Fox News' Neil Cavuto, senior VP, anchor and managing editor of business news for Fox News Channel, has returned after what he called a touch-and-go, intensive care bout with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Cavuto announced last fall that he had suffered a breakthrough infection and urged viewers to get vaccinated.

Following weeks of guest hosts, who Cavuto thanked for upending their lives and covering for him, Cavuto returned to his weekday afternoon business news show show Monday.

Also: Suffering Breakthrough COVID-19, Fox News Channel‘s Neil Cavuto Urges Vaccination

Fox had been mum on Cavuto's status at his request, which he explained Monday was because his show was about the news, not about him. But given that it "did drag on," he said, his viewers needed an explanation, which he gave. The following is a transcript of his explanation.

"I did get Covid again…but a far more serious strand…what they call Covid pneumonia. It landed me in Intensive Care for quite a while and it really was touch-and-go. Some of you who’ve wanted to put me out of my misery darn near got what you wished for! So, sorry to disappoint you," he said.

"[T]he vaccine didn’t cause this. That grassy knoll theory has come up a lot that I really have to put it to rest. My very compromised immune system did. Because I’ve had cancer and now have Multiple Sclerosis, I’m among the vulnerable three percent of the population or so that simply cannot sustain the full benefits of a vaccine. In other words, it doesn’t last.

"But let me be clear, doctors say had I not been vaccinated at all, I wouldn’t be here. It provided some defense, but that is still better than no defense. Maybe not great comfort for some of you. I've got to be honest, frankly, it was not great comfort for me either!" ■

In March of 2020, I had my second son in the throes of a global pandemic, and in the throes of my career in the fast-paced, never sleeping advertising industry. With it, came an immense amount of joy and laughter, and, to be honest, it also brought stress, doubt and tears. 

Looking back, I realize I have learned so many things from this wild time that will help me succeed in both my personal and professional lives. Managing a four-person household during a pandemic is oddly similar to leading a 120-person planning and monetization team at a Fortune 50 media company. I jokingly refer to these learnings as “pandemic-professional-parent skills,” and I want to share them with fellow parents, with the hope that my learnings will help them too.

Set Realistic Expectations

It’s no secret that every day brings surprises, both good and bad, and the pandemic seemed to bring a lot more than usual. But if you go into your day expecting perfection, that your 4-year-old tornado of a son will actually listen, or your major marketing campaign will go without a hitch, you’ll be disappointed and discouraged. 

Instead, set realistic expectations. Know that downs may happen. But so will ups. Yes, you may find out you are losing your star employee, or your baby may cry for what seems like forever, but if you are mentally prepared, then these will be just bumps in the road as you navigate the day.

So how do you do this? Despite everything going on around you, find a way at the start of your day to center your mind. Whether it is over coffee, while you are feeding your child or when you first sit down at your desk, take a deep breath and determine what your mark is for a good day. It could be one of those days where your toddler was up in the night, and you have back-to-back meetings, so your mark could be simply surviving until your head hits the pillow. Or maybe you just gained a new client and your house is finally in somewhat of an order, so you want to set your mark to checking off three quarters of your to do list. (But don’t make it the full list, as we all know that never happens!)

Overall, be truly honest with yourself, because your expectations are not influenced by anyone but yourself. Perfection is fiction; don’t hold yourself (or other people) to that bar.

Allow Yourself to Rebound

It is amazing to consider what we have all lived through since the start of COVID-19. And, as 2022 begins, pandemic life seems to keep on going, bringing new strains and worries, such as kids staying healthy in school and team cultures staying intact. Plus, fragmentation of our marketplace has never been more prevalent. 

Yet throughout it all, we are continuously evolving and learning, soaring and falling, and it’s important to acknowledge it all rather than shove it under the rug. For instance, when you feel yourself on a slope, let yourself ride down it. 

During quarantine, I sometimes felt guilt on how hard it was to have two kids at home while my husband and I both worked at home (his full-time job is watching the kids!). The daily feeling of “failure everywhere” was at an all-time high. I didn’t finish my strategic plan. We skipped baths again. The presentation didn’t go as planned. The sink is full of dishes. I completely forgot about a deliverable. I didn’t spend enough time with my family. 

But when you tell yourself your feelings are unwarranted – it makes the fall so much worse. What we should take away is how to rebound. The fall doesn’t make you unworthy, unable; it makes you human. So, in work and home life, concentrate on how you recover – not how far you fall or how often you trip. It’s important to allow yourself as well as your family, colleagues, friends, and kids, the space for adjustment. Allow yourself, and them, to rebound. And then celebrate it – you picked yourself up. You rock.

Fill Up Your Cup

How many times have you heard “you can’t pour from an empty cup” or “take some time for yourself”? The problem is that it feels impossible, and even selfish sometimes. More times than I can name this past year, I had to dig into my bone-dry cup and somehow turn it into positive energy for an unhappy team member, a needy kid or a frustrated client. 

Sometimes it feels like every single moment, someone, somewhere needs something from you. Feedback on a report. A snack. A response to an email. A clean shirt. I think often of the analogy of a pot that is boiling over. You can either take the pot off the burner or turn down the heat. A five-minute walk may cool things down, but they will get hot very quickly when it goes right back to the high heat. 

So, try to find longer-term, sustainable ways to “turn down the heat” in a meaningful way. I think many of us forgot who we were throughout this pandemic. I sometimes feel like I am just getting the glimmers back now. Laughing with my husband at the kids, chatting with a coworker about a new show, setting up a birthday party with my friends, signing up for a leadership course, enrolling my toddler in school.

Whether it is running, reading or gardening, or simply just staring at the wall, we all need time to fill up our own cup. Make time for it. Set a reminder. Block out 30 minutes (even 10!) a day. Add it to your to do list. Just make it happen. No excuses. YOU are your most important fan.

We Are Doing It

We should all write “managed a global pandemic” on our resumes – and understand the hidden skill sets and tactics we employed during the past year plus of our lives, so this wasn’t all for naught. The internet and TV doesn’t ever turn off (especially when everyone is in their homes!).

Everyone was hit hard by COVID-19. When it comes to us working parents, many left the work force to support their family. Or they stayed in and had to somehow do it all and stay motivated (WHAT?!) .

Hopefully these three “pandemic-professional-parent skills” will help us all, so we can grow, balance and appreciate our professional and personal lives that much more. Approach each day with room for ups and downs, empathy and time for ourselves. Let’s all get ready to rebound. ■

Norah O'Donnell delivered the CBS Evening News from a remote studio, she told her viewers Wednesday (January 12).

That is because she said she had come in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 — she has tested negative. O’Donnell did not say who she had come in contact with, but such contacts are becoming increasingly common given the heightened transmissibility of omicron.

O’Donnell tweeted: “A quick note about tonight's Evening News. Out of an abundance of caution, I will be anchoring tonight's broadcast from a remote studio. I came in contact with someone who has since tested positive for COVID. I've tested negative. See you soon.”

On Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said that most people are likely both to be exposed to the omicron variant and contract the virus, though the White House also pointed to a Kaiser Permanente study showing that omicron results in far fewer hospitalizations and deaths.

A number of high-profile journalists have gotten COVID-19, including ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Fox’s Geraldo Rivera and former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo. ■

The National Football League announced that it was moving three games because of COVID issues with players and coaches, with two games being played in primetime on Tuesday.

The Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams game and the Washington Football Team-Philadelphia Eagles contest, both originally scheduled for Sunday will be played Tuesday at 7 p.m. Fox will broadcast both games regionally.

According to Fox research guru Michael Mulvihill, 70% of the country will see Washington-Philadelphia with the other 30% getting Seattle vs the Rams. 

Mulvihill tweeted that he thinks this is the first time there has been regionalized NFL games in primetime. NFL games are routinely regionalized on Sundays.

The NFL said Friday it was moving three of this weekend’s games as COVID and other health concerns affect player rosters.

The NFL also moved the Las Vegas Raiders game against the Cleveland Browns from Saturday to Monday evening at 5 p.m. It will be televised on the NFL Network before the Minnesota Vikings play the Chicago Bears on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

"We have made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the NFLPA as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week resulting in a substantial increase in cases across the league," the NFL said in a statement. "We continue to make decisions in consultation with medical experts to ensure the health and safety of the NFL community." ■

Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network anchor Neil Cavuto told viewers of FNC's MediaBuzz to get vaccinated, and he did not mince words.

“Life is too short to be an ass," he told MediaBuzz host Howie Kurtz. "Life is way too short to be ignorant of the promise of something that is helping people worldwide.  Stop the deaths. Stop the suffering. Please, get vaccinated. Please.“

Cavuto, who according to Fox News Media is fully vaccinated, got a breakthrough COVID-19 infection diagnosis last week, but it is a mild case he attributes to that protection. Cavuto also has multiple sclerosis and other health issues, so he is immunocompromised.

Also Read: Industry Mourns Death of Colin Powell

Fox has asked its employees to get vaccinated and, if not, they must be tested multiple times per week.

Cavuto told Kurtz that he wanted to urge everyone to think about others. “In the end, if you can get vaccinated and think of somebody else and think of what that could mean to them and their survivability from something like this, we'll all be better off,“ he said.  

It is generally accepted that the closer the country gets to herd immunity, the less likely both initial and breakthrough cases will occur.

While some anti-vaxxers have argued that they should not have to get a vaccination if they don't want to, and that it is an imposition on their freedom of choice, Cavuto suggested people should look at the “bigger picture” and “get outside themselves.”

“[T]here are plenty of people working around you, Howie, at Fox and all types of business environments who are susceptible to this sort of thing,” he said. “You can help them out a lot if whatever your views on mandates, and I get that, no one likes to be ordered to, but in the end if you can get vaccinated and think of someone else and think of what that could mean to them and their survivability from something like this, we'll all be better off.” 

Among those “someone elses,” Cavuto cited a competitor. “[It‘s about] people like John King of CNN, who is battling multiple sclerosis; he's vulnerable to this,“ Cavuto said. “It‘s about people in our everyday life who need to be told that getting vaccinated is a help, it's not a deterrent. It's something that will make you better and everyone around you better. To me, this is so incredible. I just say, ‘My God, get it.’ ”  

Cavuto, who has had monoclonal antibody treatment, said he is feeling better and that his wife also tested positive.

