses Merve Lapus’s 13-year-old daughter told her dad she was horrified: This month, whenever her teacher stepped out of the room, kids in the class used their devices to play a new online game called Five ...

"In the game, available via a web browser, players pretend to be sexual assault victims trapped on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious island.“

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Facing Slow Fade in Cars, AM Radio Sees Path to Legal Mandate Randy Brooks will never forget the day he had to break the news — live on the air — to a woman that her husband had perished in a tornado.

"Automakers have long tried to eliminate AM radio capabilities from new vehicles. But after years of tussling between Detroit and Washington, lawmakers appear poised to pass legislation this year that would mandate automakers keep AM receivers in cars."

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

How a Deep State Bureaucrat Became Trump’s ‘Fake News’ Enforcer Brendan Carr is pointing his MAGA flamethrower at Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and the American news media.

Gift link here: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

But it’s also a great story about Washington DC and what happens when a career institutionalist decides to contort himself into a MAGA flamethrower in order to capitalize on the anti-institutionalist fervor currently sweeping through the city.

This is a terrific profile of FCC chairman Brendan Carr, brimming with new and previously unreported details about his rise to power.

James Wolcott · What you can get away with: Updike Reconsidered Betwixt and between is a strange place for any major writer to be more than a decade and a half after their death, and...

“Yawnworthy is in the mind of the yawner” www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

The Sexy, Steamy Canadian Public Funding System Behind Heated Rivalry The cultural phenomenon might not have been possible without the country’s taxpayers.

“At a time when the Trump administration has mostly annihilated the already feeble funding for public media in the US, the success of Heated Rivalry is a major victory for the Canadian government’s unique system for nurturing homegrown entertainment."

Gift link:

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Jimmy Kimmel Extends Deal With Disney’s ABC for at Least a Year Walt Disney Co. is bringing Jimmy Kimmel back for at least one more year.

Jimmy Kimmel reups with ABC for an additional year

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Why the Queen of Toddler TV Became an Activist for Gaza Ms. Rachel has enchanted millions of kids with lo-fi, educational videos. Now she’s in her “advocacy era.”

The current media climate has proven entirely hospitable to voices of misinformation, conspiracy and hatred. Can it sustain one dedicated to thoughtfulness and acceptance? Here's our feature story on the opportunities and challenges facing Ms. Rachel, the new queen of toddler TV: shorturl.at/2wDnX

Amazon to Shut Down Wondery Podcast Studio, Reorganize Audio Business As podcasting becomes video-oriented, Amazon is shuffling Wondery into Audible and a new “creator services” team while cutting approximately 110 staff members

Amazon is shutting down Wondery studio amid podcast industry’s shift to video

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Happy happy HBO Max counter-reformation day to all those who celebrate

Dr. Phil’s Media Company Files for Bankruptcy Amid Dispute Merit Street Media, the startup founded by celebrity psychologist Phil McGraw, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, according to a court filing.

Dr. Phil's media startup has filed for bankruptcy

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

such a great, trippy show. Perfect mix of bloodshed, tortoise humor, and ethnobotany references

Battle of the Cool Kids: Inside the A24, Neon and Mubi Turf War For the first time in years, there's a three-way brawl for the title of Hollywood’s ‘It’ indie outfit.

"Neon, Mubi and A24 represent three different futures of indie cinema."

www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

Inside the ‘Dragon Age’ Debacle That Gutted EA’s BioWare Studio The latest game in BioWare’s fantasy role-playing series went through ten years of development turmoil

NEW: What went wrong with Dragon Age: The Veilguard? Why was the writing so tonally inconsistent? Why did it feel so shallow? Why were there so few choices?

Really, after ten years of turbulence, it was a miracle that anything came out at all. This is the story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Reminded today of something hilarious and spot-on that Jesse Armstrong, the creator of HBO's Succession, told us for "It's Not TV." (page 361)

Big Bird and ‘CoComelon’ Are on the Move. Who Will Follow? Warner Bros. Discovery’s pullback from kids programming leaves opportunities for Netflix and Disney.

As HBO Max's parent moves away from kids streaming content, expect Disney and Netflix to battle it out. Here's @felixgillette.bsky.social in the Businessweek Daily www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Not Every Team Deserves a Netflix Sports Documentary Customers love them, but streamers are getting choosier in what they say yes to.

I wrote about the sports doc glut

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

What if Making Cartoons Becomes 90% Cheaper?

“No part of the entertainment business has more to lose — and gain — from A.I. than animation.“

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/b...

Starting to really see the impact of Max throwing in the towel on kids programming. (1) New episodes of Sesame Street moving to Netflix. (2) Cartoon Network's new, long-anticipated reboot of Gumball making its streaming debut on Hulu.

The Sunday Long Read: Underground Opera, Biden, Cartoon Network The week's best journalism. Every Sunday.

Don't miss this week's SLR featuring @sarahzhang.bsky.social‬, @anndoritboy.bsky.social‬, @jaketapper.bsky.social‬, ‪@samiamadwar.bsky.social‬, @felixgillette.bsky.social‬, @mollyjongfast.bsky.social‬ & more! mailchi.mp/sundaylongre...

Cartoon Network’s struggles have been playing out at a time when animation at large has arguably never been more popular. From Dog Man and Inside Out 2 to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, animated features continue to rule the box office. Bluey—a cartoon series from Australia that Cartoon Network executives once unsuccessfully sought to license—has been a huge hit for Disney+. And animated shows such as Peppa Pig and CoComelon regularly attract big audiences of youngsters on Netflix. The global anime market is projected to grow from $34.2 billion in 2024 to $60.1 billion by 2030, according to research by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Surely, many animation fans still hope, there is room for the Cartoon Network brand to flourish once again.

"Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp" The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.

Super thorough piece by @felixgillette.bsky.social on the decline of Cartoon Network in the Age of Zaz.

But to my mind, this graf is the crux: The demand is there; WBD failed to meet it and damned the brand in the process.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.

Five years after its launch, Max is throwing in the towel on kids programming. What’s that mean for the future of Cartoon Network? My deep dive on the precarious state of a beloved animation brand.

tinyurl.com/3fwbpf2b

Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.

Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are struggling to survive Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav and the era of streaming. Great reporting from @felixgillette.bsky.social 🎁

Illegal casinos and sports books dominated the US online gambling market -- earning 74% of gross gaming revenue (a whopping $67.1 billion) in 2024.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism [Wynn-Williams, Sarah] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

Finished the Facebook memoir. It’s great. And although it’s crazy to say this, given how much reporting there has been on this company, it raises more questions about zuckerbergs leadership than anything I’ve read. a.co/d/8vS4yVY

What is Nick Denton up to? Indignity Vol. 5, No. 53

What’s going on with Nick Denton? Why the sudden return to online combat? Naturally, the best take comes from @tomscocca.bsky.social

“That is to say, after years out of the attention racket, Denton is trying to make one more score.”

www.indignity.net/what-is-nick...

What a life
#earl #oriolesmagic #weaver

Porn on Spotify Is Infiltrating the Platform’s Top Podcast Charts The sexually explicit videos, which Spotify doesn’t allow, have shown up alongside some of the most popular podcasts on the service

Spotify's porn problem:

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...