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Media Beat: March 27, 2020

By David Farrell

Radio listening soars during coronavirus crisis

Radio listening figures have experienced a boom as a direct result of coronavirus, new figures suggest.


Global, which owns Capital FM and LBC, has said online listening rose by 15 percent in the last week, with many favouring the radio over streaming apps.

In contrast, data from US analytics companies suggests that the use of streaming apps such as Spotify has dropped by about 8 percent.

Journalism has become an essential service during COVID-19 crisis

It’s clear that our reliance on the professional media will only grow in the difficult months to come, even as the commercial viability of these news gathering companies becomes increasingly dire. The massive demand destruction that looms ahead will kill advertising, subscriptions, cash-flow, etc. This is a giant problem.

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So what should we do? – John Lorinc, The Star

Government’s promised help for media leaves news orgs disappointed

“We didn’t expect to be singled out but we also didn’t expect to be shunted aside, and that’s what’s going on here,” Bob Cox, publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and News Media Canada chair said, noting the federal program in place to aid the industry still hasn’t started operating.

“We haven’t got the (program) money so we don’t actually have this cash to operate our businesses (and) until we get that, we’re screwed,” Cox continued. – Mary Ormsby, The Star

NPR station dumps Trump briefings for spreading disinformation

“KUOW is monitoring White House briefings for the latest news on the coronavirus — and we will continue to share all news relevant to Washington State with our listeners,” the station tweeted Tuesday. “However, we will not be airing the briefings live due to a pattern of false or misleading information provided that cannot be fact-checked in real-time.” – Ted Johnson, Deadline

Edison Research: Streaming inches up in share of AM/FM radio listening

The report found that at its most recent update, streaming now holds an 8% share of Americans’ AM/FM radio listening. Traditional over-the-air listening accounts for the remaining 92%. – Anna Washenko, RAIN News

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How Covid-19 can negatively impact rental property rates

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Ed Sheeran performs onstage at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball 2025 Presented by Capital One held at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 12, 2025, in New York.
John Nacion/Billboard

Ed Sheeran performs onstage at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball 2025 Presented by Capital One held at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 12, 2025, in New York.

Music News

Ed Sheeran Says Decision to Drop Macklemore From Tour ‘Was Not Mine’: ‘I Have Spent This Week Trying to Build Bridges’

"It's important that I set out some facts," he captioned his post.

Ed Sheeran is saying his piece amid an onslaught of backlash to the removal of Macklemore as his opening act on tour, with the pop star clarifying his beliefs on the violence in Gaza and his approach to activism.

In a bulleted statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday (Sept. 15) — one day after it was announced that the rapper had been dropped from the U.S. leg of the British singer’s Loop Tour for his “Free Palestine” demonstration on stage at two of the shows — Sheeran began by saying he’s “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine.”

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