coronavirus

Gray’s InvestigateTV brings the pandemic story home, creating an impressive tool — an interactive COVID-19 Tracker that collects positive test results in every single county in the United States, updates the data every day, and makes the information easily accessible. Just mouse over or search the map, find your county, and you can see how many cases per capita have cropped up there.

Some of the most anticipated vehicles of 2020 were built for pre-coronavirus times. Now that no one is buying, that spells trouble for automakers.

Reversing course, Google said on Thursday it will begin allowing political groups to run ads related to COVID-19. The company’s move comes shortly after liberal digital ad shop DSPolitical publicly complained that Google was giving President Donald Trump “an unprecedented advantage in our upcoming elections” by banning Democratic ads relating to the outbreak, while allowing the current administration to run ads referencing the virus.

As with most networks, NBC has had to shift some series’ season finale dates due to the coronavirus-related production shutdowns. Several NBC series will wrap their season runs earlier than planned because they could not finish production on their orders. The list includes all Chicago dramas, Law & Order: SVU, The Blacklist and New Amsterdam. 

HBO is unlocking its biggest trove of free programming ever — in a goodwill gesture as people look for a diversion during the COVID-19 pandemic. The WarnerMedia-owned premium cabler is making almost 500 hours of programming available to stream for free (without ads) for a limited time on HBO Now and HBO Go services without a subscription, starting today, April 3.

Readers desperate for information are more reliant than ever on local media as the coronavirus spreads across the U.S. They want to know about cases in their area, where testing centers are, what the economic impact is. Papers say online traffic and subscriptions have risen. But newspapers and other publications are under pressure as advertising craters. They are cutting jobs, staff hours and pay, dropping print editions — and in some cases shutting down entirely.

Nate Johnson, NBU Owned Stations’ director of weather operations, says the group’s naturally techy meteorologists made a smooth transition to doing their forecasts from home. Viewers have been grateful for the domestic snapshots and fleeting returns to pre-pandemic life they’ve gotten in the process.

The surge of Americans working, learning and socializing online is helping make the wireless industry’s case for building superfast internet connections.

Beginning Monday, she will welcome viewers into her home kitchen for an hour of new recipes made with pantry staples, solutions for cooking dilemmas and bit of fun as she’s joined by her husband, John Cusimano.

David Zurawik: “Sounds of coughing and moaning throughout the room. Corridors overflowing with gurneys bearing COVID-19 patients, some in postures of distress. Sheets of plastic taped to walls, makeshift borders aimed at protection and some semblance of privacy. This is what ground zero looks like in the war on COVID-19, according to a CNN report that aired Monday. I believe we need to see more of these images from media outlets of the horrible truth shown here.”

There is one corner of television in which the pantry is relatively well-stocked: basic-cable reality shows, the cozy feeling in TV form. Variety spoke to representatives from more than a dozen cablers about their upcoming programming, and found that by premiering new shows as usual while also making use of old inventory, top-tier networks such as HGTV, TLC, Bravo, ID, Food Network, Discovery, We TV, E!, History, and A&E would fare a months-long production shutdown practically unscathed.

Forced to improvise, hosts have returned with radically stripped down productions made from home. Can they keep it feeling fresh — and their kids out of the frame?

Video providers can’t fill all the ad inventory being created as people stuck at home watch more streaming content.

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival is the latest entertainment industry event to be claimed by the coronavirus pandemic. The festival was due to take place 18-22 June, but has been canceled amid the “COVID-19 outbreak which continues to grip the world.” The 60th edition of the festival will now take place on the same dates in 2021.

Sony Corp. said Thursday that it will launch a $100 million fund to support those around the world affected by the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The Tokyo-based conglomerate said the initiative would target three areas: supporting frontline medical professionals and first responders to fight the virus; aiding children and educators who must now work remotely, and supporting members of the creative community in the entertainment industry, “which has been greatly impacted by the spread of the virus.”

Fox-owned WAGA in Atlanta has transitioned smoothly to a remote working environment for most of its staff. Its GM and news director say lots of advance planning and regular all-hands virtual meetings are helping a coronavirus-driven diasporic station stay together as a unit. Above, the station’s temporary studio outside its building.

Over the last few years, a wave of unionization has swept local newsrooms and digital media outlets. As the coronavirus sweeps the country, forcing media companies to enact drastic cost-cutting plans, unionized newsrooms are putting the power of collective bargaining to the test.

Not only are many broadcast TV series seeing their current runs end abruptly, they may need to start production on their next seasons later than usual. In Vancouver, which is home to nearly 20 TV productions, government officials do not foresee life returning to any semblance of normal until the summer, meaning that the shows that traditionally start back up production in late June/early July would have to cool their heels for at least a little bit (if not longer).

The masks will be available for free to all Gray employees, but the company wants the first delivery of cloth masks reserved for those full-time and part-time employees who continue to work in a Gray facility or out in the field.

The Championships 2020 at Wimbledon has been canceled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic. The Grand Slam tennis tournament was scheduled to be held from Monday, June 29 through Sunday, July 12. The 134th tournament will now be held June 28-July 11, 2021.

The ongoing coronavirus crisis has universally disrupted newsrooms, and most local TV news directors expect the disruption to be long-lasting. A special edition of the RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey details the impacts of COVID-19 on local TV news stations throughout the country as they strive to provide their communities the best coverage possible, but struggle with production challenges and potential economic effects.