Media Beat: August 26, 2019

By David Farrell

Device prices shoot up as cost of cell plans dip

While the cost of phone services dipped by 2.5 percent in July compared to June, the cost of digital devices like smartphones rose by 42.5 percent, a movement BMO economist Douglas Porter described as an “off-the-charts” jump in a note to clients. – Global News

Sherbrooke mobilizing to keep regional newspapers alive

Sherbrooke's major institutions are working together to make sure their local newspapers don't disappear.

An oversight committee, put in place by former mayor Jean Perrault, will be monitoring the possible sale of the six daily newspapers owned by Groupe Capitales Média (GCM). – CBC News

‘I have a job to do’: Women of CKNW discuss breaking broadcasting’s glass ceiling

When you turn the dial to CKNW 980 AM today, some of the boldest voices you hear belong to women.

Hosts Simi Sara and Lynda Steele now lead two of CKNW’s three flagship talk programs, and female reporters lead CKNW’s coverage and have won numerous awards. But it wasn’t always like that.

On CKNW’s 75th anniversary, some of the pioneering women who helped crack the radio world open joined Sara and Jon McComb to talk about what opening that door looked like. – Simon Little, Global News

Fairchild Radio broadcaster resigns after Metro Vancouver uproar over commentary about white-shirted thugs

Fairchild announced that longtime host Thomas Leung resigned due to “personal reasons,” but his departure came after Leung caused an uproar with a commentary that seemed to support white-shirted thugs who attacked Hong Kong civilians at the Yuen Long transit station on July 21.

Hong Kong activists in Metro Vancouver wrote to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, noting that Leung has been a vocal supporter of the Beijing government and accusing him of blaming the victims in a way that was "disgusting and completely unacceptable". – Charles Smith, The Straight

Why Hasbro’s Entertainment One acquisition may trigger more media mergers

The toymaker's move to snap up Entertainment One is another salvo in an M&A shootout that puts more smaller and mid-sized entertainment companies — such as Lionsgate, AMC Networks and MGM — in play. – Etan Vlessing & George Szalai, Hollywood Reporter

News Corp’s secret Google slayer

News Corp is reportedly about to launch a news aggregation service, Knewz.com, to rival platforms such as Google and Facebook which the global media company believes don’t adequately compensate publishers.

The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by News Corp, reports the platform will draw from hundreds of news sources, not just its own titles, including the New York Times, Washington Post and NBC News. – Chris Pash, AdNews

Tech firms face fines for harmful videos from regulator Ofcom

The government is considering giving powers to fine video-sharing apps and websites to the UK's media regulator.

The proposal would see Ofcom able to impose multi-million-pound fines if it judges the platforms have failed to prevent youngsters from viewing pornography, violence and other harmful material.

The regulator would take charge of the matter from 19 September 2020.

The move is designed to meet the UK's obligations to the EU but may not be required if Brexit occurs in October. – Leo Kelion, BBC News

5 things the media won't tell you about the Amazon fires

This week, traditional and social media have gone crazy covering the fires in the Amazon (specifically Brazil), and the images and video like those we shared are compelling. But there's a lot of misinformation out there, and there is some good news: It may not be as bad as some in the media are reporting. This is serious stuff! We need to stick to the science. Here are five things that the media (which rarely gets it right on science) aren't telling you… – Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather