coronavirus

Fox-owned WNYW in New York has been on the front lines of the coronavirus epicenter for weeks, weathering sick employees, virus vulnerabilities and the gauntlet of covering a metastasizing story with endless moving parts. “It’s the most challenging environment I’ve ever had to manage through,” says VP-GM Lew Leone. Above, Rosanna Scotto interviewing Dr. Anthony Fauci.

COVID-19 is an international emergency — and it’s also a good opportunity to talk about the future of news with NextGen TV.

More than most news programs, morning shows on ABC, CBS and NBC thrive by fostering a sense that their personalities are a chummy family. Now, due to coronavirus restrictions, those family members appear onscreen in dislocated boxes, and invite viewers into their homes instead of vice versa.

Good Morning America and ABC News are mourning the loss of GMA studio camera operator Tony Greer, who died from coronavirus complications.

The network evening news has seen a resurgence during the coronavirus pandemic with an average of 30 million people watching the nightly half-hour telecasts on ABC, CBS and NBC in recent weeks. Around 10 million of them have been turning to Lester Holt, anchor of the NBC Nightly News, who is among the many TV news personalities working from home to protect them from the pandemic. Holt talks about how his job has changed with the massive story.

With many stuck at home during the pandemic, Americans have been spending more of their lives online. This is how our habits have changed.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has raised the possibility of not being able to complete the regular season: “Nothing has been ruled in and nothing ruled out.”

Stacy Owen, president and GM of NBCU’s Bay Area stations, says amid the thousands of new complexities of broadcasting in the pandemic, keeping connected daily with staffers — especially those working from home — remains her top priority.

More than 15,000 people have signed a petition from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees asking Sinclair Broadcast Group to improve its recent offer to unemployed broadcast technicians. The petition was circulated after IATSE criticized Sinclair’s plan to loan money in response to the coronavirus pandemic through a multi-million-dollar emergency fund that offers an interest-free advance of $2,500 to the 1,000 sports network freelancers who work at its Fox regional sports networks and Marquee Sports Network.

The broadcaster announced Tuesday that it will air iconic films on Sunday nights throughout the month of May. The move comes as many network shows have had their seasons cut short due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The new movie night will kickoff on May 3 with Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Subsequent Sundays will see airings of Forrest Gump, Mission: Impossible, Titanic and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

With no signs of when production can resume amid the global coronavirus crisis, the Big 4 are considering everything — even streaming fare — as they address summer schedules filled with holes. And fall may pose an even bigger problem.

Newsrooms across the U.S. have closed their offices in the wake of coronavirus outbreak to create the social distancing needed to slow the spread of the deadly illness. But while many journalists can do their jobs remotely — through phone calls, video calls and Slack messages — photographers continue to put themselves in harm’s way to capture the pandemic from the front lines.

Putting all 30 teams in the Phoenix area this season and playing in empty ballparks was among the ideas discussed Monday by Major League Baseball and the players’ association.

Television news professionals were asked last week about upgrades they’ve made to their respective home studios since they started broadcasting from home last month. What equipment have you received that you didn’t have at the outset? Is broadcasting from home getting easier? Harder? Here are their responses.

Three-quarters of ad executives plan to cut the remainder of their 2020 ad spending by 5% or more due specifically to the impact of the pandemic. That’s one of the findings of an annual survey of 40 ad executives representing more than $90 billion in annual ad spending, published his week by the equities research team at UBS. While the respondents indicated relative strength for maintaining their TV ad spending vs. other media, the consensus does not bode well for the 2020-21 upfront ad marketplace.

President Donald Trump spent the Q&A portion of his daily coronavirus press briefing on Monday by attacking reporters not for their recent stories but for the way that they are asking their questions. ““You should say, ‘Congratulations, great job,’ instead of being so horrid in the way you ask a question,” he told Fox News’ Kristin Fisher, who had asked about testing shortages.

NBCUniversal’s The Kelly Clarkson Show is adding content created from Clarkson’s ranch in Montana, where she is sheltering with her family, into episodes that were taped prior to the show’s pausing production in March.

As a digital-centric news organization, Newsy was better prepared than many to shift to remote working conditions. What’s changed is a tighter collaborative relationship with other E.W. Scripps-owned sister companies, including Court TV and TV stations.

“Never in our history as broadcasters have we experienced an event that has caused this much hardship,” said Dan Mason, chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. “Thus, we have revised provisions to our emergency grant eligibility guidelines.”

CEO Hilton Howell tells employees: “We do not believe that we will need to furlough employees; lay off employees; reduce hourly or salary compensation levels; nor suspend, delay or reduce contributions to employees’ 401(k)s.”

Dave Lougee, Tegna CEO, sent an email to employees Monday announcing companywide weeklong furloughs to be taken in the second quarter of this year. The company is implementing a “one week furlough for most employees to be taken between the week of April 20 and the week of June 26. Lougee said he and the Tegna board will take a 25% pay cut during April, May and June.

As marketers across sectors have asked to pause their advertising plans or shift messaging, NBCUniversal said that starting today it will have less commercial time and more uninterrupted content, according the Linda Yaccarino, the company’s chairman, advertising and partnerships. It’s a nod to the turmoil the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked on the advertising sector despite a surge in TV viewing.

The FCC Chairman praises their response to the coronavirus pandemic, including providing social distancing PSAs, educational programming, and community fundraisers.

Time spent watching TV overall has risen 17% among total viewers, 39% for kids 2-11 and 46% for teens 12-17, the VAB said in its TV in the Time of COVID-19 report.