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Penn State men's basketball player profile: Jay Rodgers, Guard
Penn State basketball is getting ready to take the court once again, so here’s a look at new guard Jay Rodgers.
Business pioneer Loida Lewis on leadership, Filipino American representation
In 1974, Lewis became the first Asian and Filipino woman to pass the New York bar without attending a U.S. law school.
The 2026 campaign is getting ugly
If this year’s ugliness pays off for the GOP, it’s likely to get a lot worse moving forward.
Sportsbooks, Prediction Markets Set Records for Political Spending
Sportsbooks routed more than $80 million through a super PAC as the AGA and Kalshi stepped up lobbying in a fight over prediction markets.
Fall Family Health Fair brings resources to South Bend community
A South Bend health fair connects families with free resources, including a bloodmobile and mobile health unit, at Innovation Park.
Whitehaven Fall Festival brings family fun, free health resources
The Shelby County Health Department is hosting the Whitehaven Fall Festival on Saturday to bring the community together and connect residents with helpful resources.
Helen Mirren receives Legend of Entertainment Award at SCAD Savannah Film Festival
Helen Mirren receives Legend of Entertainment Award at SCAD Savannah Film Festival
Justice Department orders California counties to set aside ballots from suspected noncitizens
The Justice Department on Friday ordered California election officials to identify suspected noncitizens on voter rolls and set aside their mail-in ballot – warning that officials who knowingly count ballots cast by noncitizens could face criminal liability.
Four injured after car crashes into Hendersonville business, officers say
Four people were taken to a hospital after a car crashed into a business Saturday morning, police said.
I Tried TikTok’s Viral Pea Salad to ‘Fibermaxx’ My Lunch—and It Didn’t Quite Go According to Plan
There can be too much of a good thing, as my gut found out firsthand.
You Could Unlock Deeper Parts of Reality by Linking Your Mind With This Futuristic Device, Scientists Believe
This could finally unravel one of the hardest problems in science.
Show-Me-State Politics: School districts oppose Missouri's new grading system; state auditor's race
KY3's Tyler Wayne and Missouri Capitol Bureau Chief Hannah Falcon look at this week in Show-Me-State politics.
CBS Sports Just Handed Clemson a Brutal Midseason Grade (And They Aren’t Wrong)
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson football is surviving in the ACC championship race, but its on-field product isn’t fooling national evaluators. In CBS Sports’ midseason report card, college football analyst Chip Patterson handed the Tigers a “D”—a harsh indictment of the gap between their 4-2 overall record (2-1 ACC) and the lackluster quality of football they […] The post CBS Sports Just Handed Clemson a Brutal Midseason Grade (And They Aren’t Wrong) appeared first on HEAVY.
'The church has ceded the commanding heights of science': New…
Huntsville could soon be home to a groundbreaking Christian liberal arts college focused on preparing students for careers in Science, Technology,…
14-year-old entrepreneur’s slim business reaches millions online
A 14-year-old entrepreneur’s slime business has reached millions online and gained 21,000 followers in 23 days.
This Justice Department official hustles to the forefront of Trump’s legal agenda
President Donald Trump said on Friday he wanted an election-related lawsuit to be filed in Alaska. The man to do it for him was Stanley Woodward, the associate attorney general.
Why crafting is good for your brain, according to science
Knitters and other crafters say busy hands quiet their minds. But experts say there are also benefits for cognition.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton campaigns in Quincy, touts health care plan
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton spoke to the crowd about health care and the cost of living for Americans. She said her campaign funding will not come from larger corporations.
MCHD: Several people treated at local emergency rooms for bat bites in Baldwin County
The Mobile County Health Department says the patients were bitten at different residences in Baldwin County.
'The church has ceded the commanding heights of science': New Trinity…
Huntsville could soon be home to a groundbreaking Christian liberal arts college focused on preparing students for careers in Science, Technology,…
WWE Icon Ric Flair Shares New Health Update, Photo After Being Hospitalized, 'Focused On My Healing'
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair provided a positive health update Saturday after being hospitalized on Friday.
Swapping horses for ninja warriors: The Olympic sport undergoing massive change
Several Olympic sports have evolved over the years to keep up with an ever-changing landscape, but few have been as drastic as the Modern Pentathlon.
How cancer has scrambled Iowa’s midterm politics
As the debate season kicked off in Iowa’s heated gubernatorial race, one question seemed to animate and, in some ways, unify the candidates.
Jacksonville Jaguars’ Major Offensive Issue After 4-2 Start Revealed
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 4-2 start has been overshadowed by a recurring offensive problem, as penalties continue to erase scoring opportunities and disrupt drives. Costly infractions have prevented the team from maximizing its production, raising concerns about discipline as Jacksonville looks to remain competitive in the AFC. The Jaguars have already had three touchdowns wiped off […] The post Jacksonville Jaguars’ Major Offensive Issue After 4-2 Start Revealed appeared first on Gridiron Heroi
Jennifer Hawks explains why she should be California's State Treasurer
Jennifer Hawks, a candidate for California state treasurer, shared her qualifications and vision for the office in an interview on California Politics 360.
Kansas City leaders, non-profits and businesses turn unity into investments
Neighborhood leaders, nonprofits and businesses packed into Kansas City, Kansas, on Saturday, focused on turning unity into real investments.
Steelers Give Aaron Rodgers Another Familiar Option
For the third week in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers have elevated Brandon Smith from the practice squad. Smith, who […]
Saturday Sports: North Country football, soccer and swimming over the weekend
Here’s a recap of your North Country sports this Saturday.
Oprah on the Health Metric We Should All Be Tracking
“These facts are a wakeup call for all of us to get serious about our heart health.”
Cracking a smile regularly may be good not just for your mood but for your health
Reminding yourself to smile more often can make you more friends, boost your mood and make you feel better, research says.
AP Exclusive: Trump’s border chief defends wall plans in Texas’ Big Bend despite a court setback
The Trump administration's top border official is defending plans to build a wall in Texas' Big Bend region. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott argues the entire $46 billion
Show-Me-State Politics: School districts oppose Missouri's new grading system; state auditor's race
KY3's Tyler Wayne and Missouri Capitol Bureau Chief Hannah Falcon look at this week in Show-Me-State politics.
Fargo couple plans to relocate Stabo to former Swanson Health building
Matt and Lindsey Lee are buying the $1.5 million Hancock Building and adjoining Douglass Building in the heart of Fargo.
Opinion | East Asia’s cultural economies are bridging politics-driven divides
The cross-border penetration and appeal of cultural products throughout and beyond East Asia is making openings beyond traditional diplomacy.
Authorities investigating whether first Kenya and Nigeria Ebola cases crossed paths
Nigeria this week recorded its first case of Ebola in the current outbreak, which has spread from the epicenter in Congo to several other African countries.
Lawrence Healthcare holds community health fair
Big wheels and free health screenings drew local families out to Walnut Ridge on Saturday morning for an annual community health fair and Touch-a-Truck. The event was hosted by Lawrence Healthcare, a hospital in town.
'Nobody Wants This' Season 3: a Review, a Prediction and a Public Service Announcement
'Nobody Wants This' season three on Netflix is officially here, and Kristen Bell and Adam Brody are wasting no time jumping into the action. Here, my honest review of 'Nobody Wants This' seasons three and whether it's a must-watch or a must-skip.
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis honored for mental health efforts
The Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke about his support for mental health.
Show-Me-State Politics: School districts oppose Missouri's new grading system; state auditor's race
KY3's Tyler Wayne and Missouri Capitol Bureau Chief Hannah Falcon look at this week in Show-Me-State politics.
House Republicans are scrambling to save incumbents in districts Trump won by double digits
‘We’re all on the same team": Dem Senator on getting moderate voters behind progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed
Seagate's booming business comes with an unexpected twist
Demand for AI-era storage is outrunning Seagate’s own plans. Here’s the production risk Bank of America is flagging.
Neuroscientist discusses how alcohol can affect brain volume and long-term health
Josh Gowin explains how research has shifted the understanding of alcohol's health risks, including its association with reduced brain volume, as drinking habits and social norms continue to change.
Aaron Rodgers passes Peyton Manning on all-time touchdowns list
Aaron Rodgers surpasses Peyton Manning in all-time touchdown passes.
The vulnerable House Republican trying to withstand the anger directed at his party
GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick was weaving through the crowd of a fall street festival when he was confronted by a man enraged by the skyrocketing costs he’s experiencing.