The Senate has passed the bipartisan State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act, which could free up potentially hundreds of billions more for broadband buildouts, and without any additional legislation.

States got $1.9 trillion in Congress's COVID-19 rescue legislation earlier this year, specifically to deal with the loss of revenues due to COVID-19. But the AP reported last month that more than half a trillion dollars of that had yet to be spent.

The just-passed bill would expand the places all that money could go.

"This legislation puts decision-making power at the local level and gives these leaders more flexibility to invest in the most critical projects for their communities, whatever those might be," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), one of the new bill's chief architects.

That new bill would allow states to use up to 30% of their respective allocations not yet spent for infrastructure projects, including broadband. It would also allow 100% of unspent funds to be spent on disaster recovery, which could also implicate broadband in the case of damaged communications infrastructure.

Also backing the bill are Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-ALaska), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.L), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska).

The National Association of Broadcasters convention, NAB Show 2021, has been canceled with concerns about the coronavirus pandemic leading to key exhibitors pulling out of the live event.

NAB Show 2021 was slated for Oct. 9-13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The 2020 convention went virtual amid the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

"For more than a year we have worked tirelessly to bring our industry together safely in Las Vegas at NAB Show. Unfortunately, the pandemic and surge of the Delta variant has presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges for our global community," the NAB said.

Last week Sony Electronics said it was withdrawing from in-person gatherings in October. In addition to the NAB Show, Sony withdrew from InfoComm.

Ross Video followed Sony in pulling out from the NAB Show, as did Panasonic and Canon.

COVID has had a huge impact on the trade show business despite efforts this year to go back to live gatherings. Last week the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers converted its October convention, the Cable-Tec Expo, to an online gathering because of travel and health concerns.

CES, the huge consumer electronics event scheduled for Las Vegas in January, has said it is moving forward as a live event with vaccination proof required. The Consumer Technology Association this week sent emails opening the registration process.

Future, which owns B+C, Next TV and TV Tech, is an NAB Partner and produces the NAB Show Daily.

NAB posted this statement on its website today:

To Our NAB Show Community: 

For more than a year we have worked tirelessly to bring our industry together safely in Las Vegas at NAB Show. Unfortunately, the pandemic and surge of the Delta variant has presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges for our global community. As we have always kept the best interest and safety of the industry as our priority, it has become apparent in the face of these challenges that we can no longer effectively host NAB Show or our co-located events, the Radio Show and Sales and Management Television Exchange, in person. 

NAB Show is the premiere destination for the media and entertainment industry and we will not move forward with a show that delivers anything less than the excellence our community has come to expect and deserves from us. 

While we are disappointed that we will not be together again in person next month, we look forward to converging at the 2022 NAB Show, April 23-27, 2022, to reignite our passion for our business and focus on a bright future ahead. Stay tuned for details regarding virtual options for accessing select 2021 NAB Show content through NAB Amplify.

According to various reports, Dan Darling, senior VP for communications for the National Religious Broadcasters, has been fired after comments he made supporting vaccines against COVID-19.

Darling made the comments on MSNBC's Morning Joe and in a USA Today op ed titled: "Why as a Christian and an American I got the COVID Vaccine."

Religionnews.com reported that following the remarks, which apparently violated NRB policy about remaining neutral on vaccines, Darling was given the choice of publicly stating he had been insubordinate or leaving, and chose the latter.

The Evangelical community is divided over the vaccine, with White evangelicals having a high refusal rate, according to U.S. News and World Report, while some NRB members actively support the vaccine, NRB itself points out.

Also Read: CPB Funds Station Efforts to Combat COVID-19 Misinformation

For example, Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and son of iconic religious broadcaster Billy Graham, has, according to NRB, "said that he thanked God for the doctors and researchers who were involved in developing these vaccines and for the resources that made it possible," and has said that "he hoped the American people would use these vaccines."

Darling had said in the USA Today piece that he believed in getting the vaccine because "I don't want to see anyone else die of COVID," citing "an uncle, a beloved church member, and our piano teacher," all of whom had succumbed to the virus.

On Aug. 18 in a Morning Joe segment on the Darling op ed, tied to Pope Francis encouraging the faithful to get vaccinated as an "act of love," Darling said the idea of loving your neighbor translates to not spreading the virus. 

Also Read: NAB Show Attendees Must Be Vaccinated

He said he was not shaming those who don't get the vaccine and understood it was a big decision, but encouraged folks to talk to their doctor.

An NRB spokesperson had not returned an e-mail request for comment Saturday morning (Aug. 28) and Darling was unreachable at press time.

HBO will look at the pandemic from the perspectives of two different countries in a new documentary, In the Same Breath, debuting Aug. 18.

The documentary will examine the experiences of people on the ground in the earliest days of the novel coronavirus and the way two countries dealt with its initial spread, from the first days of the outbreak in Wuhan to its rampage across the United States, said network officials.

Directed by filmmaker Nanfu Wang, the film explores the early confusion and parallel campaigns by authorities to try to contain the virus as well as shape the public narrative through misinformation, resulting in a devastating impact on citizens of both countries.  

Also Read: HBO and Dish End 3-Year Old Carriage Battle 

CBS News plans to offer a special report to TV station affiliates on President Joe Biden's update on COVID-19 restrictions.

The special is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m. ET and will be anchored by CBS Evening News' Norah O'Donnell from Washington.

Also reporting will be chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett, chief White House correspondent Nancy Curtis and White House Correspondent Weija Jiang, while chief medical correspondent will join from New York.

Jiang will report from the East Room, where the President is scheduled to talk about efforts to increase vaccination rates to help stem the spike of new cases.

The CDC has issued new guidelines in the face of rising infections and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wants Facebook and Twitter to explain the White House's admission Thursday that the Biden Administration has been flagging vaccine-related misinformation on social media.

The senator fired off letters to the CEOs of both companies citing White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki's statements in the daily press conference Thursday (July 15) that the Biden Administration has been in "regular touch" with social media platforms about COVID-19-related posts and flagging the "problematic" ones.

"Facebook should provide, publicly and transparently, data on the reach of COVID-19 -- COVID vaccine misinformation. Not just engagement, but the reach of the misinformation and the audience that it's reaching," Psaki said. "That will help us ensure we're getting accurate information to people. This should be provided not just to researchers, but to the public so that the public knows and understands what is accurate and inaccurate."

Also Read: Attorneys General: Facebook, Twitter Fail to Sufficiently Combat Anti-Vaxxers

"We are in regular touch with these social media platforms, and those engagements typically happen through members of our senior staff," she said, adding: "We're flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation."

That sounded to Hawley like the government and Facebook teaming up for a speech police action. He and other Republicans already argue that social media is in league with Democrats to censor conservative speech. Republicans have been more inclined to criticize the vaccination effort, and are less likely to have been vaccinated themselves.

"This casual admission of collusion—between the state and corporations that have monopolized the flow of information and therefore dictate the terms of service for the public square—is shocking," Hawley wrote in a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He wrote a similar letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

Hawley said that "collusion" raises the spectre of social media becoming an arm of the federal government.

He asked Zuckerberg for a "full accounting" of the content the Biden Administration has flagged, what posts it has asked to remove, and what content Facebook has removed.

The National Association of Broadcasters is urging its members to help promote the National Month of Action on COVID-19 vaccines beginning June 4.

NAB is a founding member of the COVID-19 Community Corps public education campaign.

The White House and HHS organized the Month of Action to try and meet the President's pledge of 70% of adults 18-plus (approximately 160 million) vaccinated by July 4. Vaccination rates have slowed in recent days.

Among the campaign's goals are is "easier and more equitable access to vaccinations" as well as encouraging incentive programs by businesses and employers.

Also Read: Dems Press Big Tech on COVID-19 Disinformation

While NAB says stations have already been on the front lines of vaccine education, it wants them to mobilize on June 4 to spotlight the importance of vaccines in returning to normal. Stations can direct viewers or listners to vaccine.gov.

House Energy & Commerce Committee Democratic leadership is pressing Big Tech companies for answers to why they have not done more to prevent COVID-19 vaccine disinformation.

E&C Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) joined by the subcommittee chairs, wrote the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Google as they continued to investigate what they say was their "mishandling" of COVID-19 disinformation.

Also Read: AGs Say Facebook, Twitter Fail to Combat Anti-Vaxxers

The letter follows reports that such disinformation has yet to be expunged from their platforms, as well as a March 25 hearing where those CEOs were pressed on the issue.

The legislators also want more info from the platforms by June 10, including identifying accounts controlled by major disinformation purveyors (the so-called Disinformation Dozen), a summary of enforcement action against any of those accounts, and more.

Also Read: Big Tech CEOS to Testify on Disinformation

Jumping into the controversy over Nielsen undercounting TV usage during the pandemic, measurement company iSpot says its system shows ad ratings were up during 2020.

Networks and distributors represented by the VAB questioned Nielsen’s reporting that showed television usage down during the pandemic. The VAB called for audits of Nielsen’s numbers and procedures, in particular how it handled its sample households while in-home visits were interrupted by COVID protocols. 

Nielsen lost about 20% of its sample from March 2020 to March 2021, and the number of homes in the sample that reported no TV viewing increased sharply.

Initially Nielsen said the changes didn’t have a significant impact on its numbers. But a review overseen by the Media Rating Council revealed that Nielsen was undercounting viewing by as much as 6%.

iSpot’s data shows that overall TV ad impressions were up 7.6% in 2020, compared to 2019.

Because iSpot focuses on measuring the impressions commercials generate and the impact those ads have on viewers, as opposed to estimating how many people watched a particular show, not all of iSpot’s numbers are comparable to Nielsen’s.

But iSpot data also show that TV usage was up 7.3% overall for 2020 over 2019, according to CEO Sean Muller.

