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Daily Archives: March 26, 2019

Pew research – broadcast is the favorite source for local news and weather most valued topic

For Local News, Americans Embrace Digital but Still Want Strong Community Connection 71% of U.S. adults think their local news media are doing well financially; 14% have directly paid a local news source – “The digital era is making its mark on local news. Nearly as many Americans today say they prefer to get their local news online as say they prefer to do so through the television set, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of 34,897 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 15-Nov. 8, 2018, on the Center’s American Trends Panel and Ipsos’s KnowledgePanel. The 41% of Americans who say they prefer getting their local news via TV and the 37% who prefer it online far outpace those who prefer a printed newspaper or the radio (13% and 8%, respectively).

Even as the preference for digital delivery creeps up on that for news via TV, local television stations retain a strong hold in the local news ecosystem. They top the list of nine types of local news providers, with 38% of U.S. adults saying they often get news from a local television station. That is followed by 20% who often turn to local radio stations and 17% who rely on local daily newspapers. Next come a range of less traditional sources such as online forums or discussion groups (12%), local organizations such as school groups or churches (8%), and community newsletters or listservs (8%). While individually these less traditional sources garner far smaller audiences than the big three (local TV, daily papers and radio stations), together they add up: 28% of the public often gets news from at least one of the six less traditional providers asked about…”

Google makes emails more dynamic with AMP for Email

Techcrunch: “Google today officially launched AMP for Email, its effort to turn emails from static documents into dynamic, web page-like experiences. AMP for Email is coming to Gmail, but other major email providers like Yahoo Mail (which shares its parent company with TechCrunch), Outlook and Mail.ru will also support AMP emails. It’s been more than… Continue Reading

Federal bump stock ban began on March 26 2019

CNN: “A federal ban on bump stocks — attachments that essentially allow shooters to fire semiautomatic rifles continuously with one pull of the trigger — begins Tuesday. The US Justice Department issued the rule in December, deciding that existing prohibitions against fully automatic weapons also covered bump stocks. Owners were given 90 days to turn… Continue Reading

FTC Seeks to Examine the Privacy Practices of Broadband Providers

“The Federal Trade Commission issued orders to seven U.S. Internet broadband providers and related entities seeking information the agency will use to examine how broadband companies collect, retain, use, and disclose information about consumers and their devices. The orders seek information about the companies’ privacy policies, procedures, and practices. The orders were sent to: AT&T Inc.,… Continue Reading

How Google warped the hyperlink

Wired – 30 years on, SEO and social media silos have replaced pre-web visions of linking: “You might think of the hyperlink as a relatively recent invention, but, at least conceptually, it’s not. But more than 70 years later, it’s warped beyond all recognition from what was first proposed. In the 1960s Ted Nelson introduced… Continue Reading

In blow to climate, coal plants emitted more than ever in 2018

International Energy Agency: “Energy demand worldwide grew by 2.3% last year, its fastest pace this decade, an exceptional performance driven by a robust global economy and stronger heating and cooling needs in some regions. Natural gas emerged as the fuel of choice, posting the biggest gains and accounting for 45% of the rise in energy… Continue Reading