Annual 'Night at the Museum' brings spooky science to South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota Paleontology Club was collecting donations to help the Sternberg Museum of Natural History
Trump campaigns in Michigan one day after Obama rallied against him
President Donald Trump will campaign for nominee Mike Rogers in Michigan, a day after former President Barack Obama criticized his administration in the state. Follow for live updates.
'Multwoh' becomes highest-grossing film of CinePanalo
'Multwoh,' a queer romance-horror film, has become the highest-grossing film to emerge from the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, the film’s team said Sunday.
Singapore Airlines to Introduce Next-Generation KrisWorld In-Flight Entertainment from 2027
Singapore Airlines will introduce its next-generation in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld, from 2027 onward. The system will be installed on a total of 41 refurbished Airbus A350-900 and A350-900ULR aircraft, as well as on Boeing 777-9 aircraft scheduled for future delivery. It will feature 4K high-resolution touchscreens, spatial audio, noise-canceling headphones, and Bluetooth connectivity for passengers’ personal headphones. More than 2,500 items of content, including movies, television programs, music, and podcasts, will be updated monthly. The system will also include a “Wellness Planner” featuring sleep and meditation tracks, breathing exercises, and stretches that can be done at passengers’ seats. In addition, Starlink high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi service will be progressively introduced from […]
Introducing: The Return of the Full-Platinum Bracelet on a Limited A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual
The platinum bracelet, one of the most desirable accessories for A. Lange & Söhne watches, is officially back on the Datograph Perpetual.
Trump says US will do business with Ukraine, Russia after war ends
US president says he would like to ‘get back to life where Russia and Ukraine make a deal’ | Anadolu
Doctors Reveal 5 Early Signs of Arthritis You Should Always Get Checked Out
Keep them on your radar.
Health screening event held in honor of Colin Hill
A health screening was held Saturday at McCluer High School in honor of 14-year-old Colin Hill, who died from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Kukakuka with Naka: Hawaii business filings delayed six weeks into DCCA Salesforce backlog
Hawaii businesses face six-to-eight-week DCCA delays amid Salesforce backlog after CNBC ranked state worst for business.
Doctors’ offices are charging patients 10 times more by claiming to be hospitals
Even when patients never step into a hospital, they may be charged hospital “facility fees,” and their care may be billed at higher rates.
Packers activate Josh Jacobs
Packers running back Josh Jacobs is set to make his first appearance of the 2026 season.
Updated SEC football conference standings following Week 8 upsets
The SEC's Week 8 slate produced a number of notable results. Here is how those results impacted the conference standings entering Week 9.
Economic woes transform the Midwest into a massive midterms battleground
Democrats could be poised for a revival in the heartland, as furor over high costs and doubt about President Donald Trump’s willingness to change the nation’s trajectory threaten to loosen the GOP’s grip on working-class voters.
AP Exclusive: Trump’s border chief defends wall plans in Texas’ Big Bend despite a court setback
The Trump administration's top border official is defending plans to build a wall in Texas' Big Bend region. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott argues the entire $46 billion
Obama jokes about the ‘well-known evil empire, Canada’
Former President Barack Obama expressed astonishment as he condemned President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada during a rally in support of Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday.
Fantasy football Week 7: Should you start Baker Mayfield?
Should you start Baker Mayfield against Carolina in Week 7? Here's his fantasy production, injury outlook and matchup analysis.
Adams County Health Department participates in Drug Take Back Day 2026
For Drug Take Back Day, people were encouraged to drop off expired or unwanted medicine and prescription at Adams County Health Department Saturday.
This decade has been missing its big-impact midterm
Every other decade over the past hundred years has produced at least one midterm that made a big difference in Congress and in national politics more broadly.
Renee Minogue is helping shape her husband's gubernatorial bid
The 52-year-old mother and wife of GOP gubernatorial candidate Michael Minogue is a full-blown political influencer.
Abbott Laboratories vs. UnitedHealth: Does Health Innovation or Health Insurance Make for a Better Stock to Buy?
Abbott's $7.4B free cash flow and 0.3x debt load contrast sharply with UnitedHealth's $16.1B free cash flow but higher leverage and government policy risk.