Usage was up 4.3% in the first quarter, 12.3% in the second quarter and 16.3% in the third quarter before declining 1.4% in the fourth quarter.

iSpot has a panel of 18 million TVs where detection of every ad and program automatically occurs if the TV is on, Muller said. “Our approach to measurement isn’t prone to the challenges that Nielsen is experiencing, specifically,” he said.

iSpot found that ad ratings began the year slightly higher. The increase grew in March, when people started staying home because of the pandemic, and stayed high until September, when kids went back to school, iSpot said. The return of the National Basketball Association in August spurred the biggest increase in impressions. 

Impressions fell off in the fourth quarter, particularly in primetime, because the production of scripted programming was disrupted and delayed by the pandemic. Despite the fourth-quarter slide, primetime TV ad impressions were up 1.2% for 2020, according to iSpot.

VAB CEO Sean Cunningham provided estimates of how much money networks might have lost because of Nielsen’s undercount. If the under-reporting was just 1%, it would cost the industry $468 million. If the undercount was 6%, it would cost $2.7 billion.

But with iSpot’s numbers indicating that commercial impressions were higher than reported, advertisers whose ad buys are based on Nielsen might have received make-good ads to compensate for shortfalls that didn’t really happen.

Nielsen responded in a statement.

“While we won’t comment on research done by this analytic firm, Nielsen has a long history of supplying actionable data and insights to our clients and the industry as a whole. Throughout COVID, Nielsen has remained transparent and committed to our clients and various industry groups, helping them understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on its data. We have also continued to innovate as we steadfastly move toward bringing the industry true, de-duplicative cross-platform measurement in the form of Nielsen One,” Nielsen said.

iSpot posted a blog post titled “While Traditional TV Ratings Proved Murky, One Thing is Clear: Ad Ratings Were Up During COVID.”

In it, Stuart Schwartzapfel, senior VP, media partnerships at iSpot, said the current issues over “understated” audiences is “more than just cause for concern; for many, it has generated calls to action.”

Advertisers want data that tracks their investment persistently and reliably, Schwartzapfel said.

“Despite the many disruptions during the pandemic, iSpot’s system did just that. And the results run counter to a prevailing narrative. While TV viewership for programming diminished, the amount of chances brands had to reach households actually increased,” Schwartzapfel said.

The blog post has iSpot data showing that the return of the NBA drove a 35.1% ad ratings increase for the networks that carry the league's games.

It also noted that cable network TV average ad impressions were up 63.5% on the year and up 68.4% in November when the election took place.

AT&T’s Turner networks, despite not being able to televise the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, registered an increase in ad impressions of 33.6%, largely on the strength of CNN.

Discovery was also a winner, with TV ad impressions on its networks up 9.8%. DIY led the way with a 42.5% increase. Some of Discovery’s networks attracted viewers because they were able to air new programming home-made by the stars of their shows. People were also nesting and eating at home and the Discovery networks face no competition for viewers from sports.

iSpot’s Ad Rating is a measure of total households where at least one TV had a verified exposure to a given TV ad. The verification is done by the on-screen detection of the ad play in 18M homes, balanced and extrapolated to the U.S. Census. The Average Ad Rating is the average of all ad units for a particular date and daypart for a given network.

As the nation starts its 15th month of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, I think it’s time we finally emerge from the Johari window analysis - “known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns” – in which we have been stuck. 

Setting aside the eternal conundrum of “unknown unknowns,” and acknowledging we continue to know what we knew, we now also know what we didn’t a year ago, that the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines work, and herd immunity is getting close.

As society, schools, workplaces, etc., open up, the broadcast industry will lead the way. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that leadership matters. This is especially so for those institutions, businesses, families, and schools facing precarious futures. Throughout this tragedy, candor and honesty, sound and factual reporting, and thoughtful and empathetic leadership are the qualities that best serve the public. They are also the leadership traits that will bring back and revive our stressed and flailing communities, schools, and businesses.

So, in all candor, this much is clear: restrictions and harms go hand-in-hand. Nationwide, far too many business owners, especially small businesses, have suffered repeated challenges through various lockdown cycles. Children and young people have been isolated from their friends and that needs to change promptly. In big states like California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York public schools have provided very little, if any, in-person schooling, and mental health issues have skyrocketed. Health workers are exhausted after a year on the front-line. With the vaccines, we can (and must) change these realities, and appreciate that once vaccinated there is little threat of passing the virus on to others.

While the country’s initial focus was to "flatten the curve" and keep patient volume within the capacity of healthcare facilities and services, it is clear that proactively working toward developing and deploying testing and vaccines to eliminate the disease is better from both an economic and a public health perspective. We now have tools that make this possible and must move forward with all due dispatch. The Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed and the Biden Administration's roll out of nationwide vaccination efforts over the last 100 days both deserve credit here. Anything more political at this point just gets in the way, and interferes with sound and factual reporting.

Finally, as people return to the workplace, employers will need caring and thoughtful leadership to not only ensure the quality of their products and/or services, but to serve in many respects as counselors in chief. The COVID-19 tragedy has touched millions in such profound ways that many employees will be returning to work while grieving. Constructive and empathetic leaders understand this and will need to help employees work through their challenges and should also consider changes to policies and procedures to better fit the new normal of their industry workplace. The broadcast industry has generally done a good job in this area, for example, its adjustment to multiple-remote-feeds during news and interview programs, accommodating a variety of productions employees would otherwise have been unable to facilitate.

So let’s close the Johari window, be more ambitious with the known knowns - the vaccines work - build up population immunity and suppress the virus to the lowest possible levels by quickly managing outbreaks as they arise through robust test, trace, isolate and support policies. Let’s make the well-being of our children a priority, and with it, the reopening of in-person schooling. Those actions will initiate a virtuous cycle and help accelerate the return of routines that work for employees and their families, employers, the economy, and the nation.

Netflix added just 3.98 million streaming subscribers worldwide in the first quarter after adding 15.77 million a year ago as the COVID-19 pandemic set in.

The pandemic forced people indoors and set off a boom in people subscribing to streaming services and watching hours of television content online.

The streaming leader finished the quarter with 208 million paid subscribers. That was up 14% from a year ago, but below the company’s forecast of 210 million.

Also Read: Moody’s Upgrades Netflix Credit Rating

The tiny subscriber growth rate sent Netflix shares 10% lower in after market trading Tuesday.

Next quarter should mark the deepest trough for Netflix, The company said it expects to add just one million subscribers in the second quarter, a tough comparison to a year ago when the company added 10.09 million subscribers.

“We believe paid membership growth slowed due to the big COVID-19 pull forward in 2020 and a lighter content slate in the first half of this year, due to COVID-19 production delays. We continue to anticipate a strong second half with the return of new seasons of some of our biggest hits and an exciting film lineup,” the company said in a letter to shareholders.

Also Read: Netflix Ups the Ante with Latest Deals

The company said it plans to spend $17 billion over the course of the year.

It downplayed the entrance of new competitors during the quarter, including Paramount Plus from ViacomCBS and Discovery Plus.

“We don’t believe competitive intensity materially changed in the quarter or was a material factor in the variance as the over-forecast was across all of our regions,” the company said.

First quarter net income jumped to $1.707 billion, or $3.75 a share, from $709 million, or $1.57 a share, a year ago.

Revenue rose 24% to $7.13 billion.

The financial numbers were higher than expected, in part because the production of shows being delayed.

Netflix said it expects second quarter net income to be $1.441 million, or $3.16 a share, up from $720 million, or $1.59 a share. It forecasts second quarter revenue at $7.3 billion, up from $6.148 the prior year.

Netflix said average revenue per subscriber rose 6% in the quarter.  

Many Netflix shows drew big viewing numbers in the quarter. The company said that Firefly Lane was watched in 49 million homes in the first 28 days it was available. Others mentioned by the company were season three of Cobra Kai (45 million), Fate: The Winx Saga (57 million, and Ginny & Georgia (52 million). The top Netflix movies in Q1 included I Care A Lot with 56 million homes viewing, YES DAY (62m), Outside the Wire (66m) and the last installment of To All the Boys I’ve Loved 3 Before trilogy (51m).

The board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which hands out federal funding for noncommercial media, has approved a plan to distribute the $175 million in emergency funding for public media in the American Rescue Plan, President Biden's COVID-19 relief bill that passed Congress March 11.

The money is to be used "to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including for fiscal stabilization grants to public telecommunications entities," including "to maintain programming and services and preserve small and rural stations threatened by declines in non-Federal revenues."

Also Read: CPB Boosts Funding for Diverse Content

The CPB plan was agreed to by an advisory committee of public radio and TV representatives. 

According to the plan, "Of the $175 million, $100 million will be calculated using the CARES Act formula that was developed in April 2020 in order to prioritize funding to small, rural and/or minority stations. The remaining $75 million will be distributed according to the respective television and radio Community Service Grant (CSG) formulas, which also take into account stations’ service to rural communities, as well as the number of transmitters needed to cover large geographic areas, and the amount raised in non-federal financial support (NFFS)."

Also Read: CPB Gets Budget Increase

"The stabilization funding from Congress will support essential public media services and sustain the broad reach and access that keeps public media resources available online, over-the-air and in communities across the country," said CPB President Patricia Harrison.

Nielsen, under fire from its TV network clients, defended its methodology and said its numbers, which show big declines in viewing since the beginning of the pandemic, are accurate.

The ratings company denied claims by the Video Advertising Bureau that viewing was being under-reported because Nielsen allowed its panel size to shrivel during the pandemic and said that changes in viewers' behavior and the lack of original episodes of shows and the cancellation of games by sports leagues caused a drop in viewing.

Also Read: Networks, Distributors Blast Nielsen For COVID Response That Caused Plunge In TV Usage Numbers

“Nielsen looked internally at its own process for estimating the ratings via our observational panel, a source of audience estimates that fuels the media industry,” Nielsen said in a blog post Friday. “While this drove a sample size smaller than it was pre-COVID, it remains robust and representative”.

Nielsen said that total TV viewing has declined in recent years. In the first quarter of 2019, on average, 20.8% of people 2 years old and older were using television across the total day. That declined to 19.1% in the first quarter of 2021.

