Los Angeles County’s daily COVID case count continued its recent upward trend on Wednesday, with the region tallying 1,662 new cases in the past 24 hours. That’s the highest one-day count since Sept. 7. Furthermore, the seven-day test positivity is now 5.9%, up 51% from 3.9% just before Halloween. Hospitalizations are beginning to rise amid fears of a “tripledemic.”
A somewhat vague emergency broadcast system alert interrupted television viewing around 5:35 Pacific time yesterday, ordering an immediate mandatory evacuation for a strange assortment of unspecified locations.
Film and TV productions shot in Los Angeles will now require crew members to wear mask indoors. The announcement was made on Thursday by Barbara Ferrer, the public health officer of Los Angeles County. During a media briefing, Ferrer said the change was made due to increasing hospitalizations in L.A. county due to COVID-19.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on a Zoom with reporters yesterday recommended, “Everyone two years of age and older should wear a mask in indoor gatherings and indoor settings such as businesses, restaurants and indoors at schools.”
Los Angeles sports and tourism insiders gathered to talk up plans for Feb. 13’s game amid community health concerns: “We have the world’s best stadium and we can host a healthy and safe event.” Above: Moderator Camryn Irwin leads a panel discussion featuring Adam Burke, president-CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board; Kathryn Schloessman, president-CEO, Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission; Katie Keenan, senior director of event operations, NFL; Kevin Demoff, COO, Los Angeles Rams; A.G. Spanos, president of business operations, Los Angeles Chargers; and Jason Gannon, managing director, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, held at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 13.
According to FilmLA’s latest report, TV and film projects in the city show more signs of rebounding after a major downturn amid the pandemic. After the COVID-19 surge in January and the voluntary industry production pause that resulted, permit applications surged 45% from February (with 777 applications) to March (with 1,125 applications).
Exclusives
After calling for a pause in productions, entertainment industry groups said that the easing of COVID-19 restrictions locally means filming of commercials can resume.
More than a dozen projects from studios like Warner Bros., Disney, Universal and CBS are resuming shooting or planning to do so in February.
After a brief pause following County Health Department recommendations, Hollywood’s major studios are getting cameras rolling again. The industry had paused much of its Los Angeles-based filming around the holidays and into the early part of January when it became clear a coronavirus surge was underway.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is urging the film and TV industry to consider pausing production for a few weeks during the ongoing surge in coronavirus cases throughout the county. “Although music, TV and film productions are allowed to operate,” the health department said, “we ask you to strongly consider pausing work for a few weeks during this catastrophic surge in COVID cases. Identify and delay higher risk activities, and focus on lower-risk work for now, if at all possible.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an emergency authority order to city residents on Wednesday evening, directing the community to “cancel everything” amid rising COVID-19 cases. The new order comes after Los Angeles County reported a total of 5,987 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, one day after a record high of 7,593 cases. Currently, 2,439 people are hospitalized with the virus in the county, with 40 additional deaths reported on Wednesday.
Los Angeles County health officials have approved film and television production to recommence on Friday, June 12, in line with state guidelines, amid COVID-19.
City Attorney Michael Feuer said Friday that users of the popular app are misled to think their location data will only be used for personalized forecasts and alerts.
In a move designed to encourage more local production of short-form online videos created by sites such as Buzzfeed and Funny or Die, the city of Los Angeles is lowering the cost of film permits for these kinds of productions as part of a new pilot program scheduled to roll out later this year.
After a day of negotiations in Houston, the NFL team owners approved the St. Louis move 30-2, with a first option for San Diego to share the $1.8 billion stadium Rams owner Stan Kroenke is building in Inglewood, Calif. The decision ends the NFL’s 21-year absence from the nation’s second-largest media market.
The 20-year NFL drought in Los Angeles may soon be over. On Monday, three teams — the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams — all filed to relocate to Los Angeles for the 2016 season.
Los Angeles: A Less-Jolly Holiday For TV
Holiday retail spending in Los Angeles is coming in a bit lower than it did last year, but the nation’s No. 2 TV market remains healthy and is still recovering from a political season that was busier than expected. On TV, holiday retail spending is active but down versus last year. But some stations are still very tight despite the lower retail spending, because of high demand left over from the elections.
That news viewing in Los Angeles was up 3% in the May sweeps compared to May 2013 may not sound like much, but it was more than most of the […]
City attorney Mike Feuer said that he’s going after Time Warner Cable in a nearly $10 million lawsuit alleging that the cable giant has refused to pay fees owed the city since 2011 while raking in billions in revenue.
Los Angeles Is Going Ape Over Oscars
The Academy Awards pump up the media economy in Los Angeles at this time every year. TV and radio see a flood of spending as the studios behind the year’s best films buy ads to woo voters in Hollywood in the months and weeks leading up to the event. Local spots during the Oscars telecast were selling for $350,000 months before the nominees were even announced, which buyers say is higher than any other market.
L.A. Stations Add Boxx Meridian For ENG
After hearing some success stories out of TV and Hollywood production studios in Los Angeles, news stations in the second largest TV market have added the wireless link to their ENG toolbox.
But the fourth quarter looks stronger with dollars pouring in to educate people about Obamacare. Auto, entertainment and fast food are also very active.
Los Angeles: TV Tight With Political Ads
March mayoral primary is driving demand for inventory, with other categories paying a premium to get on the air. Radio is also busy, with AT&T advertising again.
The six stations covering the Big Bear shootout and ensuing fire see viewership swell above 2 million, with KCBS’s 5 p.m. broadcast reaching its largest audience since 2004.
Time Warner Cable, which has already landed Lakers telecasts, is launching English- and Spanish-language sports channels in a bid to circumvent News Corp.
The Southern California PBS outlet will feature public affairs content on its third channel platform.
As it promised the FCC it would, NBCU found a minority to buy the Los Angeles Spanish-language independent, the Meruelo Group, headed by Alex Meruelo. Bert Ellis and Spanish Broadcasting System were among the runners-up in the bidding.
KCET will ring out 2010 on Dec. 31 with Live From Lincoln Center, a performance of the New York Philharmonic with piano virtuoso Lang Lang. Exactly what will happen after that remains to be seen, as L.A.’s longtime public television leader continues to scramble to solidify its programming in its post-PBS incarnation.