Coyer Candle Co. nears $1 million raised for community groups
Coyer Candle Co., owned by Scott and Lisa Coyer, produces clean-burning candles with 100% soy wax and cotton wicks.
Simply unbelievable! Neymar sent off under the 'Vini Jr law'
Neymar's Saturday night (24th) borders on the unbelievable.After halftime in Santos' 1–0 loss to Bahia at Vila Belmiro, the star No. 10 CONTINUED taunting Rodrigo Nestor before play resumed at the s...
The most important things to do to stay healthy while traveling
An infectious-diseases doctor shares essential tips to prepare for any health issues while traveling in another country.
Evander hits Messi-esque levels of production for FC Cincinnati
By Jaime UribarriIs Evander the best player in Major League Soccer not named Lionel Messi?FC Cincinnati’s All-Star Brazilian playmaker has looked the part throughout his MLS career and further stren...
Cuts to rural healthcare become key issue for upstate votes in race for NY governor
The fight over a consolidation plan for a hospital in Hudson captures a trend throughout the state.
How to catch the hunter’s moon this weekend
An orange-colored full hunter’s moon will reach peak brightness early Monday morning along with a potential glimpse of Saturn.
Voters in 2 Democratic strongholds could ban transgender girls from girls school sports
Colorado and Washington are reliably Democratic states where elected officials have rejected moves to ban transgender women and girls from female sports competitions. Now activists have gone around lawmakers to put proposed bans on both states’ ballots.
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis honored for mental health efforts
The Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke about his support for mental health.
Adams County Health Department participates in Drug Take Back Day 2026
Residents were encouraged to drop off expired or unwanted medicine and prescription at Adams County Health Department for Drug Take Back Day.
‘Things are really booming’: FAMU homecoming brings business opportunities for local vendors
Florida A&M University (FAMU) homecoming is bringing crowds and business opportunities to vendors selling food, clothing, art and accessories along Perry Street and around campus.
Vikings Scouting: Texas WR Cam Coleman
Should fans be worrid about Cam Coleman's average production?
Latin America’s MAGA wave is widening Trump’s political and military reach
Brazil could be next in a regional shift toward MAGA-style politics. Trump is reaping the rewards — at least until the next round of elections.
Newtown Health Fair Educates And Supports Community
On October 10, the 31st Newtown Health Fair was held at Newtown Community Center. Scores of guests attended. Flu shots were provided for those who wanted them by Housatonic Valley Health District, and...
No injuries reported in Grand Junction pet care business fire
No people or pets were hurt after a fire this afternoon at Puppy Love Grooming on North Avenue, according to the Grand Junction Fire Department.
Voters angry about high prices may get little relief from the next Congress
Even if Democrats win control of Congress on Nov. 3, lawmakers can do little about prices that are uncomfortably high -- and will stay that way even as the rate of inflation is expected to slow.
The educational divide could spell trouble for Republicans
Republicans tend to run better among voters without a college degree than those with one, which has battered Democrats in recent presidential elections. But that same pattern could give Democrats a potentially decisive boost in next month’s midterms.
At Issue: Oct. 25 focuses on political advertisements, Rep. John McGuire candidate profile
In less than two weeks, the votes will be in and you will know who will represent your hometown in Congress. But until then, the political advertisements will target you on every device and platform.
Sarkozy's son warns violent protests in France could worsen amid political unrest
Louis Sarkozy, son of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, discusses violent unrest in France, the influence of far-left groups and the country’s immigration and economic challenges.
Lovi Poe recalls first year of motherhood
Lovi Poe described her first year of motherhood as “brutal” and full of sacrifices, but said she treasures every moment and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Mediterranean diet may boost tiny proteins that protect the heart and brain
Scientists have uncovered a surprising new clue to why the Mediterranean diet is so good for the heart, brain, and healthy aging. Researchers at USC found that older adults who closely followed the diet had higher levels of two tiny proteins, humanin and SHMOOSE, produced by the mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside cells. These proteins have been linked to protection against heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and age-related damage.
He left the CDC to fight RFK Jr. But was it better to fight from within?
Demetre Daskalakis, CDC’s top immunization official, resigned in 2025 to protest Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then became one of his loudest critics.
Atomic Wings CEO Zak Omar on leadership, family and building the business
Atomic Wings CEO Zak Omar shares how family, personal challenges and lessons in leadership helped shape his career and grow the chain to 35 locations.