That number is bad news for the networks, which are getting ready to sell advertising for the 2021-22 season in the upfront market.

Nielsen did say that as a result of the 20% decrease in its sample, the standard error for its estimates is up slightly.  

"What we see is despite the decline in the sample. There is no material statistical difference, right the error has increased but the confidence interval is still high as we have reported," Mainak Mazumdar, Nielsen’s chief research officer, said in an interview with Broadcasting+Cable.

Also read: Nielsen Says Ad-Supported Streaming Rose While Ad Spending Fell 

The error for February 2020 for primetime households using television was plus or minute 0.229. For February 2021, it was 0.26. 

That means that for February 2020, Nielsen was confident that when reporting a 48.67 ratings estimate, that the ratings could have been as low as 48.44 or as high as 48.90. 

For the same 48.67 rating in February 2021, based on the reduced sample size and updated weights, the estimate could have been as low as 48.41 or as high as 48.93, Nielsen said.

“We feel the standard error needs to be accounted for when folks are forecasting their inventory for rest of the year into upfront, Mazumdar said

In its blog post, Nielsen said that advertising buyers and sellers should “consider” the many factors affecting TV at this as they look at the numbers.

The VAB was looking for more than that, saying that a research paper about standard error was not what the industry needed at this point.

Mazumdar said that it has been going back over the behaviors being reported out of the sample homes. Nielsen has found that its numbers reflect what the viewing--or non viewing--that was happening in those homes.

“We're going back and we don't we don't see anything there [that wold cause us] to make adjustments,” Mazumdar said. 

“The behavior change is a big deal because as we go back to these homes we see these are legitimate changes that these households made in their lives that impacts their media behavior,” he said. 

Also read: Nielsen Readies Big Data Metrics For TV Advertising 

In its blog post, Nielsen noted that the pandemic has both bottlenecked and accelerated aspects of the media industry, acting as a polarizing factor for consumer segments

Those changes were spurred by production disruptions caused by COVID. Nielsen said there were 13% fewer new episodes on traditional TV in October 2020 compared to the same month in 2019. That led to a 75% increase in programming repeats. 

Premieres of shows were 29 days later at the start of the 2020-21 TV season compared to the previous year.

While traditional TV undoubtedly declined, total minutes streamed directly to the TV glass, across streaming-capable homes, increased from 117.7 billion to 132 billion, Nielsen said.

“Ahead of this year’s TV upfronts/newfronts, media buyers and sellers need to take heed of these trends and understand the unique impact COVID has had not just on programming and content, but on all aspects of the industry,” Nielsen said in its post.

Nielsen’s Mazumdar also took issue with the VAB’s contention that it had abandoned its panel during the pandemic.

Nielsen, like other companies, was disrupted by COVID. “We adapted very quickly to these challenges by making modifications to our procedures as well as developing new ways to safely recruit, install and maintain our industry-leading panels,” he said. 

Those changes were spelled out to clients last year.

Those changes included remote recruitment of sample homes, introduction of a new nano-meter that members of Nielsen panel homes can install themselves, and the use of proximity visits that allowed the company to perform maintenance on its panelists and equipment from a safe distance.

Now that pandemic appear to be winding down, Nielsen’s field force is fully back at work, Mazumdar said. 

“We want to make sure we go back to the sample size w had in a pre-COVID level.” he said.

Encouraged by the steady rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations and the prospect of herd immunity to the virus, Moody’s Investors Service predicted that total advertising revenue growth could top 6% this year.

In a note to clients Monday, Moody’s senior VP Neil Begley wrote that the quick pace of the vaccine rollout could provide “multiple paths to a recovery for the subsectors of the media and entertainment industry.”

Moody’s noted that ad revenue fell nearly 4% in 2020, dominated by the pandemic that forced most American to remain in their homes. As a result, GDP dipped almost 4% as well.  

Also Read: Selling Cable Short

While Begley warned the recovery might be inconsistent across different areas of the country, he nevertheless expected a strong rebound.

“Where confidence, employment and economic activity grows more quickly because of mass vaccinations, we expect advertisers to spend heavily to attract pent-up demand for many products and services,” Begley wrote, adding that digital advertising platforms, broadcasters and networks should benefit the most. 

Also Read: NFL Deal Gives Amazon Ad Business a Boost: Analyst

The movie business was decimated by the pandemic -- Moody’s estimated that domestic box office in 2020 was about $2 billion, compared to $12 billion in 2019. But after a shutdown in production, Begley wrote that “studio pipelines are as full as they have ever been and ready to fill the void once theaters can reopen at reasonable levels. Broadcast networks and stations may have a harder go at it," he wrote, because of a longer production hiatus. 

“Production did resume in a limited fashion by the fourth quarter, but the content pipeline is not likely to be filled to normal capacity until production returns to a more normal level,” he wrote. “So the speed of vaccinations is imperative for the industry.”

Billions of dollars more in broadband subsidies will soon be flowing now that the House has voted mostly along party lines to pass President Biden's almost $2 trillion American Rescue Plan COVID 19-related aid package (the vote was 220 to 211). It passed the Senate over the weekend.

The President is expected to sign the bill into law by week's end.

As part of the massive bill, the FCC will have 60 days to set up an E-rate Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) of $7.6 billion (minus $1 million to pay for FCC Inspector General oversight of the program). The Universal Service Administrative Company, which oversees the FCC's ongoing USF subsidy program, will administer the emergency fund, which will be kept separate from USF subsidies.

Also Read: ISPs Prepare for Broadband Billions

The ECF will go to eligible schools and libraries to pay 100% for the costs of equipment and/or advanced communications service for students both in school and remote learning, and for library patrons both in libraries and remotely. The money is available until 2030.

Following the vote, Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) called it vital economic relief, including "expand internet connectivity to help students and teachers without home internet access so that we can close the homework gap."

Currently the FCC's USF E-rate subsidy can't be used for home broadband or equipment, though the FCC under new acting chair Jessica Rosenworcel is trying to change that.

Eligible equipment includes computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and connected devices.

Also as part of the bill, there is a homeowners assistance fund in the Department of Treasury that will contain $9,961,000,000 that states can tap (until 2025) for payment assistance for "qualified expenses" of individuals, primarily low-income households, who need help due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the fund can be used for everything from mortgage relief to flood insurance, it can also be used for "internet service, including broadband internet access service."

Also Read: FCC Casts Wide Net for EBB Subsidy Players

The FCC is currently preparing to give out the $3.2 billion EBB funding, which comprises a $50-per-month subsidy to eligible low-income households ($75-per on tribal lands), plus a $100 one-time payment for equipment so long as the recipient of the payment also contributes to the equipment cost.

The bill also includes money for federal IT modernization and cybersecurity.

“As the United States recovers from the COVID pandemic, it is important to ensure government can continue to serve citizens online securely and effectively," said Jason Oxman, president of global tech trade association ITI. “We commend the U.S. House of Representatives for approving key investments to not only modernize federal information technology but also better protect against cyber threats. We will continue to work with our government partners to leverage digital technology to help the U.S. become more resilient as it recovers from COVID-19 and its economic impact.”

The bill includes $175 million in emergency assistance to public TV and radio stations.

“The American Rescue Plan is a historic achievement that will help millions of people," said Joshua Stager, deputy director of broadband and competition policy for New America's Open Technology Institute. "In particular, we applaud Congress for directing over $7 billion to the FCC's E-Rate program, which will help students stay connected during remote and hybrid learning. OTI has petitioned the FCC since April 2020 to expand E-Rate as classrooms moved online, and we are grateful that help is finally on the way."

The FCC has come out with its new list of the top five non-broadcast nets (for the 2019-2020 programming year) subject to audio description mandates and although ESPN didn't technically qualify for a news exemption that keeps it out of that top five due to COVID-19 programming changes, the FCC took that into account and granted it to ESPN anyway.

Audio described programming (formerly called "video described"), mandated by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA), is audio that describes important video elements in a program ("couple sits under a tree and he speaks," for example) for the hearing impaired.

According to the CVAA, MVPDs that serve 50,000 or more subs have to provide 87.5 hours of video described programming each calendar quarter on the top five non-broadcast networks they carry, defined as an average of the national audience share during primetime of non-broadcast nets that reach 50% of MVPD households and air at least 50 hours per quarter of non-live or near live content.

The new top five networks subject to the 87.5-hour mandate are TLC, HGTV, Hallmark, History, and TBS.

The top 10 list of networks per Nielsen data were Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, and TLC, followed by HGTV, Hallmark, History, TBS, and Discovery. But Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, and ESPN all filed for exemptions as airing less than 50 hours of non-live or near-live programming.

In the case of ESPN, the network said it did air more than 50 hours in the first and second quarters of 2020 because the pandemic caused the cancellation of most live sports, but that by the third quarter it it was again airing fewer than 50 hours of non-exempt programming in prime time.

The FCC's Media Bureau said that the COVID-`19 programming alteration was unprecedented so it was appropriate to exclude those two quarters from its calculations.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan COVID-19 relief bill that passed the Senate Saturday night (March 6) also had some rescue funding for public broadcasting.

The bill included $175 million in emergency assistance to public TV and radio stations.

Also Read: GOP Bill Would Apply C-Band Proceeds to Digital Divide

Patrick Butler, president of America's Public Television Stations, said the money was welcome and definitely needed given the pandemic-related strain on resources.

“We’ve conveyed COVID-related information to millions of viewers from Governors, State health and education officials, and other authorities through our role as the 'C-SPAN' of many State governments and in our capacity as the trusted voice of community leadership across the country," he said. "And we’ve provided countless public safety communications to keep our citizens informed of health and safety alerts and other critical matters."

He said that was being done mostly with unbudgeted funds while collectively stations were losing "hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from State governments and private sources due to the severe economic downturn."

He said the money would help public broadcasters provide remote learning to students without internet access, both over-the-air and via datacasting.

"We are grateful for the broad bipartisan support for this emergency funding for public media among both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate," he said.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan COVID-19 aid bill that passed the Senate Saturday (March 6) will allocate another $17 billion-plus for broadband.

Sen. Mark Warner pointed out Saturday that that was the largest-single federal investment in broadband infrastructure and affordability.

Also Read: GOP Bill Would Apply C-Band Proceeds to Digital Divide

The bill, HR 1319, passed 50 to 49 along party lines and must now be re-voted in the House due to some tweaks to the House-passed version.

As part of the massive bill, the FCC will have 60 days to set up an E-rate Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) of $7.6 billion (minus $1 million to pay for FCC Inspector General oversight of the program). The Universal Service Administrative Company, which oversees the FCC's ongoing USF subsidy program, will administer the emergency fund, which will be kept separate from USF subsidies.

Also Read: ISPs Prepare for Broadband Billions

The ECF will go to eligible schools and libraries to pay 100% for the costs of equipment and/or advanced communications service for students both in school and remote learning, and for library patrons both in libraries and remotely. The money is available until 2030.

Currently the FCC's USF E-rate subsidy can't be used for home broadband or equipment, though the FCC under new acting chair Jessica Rosenworcel is trying to change that.

Eligible equipment includes computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and connected devices.

Also as part of the bill, there is a homeowners assistance fund in the Department of Treasury that will contain $9,961,000,000 that states can tap (until 2025) for payment assistance for "qualified expenses" of individuals, primarily low-income households, who need help due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the fund can be used for everything from mortgage relief to flood insurance, it can also be used for "internet service, including broadband internet access service."

Also Read: FCC Casts Wide Net for EBB Subsidy Players

The FCC is currently preparing to give out the $3.2 billion EBB funding, which comprises a $50-per-month subsidy to eligible low-income households ($75-per on tribal lands), plus a $100 one-time payment for equipment so long as the recipient of the payment also contributes to the equipment cost.

“I’m especially proud that I was able to work with President Biden and my colleagues to add funding to expand access to high-speed internet, which is a necessity, not a luxury, during COVID-19," said Sen. Warner. 

“Throughout this pandemic, we have asked our students to shoulder an enormous burden and continue their education from home,” said Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) of the $7 billion E-rate funding. “The funding included in this relief package for K-12 distance learning will finally provide all our children with the technology and tools to set them up for success and ensure they can continue their studies from home. This funding will help ensure that the ‘homework gap’ does not grow into a damaging learning and opportunity gap for our children, particularly those who live in communities of color, low-income households, and rural areas.”

The one-two punch of a pandemic and online piracy is a big problem, thanks in part to the increased appetite for video streaming during COVID-19.

That is the conclusion of a new research survey from the Digital Citizens Alliance (DCA).

With millions working from home, including on sensitive and confidential government work, DCA said there is a substantially raised threat level of malware and cybersecurity breaches if those workers have piracy devices or apps at home as well, what it calls "a toxic combination for cybersecurity."

The SurveyMonkey research study commissioned by DCA found that the one in 10 people who had such devices or apps were three times more likely to report a malware issue than those without them, which is a big problem if those at-home workers are in corporate finance, national security, government, medicine or the law. In addition, one in five said they had at least visited a pirate website.

Fully half of those who both identified themselves as working in jobs handling sensitive or confidential information and who had a piracy device in their home reported having "an issue" with malware in the past year, compared to only 17% for those who did not have a piracy device.

“When tens of millions of Americans were forced to work from home, it created a golden opportunity for hackers to mine their computers for sensitive information,” said Tom Galvin, executive director of the DCA, of the study findings. “Many Americans don’t realize that they open a window to their home when they plug a piracy device into their network. And if they work in jobs that can affect the economy or national security, for example, it’s a recipe for disaster.”

One of the key ingredients, CDA said, was Trojan Horse of streaming as the "go-to" method for watching TV shows and movies, an opportunity hackers seized to spread malware.

For example, said DCA, not long after a researcher downloaded a piracy app, malware had forwarded their Wi-Fi network name and password to a server that was apparently in Indonesia. And what was once thought as a big threat to at-home consumers has been transformed into a threat to businesses small and large now that so much of that business is being transacted from home, where malware could transfer from home to work computers via a home network.

The key takeaways include:

1. Not surprisingly, a majority (two-thirds) of respondents said they have been watching more TV shows and movies during the pandemic, with the 18-29 demo mostly likely (71%) to say that has been the case.
2. About half (52%) said there was "more than enough" content to satisfy their increased appetite for video.
3. About 20% said they visit pirate websites and about 10% said they have a pirate device or app, with a third to them saying they got them online, which DCA said its research has found are being "peddled" via Facebook, Craigslist and eBay, among other sites.

The online poll was conducted Feb. 3-4 among 3,634 U.S. residents 18-plus. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Sunday, Feb. 28, will play host to yet more primetime togetherness with Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner.

Also Read: Faulkner to Host 'Fight for America

The anchor (The Faulkner Focus weekdays at 11 a.m. and Outnumbered at noon) will host America Together With Harris Faulkner: The Shot at 10 p.m. ET, the latest in her series of primetime specials on coping with COVID-19 (the others were America Copes Together and America Learns Together).

"The Shot" will feature a discussion among medical experts with answers to questions about vaccine-related topics, including racial disparities in distribution and how the vaccines are being administered.

Fox News correspondent Casey Stegall will report from Texas on mass vaccination sites.

Also Read: Harris Faulkner Is Working Overtime

One goal of the special is to help debunk myths about vaccines; another is to respond to viewer questions.

The House Energy & Commerce Committee will hold a hearing Feb. 17 titled "Connecting America: Broadband Solutions to Pandemic Problems."

Also Read: Reps. Ask POTUS to Prioritize Rural Broadband

It will come amid a flurry of activity on the broadband funding front in D.C., including billions of dollars more in COVID-19 relief aid and the planned reintroduction of a bill to spend $100 billion to get everybody connected to broadband, particularly closing the rural digital divide.

Also Read: Rep. Clyburn Signals Return of Broadband for All Bill

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the digital divide and compounded problems for those who don’t have reliable home internet service,” said House E&C Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Communications Subcommittee Mike Doyle 9D-Pa.). “Families everywhere are depending on the internet to telework, attend tele-health appointments, and keep their kids learning in virtual classrooms. Our economy – and our children’s educations – would fall apart without it. We look forward to discussing what progress has been made to bridge the digital divide so far, and what work must still be done to make internet access more affordable during this pandemic. We must ensure that it is treated as a necessity for all and not a privilege for the few.”

No word on who will be the witnesses.

As the FCC prepares to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars more for telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and senior Republican Brendan Carr visited Whitman-Walker Health in D.C. Friday (Jan. 29), which specializes in LGBTQ and HIV care.

Also Read: Rosenworcel Says It's Time to Think Big, and Act

The goal was to "highlight the importance of connectivity in healthcare and learn more about how the facility is using telehealth to serve patients during the pandemic."

“The COVID-19 pandemic is clearly stressing our healthcare system and has presented new challenges for patients seeking care, especially for those from marginalized communities,” said Rosenworcel following the visit. “I join Whitman-Walker Health in saying, as they do: We See You. Through expanded and affordable access to broadband for all, organizations like Whitman-Walker and clinics around the country can continue to grow their telehealth efforts to support their communities.”

Also Read: FCC Seeks Input on New Telehealth Funding

According to Rosenworcel's office, Whitman-Walker stood up its telehealth program last March and since then has provided connected care to 6,500 patients, including for addiction counseling, dental, and mental health services.

Rosenworcel will make access to telehealth a top priority for the commission, she said. At her first public meeting as acting chairwoman Feb. 17, one of the planned presentations will be on handing out the $249.95 million in telehealth funding allocated to the FCC in the COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress in December.

Some major broadband associations want to make sure the FCC knows they are on the same page when it comes to spending the $3.2 billion in emergency broadband funds Congress has allocated.

The FCC has 60 days from the passage of the COVID-19 aid package Dec. 22 to figure out just how to do that.

Also Read: NCTA Says Broadband Pledgers Should Get Funds

According to an ex parte document filed with the FCC, executives from ACA Connects, NCTA-the Internet & Television Association, INCOMPAS, and WISPA, the wireless internet service providers association, met via videoconference with Wireline Competition Bureau staffers to present a unified front on some key elements of the program.

They want the FCC to allow non-eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) to be eligible for the new funds and get the training to be able to participate in the applications process from "day one."

They also want the FCC to establish an initial filing window for applications, rather than the current proposal to have a rolling review process, and they want a single start date for all providers that qualify "so that consumers are presented with a full array of competitive broadband choices."

Also Read: Verizon Proposes Government-Funded Broadband Debit Cards

Lastly, they want flexibility in "the specific service offerings that are available for the EBB program, the categories of households that may participate, and the verification processes that providers will use to qualify households."

Streaming video’s rapid expansion — fueled by explosive growth during the COVID-19 outbreak — will continue to increase in coming years, along the way finding a new equilibrium with traditional broadcast and cable TV.  

That was the consensus of three virtual sessions at CES 2021 that examined the evolving media relationships of the digital ecosystem. (For  more from CES, including WiFi and smart set upgrades, see Tech, page 16). 

Data from Nielsen Global Media showed that the pandemic encouraged viewers, especially in older demographics, to learn how to use streaming technology, Nielsen senior VP of product strategy and thought leadership Brian Fuhrer said.  As a result, the audience measurement firm’s year-end assessment showed that total streaming audiences at all age categories were very similar to the segmentation of traditional (broadcast and cable) viewing.  But the assessment also showed that older viewers (age 55 and up) are now among the biggest users of linear, rather than on-demand, streaming services — reflecting their comfort level with linear, ad-supported formats, Fuhrer said. 

Despite the growth of streaming viewership from December 2019 (117.7 billion minutes) to last December (132 billion minutes), the percentage segmentation of preferences, topped by YouTube and Netflix, remained relatively consistent.

Moreover, Nielsen’s findings underscored the continuing crossover between programming on traditional media and over-the-top platforms.  For example, reruns of sitcom The Office attracted 10 million viewers on Netflix (before the show moved to Peacock this month).  But The Office also attracted 11 million viewers for episodes airing in syndication on Comedy Central, local stations and from other sources. 

“That is really important when looking at content,” Fuhrer said, emphasizing “the long-term life in multiple platforms simultaneously.” 

Nielsen’s research also identified emerging release protocols, such as the value of offering all episodes of a series simultaneously (thus allowing immediate bingeing) versus regular rollouts, such as weekly release. Fuhrer noted that Disney Plus’s The Mandalorian had very high viewership during every weekend release, while series unleashed all at once showed steep viewership dropoffs after a one-time spree. 

Fuhrer’s data was reflected in the discussions on two separate CES panels dealing with streaming.  In particular, panelists said, the role of original content versus “acquired” programming such as off-network series is a work in progress.  Speakers also looked at the role of content in consumer acquisition and retention.

At a session titled “The Great Unbundling in Video,” Philo CEO Andrew McCollum predicted cord-cutting would continue to accelerate the viewer shift toward streaming. He expects the streaming companies will “offer new options to people who cut the cord long ago and are looking for new options,” he said. 

Five to 10 years from now, McCollum said, consumers won’t consider OTT options to be “cutting the cord,” but rather “a better way to get the content they care about.” 

Both McCollum and fellow panelist Scott Reich, senior VP of programming at AVOD platform Pluto TV, cited the growth their services experienced during the early COVID crisis. For Philo, it was a surge of attention to kids’ content, while Pluto TV’s “massive influx” came as the 2020 political campaign heated up.  

As PlutoTV, owned by ViacomCBS, had a lot of political and health information, its channels offered “an interesting combination” of political and pandemic news, plus “a whole lot of escapism” from its entertainment channels, including cross-selling of Showtime programs via streaming teases of selected shows. 

Reich and McCollum agreed that streaming isn’t a winner-take-all marketplace, though both said there are lots of questions about how many entrants the SVOD market can support. 

Finding Shows Still a Challenge

Predictably, data is at the heart of video navigation and search. At the “Streaming’s New Era” session, Sandeep Gupta, VP and GM of Amazon’s Fire TV, acknowledged his company — known for its algorithmic awareness of customer preferences and usage — is not sharing what it knows, even with partners such as co-panelists from Starz and WarnerMedia. 

“The key thing is helping them discover content in ways that [the programmers] didn’t think of before,” Gupta said. 

Viewers know what they want to watch and can find it some two-thirds of the time, said Sarah Lyons, senior VP, product experience at WarnerMedia. “We believe in a blend of human curation with underlying data to facilitate that curation,” Lyons said.  

“We are all in this battle to make sure our customers can find our content as easily as possible,” said Starz senior VP of distribution Stefanie Meyers. “We’re just trying to make sure that we make it as easy as possible for our consumer on whatever platform … so they can engage.” λ

The pandemic drove rapid growth in streaming during 2020, fueling a notable uptick in both data traffic and new broadband subscriptions. 

The largest broadband providers ended the third quarter of 2020 with 104.9 million subs, up 1.5 million from the second quarter of 2020 and up 4.5 million from the third quarter of 2019, according to Leichtman Research Group, the best industry-wide performance in 11 years.

Besides a boost in demand, operators also saw some notable changes in network traffic. Much of this was fueled by streaming video, but CableLabs president and CEO Phil McKinney said there were also notable increases from gaming and in upstream traffic from the home as people made more video calls from home. 

“Whereas in the past, there was a lot of video being pushed downstream to the home, in March we started to see a 50% jump in upstream traffic coming from the home,” McKinney said. 

The deadly COVID-19 pandemic also dramatically accelerated industrywide trends toward the cloud and internet protocol (IP) infrastructures that are so central to streaming. 

CNN, for example, has been building new all-IP infrastructures and embracing cloud technologies in the last few years. Once the pandemic hit, the news network was able to use those investments to quickly set up systems to allow staff to work from home.

“We have an amazing tech operation team that figured out ways for us to utilize tools for cloud editing and to set up control rooms in the cloud,” CNN senior VP of global video Wendy Brundige said. “In the early days of the pandemic, when things were very scary, that not only allowed us to be innovative in content creation, it kept everyone safer.”

Looking forward, CableLabs is working in a number of technologies designed to help the cable industry build even better networks, McKinney noted. 

The industry saw the first successful trials for 10G networks in 2020, delivering 10 GB speeds, and McKinney expects more in 2021. CableLabs is also on schedule for delivering DOCSIS 4.0, a suite of technologies that will boost speed, increase network reliability and strengthen security and privacy protections. 

“We are already looking at what happens after 10G, when you go from 10 GB to 50 GB and 100 GB” speeds, McKinney said, noting that broadband innovations provided the infrastructure that helped create Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Netflix. “We are working to create a platform on which the next generation of inventors can innovate on top of and create some new experiences.”

Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island, died Dec. 30 of causes related to COVID-19. She was 82.

Sherwood Schwartz created Gilligan’s Island, about seven castaways attempting to survive on an island after a boat crash. The comedy ran from 1964 to 1967, and reached new viewers via syndication. Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr. and Tina Louise were also in the cast. 

Raised in Reno, Nevada, Wells was named Miss Nevada, according to IMDb, and was in the 1960 Miss America pageant. 

Besides Gilligan’s Island, Wells also appeared in 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, The Everglades, Fantasy Island and Roseanne. 

Four years ago, Wells signed on as a brand ambassador for classic hits network MeTV. That saw her meeting with affiliated stations and chatting up the network at events. 

“I surf the channels a lot, and there’s an awful lot of programing you don’t want your kids to see,” she told B+C. “I really believe in MeTV.” 

With an appropriate emphasis on broadband – especially 5G wireless technology – along with a timely focus on cybersecurity, streaming media and an expanded examination of content, the first-ever all-virtual CES 2021 is ready to roll next month. 

The Consumer Technology Association, producer of the electronic extravaganza, which is usually held in Las Vegas in early January, is still cobbling together details for the Jan. 11-14 online convention. It has not yet revealed details, for example, of its public policy program, which usually features top FCC, FTC, Transportation Department and Congressional officials and staff members.

However, in keeping with the current developments in cybersecurity – such as the alleged foreign hacking of U.S. government and corporate networks – CTA just announced a keynote presentation by Microsoft President Brad Smith, who has been a highly visible spokesman during recent weeks discussing the digital intrusion; Smith has also been Microsoft’s face for its push to convince the FCC to allocate broadcast white spaces for a “Rural Broadband Initiative.” 

Other cybersecurity speakers will include Damien Kieran, Twitter’s chief privacy officer, Keith Enright, Google’s chief privacy officer and Anne Toth, director-Alexa Trust at Amazon.

Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg will deliver the CES 2021 kickoff keynote address, discussing 5G as the framework of the 21st century. Other sessions include “Broadband for All,” “Connected Cities” (examining smart cities, a favorite CTA objective) plus detailed sessions about 5G and mobile communications.

 Karen Chupka, CTA’s Executive VP, CES, calls “CES the hub for 5G” and characterizes 5G as “driving innovation.”

On the content front, Ann Sarnoff, chair/CEO of WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group has just joined the CES line-up. On a separate program, iHeartMedia will run a conference session on how technology is enabling talent to continue to create and introduce music and immersive experiences during the pandemic. Ryan Seacrest (producer and on-air host) will run the session, which will include a “fireside chat” with singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and a special performance by Billie Eilish.

The “C Space” track of conference sessions will examine content development from both the advertiser/marketer viewpoint as well as “next-gen” consumers.

Also Read: CES 2021, a Work in Progress, Explores How Tech Is Reshaping Post-Pandemic World

Chupka along with CTA President/CEO Gary Shapiro and Jean Foster, senior VP of marketing and communications, explained the design of CES 2021, at an online news conference in mid-December. Microsoft has created the platform which will enable virtual booth visits, private meetings and a simulation of random corridor encounters. The “live” on-demand conference sessions and booth visits will be available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET daily. Recorded versions will remain available through Feb. 15.  Both time frames give global visitors more time to check out the array of CES “digital activations,” according to Foster.

Instead of bumping into friends in the convention center or hotel corridors and aisles, CTA and Microsoft said they have set up an attendee directory which will enable random encounters in hallways that are comparable to the live environment. In addition, the entire platform will be searchable by keywords.

The CES program will be produced as a combination of live and pre-recorded presentations, many of them to be produced during the coming week to make them as timely as possible before “show dates.” Using automated and real-time translation systems, the presentations will be available in 16 languages, including American Sign Language.

The CTA leadership team continually encouraged “early registration” (until Jan. 3).  The flat fee to attend all CES 2021 programs (including about 100 conference sessions plus access to exhibits and private meeting rooms) is $149, which will go up to $499.

No Sore Feet, But Scaled-Back Event

Reflecting the online environment, most CES sessions will be much shorter than at in-person events – often about 20 to 30 minutes long, even for panel discussions. 

CTA seems to be adjusting the expected turnout for the scaled-down virtual event.  Shortly after announcing initial plans, the association indicated that the online programs would attract about 150,000 attendees and 1,500 exhibitors (both numbers significantly smaller than the 180,000 and 4,500 comparables last January).

Recent announcements suggest about 100,000 virtual visitors and “more than 1,000” exhibitors.

The agenda calls for Monday Jan. 11 as a Media Day for reporters to receive new product briefings from about two dozen exhibitors. Virtual exhibits and conference sessions will be spread out over Tuesday through Thursday (Jan. 12-14) and most videos will remain available on-demand through Feb. 15.

The CES package will feature a live anchor desk with four tech journalists operating a “central command” to help attendees navigate the digital experience, hear the latest news and watch interviews.  The featured anchors are Justine Ezarik (iJustine), host and tech content creator; Rich DeMuro, tech reporter for KTLA-TV/Los Angeles; Naomi Kyle, actress, producer and host of Star Trek’s The Ready Room on CBS; and Brian Tong, tech host and content creator.

CTA said it made a “seven-figure investment” to develop the platform, which includes artificial/mixed reality components.   

“We wanted to invest in the value of the connections,” Chupka explained.  “You will see artificial intelligence enabling the platform, including streaming videos. We really wanted this to be an easy user experience, so we didn’t go into the technology that would be interesting to see” but may have been confusing.

Looking toward 2022, Shapiro predicted that “We’ll go back to Las Vegas,” but he also expects CES will continue as a hybrid digital event.

“The pandemic has demonstrated value of tech, especially broadband – not just for home office but for everything in your home that has to do with technology,” Shapiro said. During the video briefing session, he made several references to the need to develop public policies to support broadband, citing the nature of smart cities.

Shapiro acknowledged that this first effort “won’t be the best possible [but] we’ll learn from it. 

Exhibitors for CES 2021 include tech giants such as Canon, Hisense, Intel, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Samsung Electronics, TCL and Voxx, as well as non-traditional tech companies including Bridgestone, Caterpillar, Indy Autonomous Challenge, John Deere, L’Oréal and Procter & Gamble.

Disclosure:  I have been a paid consultant, managing CES programs for several years; I have no involvement in the CES 2021 agenda.

After tweeting: "Good news on Covid Relief Bill. Information to follow!" Sunday night, President Trump signed the COVID-19 relief/government funding bill.

The bills contain billions of dollars for broadband, more small business loans for broadcasters, and a provision making pirating video streams a felony rather than a misdemeanor.

Also Read: NCTA Praises Broadband Funding in COVID-19 Bill

Broadcasters who are part of a group will be able to count as individual small businesses eligible for COVID-19 aid loans, up to $10 million per broadcast group.

On the issue of Sec. 230, the social media immunity from civil liability for third-party content moderation, the President said he has assurances Congress will take up the issue separately. He vetoed a separate, defense spending bill in part because it lacked amendments targeted at Sec. 230 .

In a statement, the President said that "Congress has promised that Section 230, which so unfairly benefits Big Tech at the expense of the American people, will be reviewed and either be terminated or substantially reformed," adding: "Big Tech must not get protections of Section 230!"

The pledge of a review does not mean and only a promise to reform is arguably a way to give the President a chance to save face on the issue without necessarily doing anything more than both sides of the aisle have called for, which is a review of the issue and likely changes to make the section less of a blanket immunity.

Trump said he was signing the bill, but with other, apparently, face-saving caveats: "I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed," he said. " I will send back to Congress a redlined version, item by item, accompanied by the formal rescission request to Congress insisting that those funds be removed from the bill."

SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt said on Twitter that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

“Won’t be doing shows for a bit after a positive Covid-19 test. Thankfully, no fever & I feel fine. Just can’t smell or taste anything which was my clue to go get a test,” Van Pelt’s tweet said. “So, I will hunker down and hopefully can be back at it before too long.”

While Van Pelt is out, the late night editions of SportsCenter will be a mixture of the Bristol and Los Angeles-based shows. The 11 p.m. show from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., may expand by an hour on some nights. On other nights the 1 a.m. SportsCenter from LA may start earlier, an ESPN spokesman said.

Also Read: ESPN Cancels Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl

The spokesman had no comment on whether other ESPN staffers were exposed to COVID or in quarantine, citing privacy concerns.

Van Pelt has hosted the midnight edition of SportsCenter since 2015.

He is also the main host of ESPN’s golf coverage, including the Masters and the PGA Championship.

Van Pelt has been with ESPN since 2001.

A bipartisan COVID-19 aid Senate bill would help close the digital homework gap by allocating billions of dollars in new E-rate schools and libraries broadband subsidies that could be used to pay for home broadband devices and service for students.

The compromise legislation incorporates the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020, which would allocate $3 billion for distance learning, including for "certain elementary schools, secondary schools, or libraries to purchase telecommunications equipment or services (e.g., Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, and routers) for use by students, staff, or patrons at locations that include locations other than the schools or libraries."

Also Read: Dems Push Billions for Distance Learning

The FCC presides over an E-rate educational broadband subsidy fund for school and library connectivity, but FCC chairman Ajit Pai has said that must be used for connections in physical schools and libraries, per statute, and not for home access and devices for students having to get their schooling at home. Democrats argue that the FCC can and should extend the definition of school to remote learning.

Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) applauded the inclusion of their E-rate bill in the larger package.

Also Read: Educators Say Distance Learning Dollars, Equity, Are Keys to Reopening Schools

“We are pleased to see our legislation that funds K-12 distance learning included in this bipartisan coronavirus relief package,” they said in a joint statement. “We cannot afford to wait another day to connect online our nation’s most vulnerable children to their educators and classmates and to ensure the ‘homework gap’ does not grow into a damaging learning gap as the pandemic continues. This $3 billion in E-rate funding is a strong down payment on ensuring all kids can continue to learn and develop throughout this health crisis.”

Talk-show host and producer Ellen DeGeneres has tested positive for coronavirus, she tweeted and posted on Instagram on Thursday. As a result, production on her Warner Bros.-produced syndicated talk show will be shut down until January, according to a spokesman.

Ellen averaged a 1.3 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, in the Thanksgiving week ended Nov. 29. That was up 18% from the prior week, although still down 35% compared to last year at this time.

RELATED: ‘Ellen’ Grows with 12 Days of Giveaways

Over the summer, DeGeneres and executive producers on the show were confronted with constant stories about toxicity, racism and sexism on the show’s set, over which Warner Bros. conducted an internal investigation and fired three executive producers. DeGeneres has said she is committed to improving the situation as the show continues with season 18. 

RELATED: Ellen DeGeneres Opens Season 18 With an Apology

Ellen is renewed on stations across the country through the 2021-22 television season. 

RELATED: ‘Ellen DeGeneres’ Renewed Through 2021-22 Season

This season’s Las Vegas Bowl has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has been forcing numerous college football games to be called off or postponed.

The Las Vegas Bowl is one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events.

This year’s game would have been the first played at the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Related: ESPN Scores Multi-Year Telecast Deal for Heisman Trophy Ceremony

“Unfortunately we will have to wait another year to present the Las Vegas Bowl in its new home,” said John Saccenti, Las Vegas Bowl executive director. “This was a difficult decision but the right one considering that our game was founded nearly three decades ago to help drive tourism to the Entertainment Capital of the World during the month of December. We are looking forward to making our bowl week bigger and better than ever in 2021.”

The Vegas Bowl features teams from the SEC, Pac 12 and Big Ten on a rotating basis. This season’s game would have pitted an SEC squad against one from the Pac-12.

"The Pac-12 is disappointed for our teams and fans that the Las Vegas Bowl has been forced to cancel this year's game,” said Larry Scott, Pac-12 commissioner. “We look forward to next year's game, which promises to be a fantastic national stage in one of the world's best football stadiums, to showcase Pac-12 football.”

The decision to cancel came as Nevada officials ordered a statewide pause that includes restrictions on the size of public and private gatherings.

“We are disappointed the Las Vegas Bowl has been cancelled for the 2020 football season and will miss the opportunity for SEC student-athletes to experience an exciting new venue,” said Greg Sankey, SEC commissioner. “We have no doubt the Las Vegas Bowl will be a great part of the future SEC bowl lineup and look forward to our partnership in the years ahead.”

Chuck Clark, who spent 51 years at WGAL Lancaster, has died of coronavirus. The audio engineer was 70. He was admitted to the hospital Nov. 28, tested positive for COVID, and died Nov. 30. 

Clark was working at the Hearst Television station until last week. He marked 50 years at the station in November 2019. “The technology has changed over the years, but Chuck and his great work ethic and attitude have not changed,” said anchor Jere Gish when the station marked Clark’s 50th anniversary. 

Clark started at WGAL in 1969 and his roles involved running master control, directing news and overseeing the audio board. He was inducted into the WGAL Hall of Fame in 2019, marking the first time a current employee made the Hall. WGAL anchors called him a mentor and an unfailing positive presence around the station. 

“All of @HearstTV is truly heartbroken at the passing of @wgal colleague Charles Clark,” said Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television president, on Twitter. “A great broadcaster, father, husband and a true gentleman who was inducted in the WGAL Hall of Fame last year.”

The NFL has moved its Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers Thanksgiving night game to Sunday after several Ravens players tested positive for COVID-19.

The league said the game -- one of three NFL games scheduled for Nov. 26 -- will be played Sunday afternoon “out of an abundance of caution” after seven Ravens players -- including running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins -- tested positive for coronavirus, according to ESPN.com.

The game is the 13th of the 2020 NFL season that has been postponed or moved due to coronavirus-related issues, said ESPN.

The two other Thanksgiving day games -- Houston Texans-Detroit Lions and Washington Team-Dallas Cowboys -- will be played as scheduled.

This country has not done enough to close the digital divide, rural and urban, and must do better as a matter of basic fairness. That was the message from FCC commissioner Geoffrey Starks in his keynote address Thursday (Nov. 19) to the Rainbow Push Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund Media and Telecommunications Symposium.

As with most events in a time of COVID-19 the usually in-person D.C. equity summit was held virtually.

He began his remote keynote with a shout-out to Rainbow Push and other groups. 

"[T]he fight for justice is neither a fleeting moment nor a state of convenience," he said. "It is instead a consistent, ever-evolving movement built on the personal and professional sacrifices made by civil rights leaders who advocate for those who have been ignored or forgotten."

Related: Starks Is in Search of Digital Equity

Rainbow Push founder, Rev. Jesse Jackson, has long argued that ownership and access to communications outlets is a civil right.

"Our failure to create inclusive policies that close the digital divide has done serious harm to the Americans who were already struggling to put food on their tables prior to the pandemic," Starks said, arguing that the digital divide has morphed during the pandemic into a "monstrous COVID-19 divide."

While much of the digital divide focus has been on rural areas, he said the pandemic has laid bare the truth that it is an urban divide as well. "[T]hree times as many households in urban areas remain unconnected as in rural areas," he said, with people of color representing a disproportionate number of those unconnected homes. 

He said it is past time for the tech and telecom sectors to take account of equity issues, which are not far off distant concepts, but principles anchoring a shared collective future.

Starks said the digital divide and economic opportunity divide run parallel to each other. "Broadband is the vehicle that allows people to take control of their lives," he said. "Working family members should be able to set up their work stations from the safety [of] their homes" rather than hunting for free WiFi access. To have to do otherwise negatively impacts their personal dignity.

He also said the pandemic has been particularly hard on Black-owned businesses on the wrong side of that divide. He said that a whopping 41% of black-owned businesses have had to shutter, with many of those lacking the ability to offer their products or services online as an alternative.

Related: Clyburn Is a Voice for the voiceless

"Black-owned businesses are cornerstones of our neighborhoods and they need access to updated technology so they can serve our communities. Rebooting our economy means ensuring that Black businesses get connected," Starks said.

There is also a work-from-home divide. 

"Less than one in five Black workers and roughly one in six Latinx workers can work from home, which means their work outside of the home puts them at greater risk of exposure to the virus," Starks told his audience. They need access to telehealth via "affordable, reliable broadband," he said, adding that connectivity would also help with mental health, particularly seniors, given the toll taken by increased social distancing.

Local TV and cable news nets are in a virtual tie for the title of primary source of news since the beginning of the pandemic.

That is according to a new survey of over 5,000 U.S. news consumers conducted by strategic consulting firm Altman Solon.

According to the survey, 26% of respondents cited local TV news channels as their chief news source, followed by cable news at 25% (essentially a dead heat given the margin of error), then network newscasts at 22%, online news sites at 14%, and social media at 10%.

Among the other survey highlights:

1. At a time of concern about fake news, almost one in three Americans said they would be willing to pay more for "well-researched and reliable news."
2. 27% said they were more likely to pay for racially diverse news, while 26% would do so for news with gender diversity and 22% for news exhibiting sexual orientation diversity.
3. 34% are watching three or more hours of news per week.

The web survey was conducted August-September 2020 and has a margin of error of 1%.

There will be a missing voice in coverage of this week's Masters Tournament, which was moved from its traditional magnolia-festooned April due to COVID-19.

David Duval, studio analyst for Golf Channel, has tested positive for the virus, according to the cable network.

Duvall tweeted: "I’m so sad not being a part of the Masters coverage this week. I flew to Atlanta and drove to Augusta Sunday. I went straight to the testing site and got tested. Like so many other Americans I was apparently unknowingly exposed to COVID and tested positive."

Duval told the channel he did not have symptoms, according to his fellow analysts, who announced the diagnosis on Live from the Masters Tuesday night (Nov. 10) to explain the absence of the former world number one golfer and major champion.

"As of now I have no symptomsm: Duvall tweeted. "I drove home straight thru the night and am in quarantine in my basement."

Former Masters Champion Sergio Garcia had to drop out of the tournament after he also tested positive for the virus.

As it prepares to lobby in a potentially re-regulatory Democratic administration, and still facing the ongoing impact of the pandemic, the National Association of Broadcasters is going to have to hit up its members, themselves hard hit by the economic impact of COVID-19, for more money.

NAB has been pushing Congress for COVID-19 aid for more broadcasters, among other battles.

According to the association, the NAB board has voted unanimously to approve a one-time extra charge equivalent to a year's dues and payable over the next three years.

Related: Heroes Act Passes House With Broadcast COVID-19 Aid

NAB said the charge is necessary to help compensate for the cancellation of the NAB Show, which represented 70% of NAB's operating budget, as well as "the expected decline in future convention revenues as the result of COVID-19."

In a letter to members letting them know about the extra charge, Hearst President and Joint Board Chair Jordan Wertlieb, joined by the TV and radio chairs, said the decision came only after much belt-tightening, including "cuts to executive compensation, significant budget reductions and instituting a hiring freeze."

But even with those, he said, member dues alone can't fund its efforts to defend the industry "As our nation prepares for possible changes in the government and we continue our ongoing battle against the pandemic."

As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued, many U.S. TV viewers remained stuck indoors. However, with live sports returning, there was more premium inventory to watch. iSpot, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company, dug into advertising trends during Q3, and one thing was made very clear: Despite 2020 being an abnormal year, some long-standing truths remain — namely, that sports and politics/election coverage are huge drivers of impressions. 

iSpot looked at the top networks by Q3 TV ad impressions compared to the same period in 2019 and found that of the top 10, eight increased impressions year-over-year, and nine of the top 10 shows increased impressions. That group of programs included both NBA and NHL games, which typically don’t air in Q3, as well as NFL and MLB games.

TNT saw the largest year-over-year increase in impressions (94%) of the top 10 networks, thanks to the delayed NBA season and playoffs. In fact, NBA impressions (over 31 billion) were tops among all new, non-syndicated shows — displaying an impressive dominance despite only starting in late July and airing outside of its typical timeframe. On the flip side, ESPN had a 24% decrease in impressions year-over-year and NFL games delivered 37% fewer impressions compared to the same stretch last year. However, there were also fewer games due to COVID postponements, and no preseason games this year. 

Cable news was another big growth area, due to COVID-19 coverage and the election cycle: Fox News was up 40% year-over-year, while CNN saw a staggering 78% increase in impressions vs. Q3 2019. 

Of the top shows by impressions, six were news-related (the other four were the major sports leagues). All the top news programs saw a year-over-year increase in impressions: CNN Newsroom had a whopping +234% increase in impressions, America’s Newsroom saw a 47% increase and Good Morning America had a 25% increase in impressions compared to Q3 2019.

New America's Open Technology Institute condemned President Trump's signal he was pulling the plug on stimulus bill negotiations until after the November election.

OTI has been pushing to make broadband funding part of that stimulus bill, a Democratic version of which also includes small business money for TV and radio stations.

“Millions of people are suffering through the pandemic without internet access, yet the federal government has failed to do anything over the past seven months to meaningfully close the digital divide," said OTI senior counsel Joshua Stager. "We've been urging Congress and the Trump Administration to enact many policies to address the connectivity crisis, including a measure to expand E-Rate funding to help students connect at home, a ‘No Shutoffs’ mandate for broadband and other utilities, and an emergency broadband benefit to assist low-income people. We needed these measures seven months ago, and still do today," he said. "It's unfathomable that the White House is pulling the plug on any relief bill while this crisis still rages.”

The President hammered the news media Tuesday (Oct. 6), suggesting COVID-19 response was akin to a political competition the media wasn't giving him credit for winning and calling it a "disgrace that NBC would use the public airwaves for a Joe Biden town hall meeting."

The President's own COVID-19 diagnosis has not affected his Twitter finger, where in addition to the two media-related slams Twitter flagged an earlier tweet:

"Flu season is coming up! Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations far less lethal!!!."

Twitter said that violated its rules about spreading "misleading and potentially harmful" information about the virus.

He issued the following in early afternoon:

That was followed by his critique of NBC's Biden town hall:

The Commission on Presidential Debates was still mum about the prospects for the Oct. 15 debate given the President's COVID-19 illness, but the White House signaled it should go on.

Related: Trump Quarantine Raises Questions About Second Debate

It may have been part of the President's effort to portray himself as stronger than the virus and ready to return to the campaign trail, but attorney and advisor Rudi Giuliani said on ABC’s Good Morning America Monday that he thought going ahead with the debate was "very possible" and he wasn't planning to ask for a later date.

Giuliani has been handling negotiations with the commission over the televised debates.

Giuliani added the caveat that that was assuming he continued to make progress. He said he assumed Trump would be able to do the debate. "I can't see any reason why he wouldn't," he told George Stephanopoulos.

He said the debates were "enormously valuable to the American people" and that he was sure the President would make "every effort" to be there. 

The second debate will be in Miami. Steve Scully, senior executive producer and political editor at C-SPAN Networks, is scheduled to moderate.

The Democrat-controlled House has voted once again to approve the HEROES (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions) Act, a Democratic bill that would provide additional COVID-19 relief money to, among others, broadcast stations.

But, like the failed HEROES Act 1.0 back in May, the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate in the current form, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled late Thursday (Oct. 1).

“NAB applauds House passage of The Heroes Act that would expand eligibility to Payroll Protection Program loans for local media outlets, including radio and television stations," said National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith. "America’s broadcasters and hometown newspapers have been providing comprehensive coverage and critical information during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as they face unprecedented financial hardships that threaten local journalism."

According to NAB, the HEROES Act would "provide television and radio broadcasters, as well as newspapers, the same treatment as hotels and restaurants received under the original CARES Act-–eligibility based on a physical location basis." That means individual stations in a larger group would be considered small businesses eligible for help rather than part of a broadcast group that might be too big to qualify.

The bill would also "require a local station to fit within the SBA size standard for the broadcasting industry," and would "ensure that expanded PPP [paycheck protection program] funds would remain at the local level through additional oversight."

NAB also put in a good word for a standalone bill, the Local News and Emergency Information Act, which would also give stations access to COVID-19-related small businesses loans.

The National Football League has postponed the Oct. 4 Tennessee Titans-Pittsburgh Steelers game after several Titans players tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, according to ESPN. 

The league Wednesday said in a Tweet that the game would be rescheduled “to allow additional time for further daily COVID-19 testing and to ensure the health and safety of the players, coaches and game day personnel." Four Titans players as well as five team personnel members tested positive for the virus this week, according to ESPN.

In its statement, the NFL said the Titans-Steelers game could be played as early as Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime, the Titans have closed their team facilities through Saturday, according to ESPN. 

The postponement marks the first game affected by the COVID-19 outbreak since the league launched its season four weeks ago. The postponement comes as college football looks to ramp up play on the field. Last week the Pac-12 voted to play a seven-game, conference only season beginning Nov. 6, joining the Big Ten in reversing initial season cancellations due to the pandemic.  

TV and movie writers are applauding a new coronavirus stimulus bill introduced this week in the House.

The Writers Guild of America, East, issued a statement after Democrats introduced a new $2 trillion-plus relief bill that would provide more checks to pandemic-idled workers.

Specifically WGAE was pleased that the bill made clear that "digital-native" news outlets were eligible for payroll support.

"We represent thousands of digital journalists, too many of whom have faced layoffs and furloughs as the economy has struggled with the pandemic," the union said. "Digital media companies provide vital coverage of local businesses, sports, entertainment, culture, science, and policy – information that people need."