Best AI Tools for Small Business Marketing (2026): CapCut Featured for Creating Professional Video and Visual Content by Expert Consumers
Expert Consumers has recognized CapCut in its 2026 coverage of the best AI tools for small business marketing, highlighting the platform's collection of AI-powered features for creating and editing video, images, audio, and other visual content. The recognition reflects growing interest in tools that support practical marketing activities, including campaign development, promotional content production, and adapting creative assets for different digital channels.
At one Atlanta restaurant, workers are family. A health insurance crisis tested that commitment
Jen and Emily Chan offer insurance to full-time employees at their restaurant. But those costs soared after Jen’s breast cancer treatment and another employee’s surgery.
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis honored for mental health efforts
The Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke about his support for mental health.
Yankees icon Hideki Matsui is heading home to run Yomiuri
Hideki Matsui is going back to Yomiuri with a different job. The former Yankees star has been introduced as the […]
Unwanted endorsement: Political ad causes uproar at Jerusalem's Lev Academic Center
Those who know the highly regarded college, which since 1969 has produced religious graduates with degrees in a variety of engineering fields and nursing, were likely surprised. Thousands of drivers a...
Jon Ossoff’s films exposed corruption. Then his colleague was murdered.
What the Georgia Democrat and potential presidential candidate learned about politics and going viral from his time making documentaries.
Nonprofit organizes ‘silkies’ hike to support military members’ mental health
Veterans, active military service members and community supporters recently gathered for a hike organized by a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention.
Ukraine: Weapons makers can never consider a product done vs Russia
Ukrainian weapons makers race to stay ahead of Russian countermeasures, constantly updating their products with feedback from front-line soldiers.
Netflix’s Leadership Shake Up…Explained
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Well, I had a simple article planned for this week. Called “Whoa, I Missed It!”, I’d take a gander at a few important-but-under-the-radar stories I didn’t cover while I wrote about all things “Skydance. (Formerly known as “the saga of Netflix trying to buy Warner Bros., but not Discovery, then Paramount-Skydance bought all of Warner Bros. Discovery”.) Alas, that article will have to wait. Netflix made news. Ironically, my “Whoa, I Missed It!” article would have mostly been about “content” strategy decisions, which is also what today’s article is about. But instead of the entire industry, this article will only cover Netflix’s decision to upend their film and TV content teams. Just that! So that’s the full topic of the day. I’m going to tackle the issue in the opposite direction of the way “stuff” flows: uphill. We’ll start at film, then move onto TV, and then onto the CEOs themselves, and the strategy questions that still remain. But we start with the numbers driving this. Let’s dive in. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Netflix Upends Their Corporate Hierarchy I’ve got a lot of thoughts, but we’ll start with the most common response to yesterday’s article. Let’s Talk Stock Price More than one person, responding to what I published two days ago, pointed out that, well, actually, the thing driving Netflix’s actions is this: In short, stock price! Even if Netflix isn’t obsessed with their own share price—they probably are, but, for the record, my strategic advice to every CEO is to absolutely ignore stock prices, which will, ironically, probably help the stock price long-term—most everyone thinks they are. By the way, I prefer market capitalization to stock prices, because it’s a more apples-to-apples way to compare companies: But there’s an even better way to look at it, and it kinda casts some doubt on the entire push here: price-to-earnings. I have a long list of articles that I wish I had written, and chief among them is an article titled, “Am I Still a Netflix ‘Bear’?” meaning someone who thinks Netflix’s stock is overvalued. As of last summer, Netflix had solved their biggest problem—which for me (circa 2019) was the lack of free cash flow—but their stock was CRAZY overvalued. That’s this chart here: Why did Netflix’s stock price increase to a price-to-earnings ratio of 50 last summer? What financial metric changed so quickly? Nothing. Given that, historically, mature entertainment companies average 10 to 20, with 16 being the average, that increase made little sense. Netflix’s stock swoon these last eight or so months wasn’t irrational; the stock price rise last year was. So if you want a really hot Netflix take, here it is: Netflix’s stock price has been going down because the financial industry recovered its senses, not because of any strategic mistake. Yes, that would imply that cleaning house may have been a mistake. That’s why the charts yesterday are so important, because they show that Netflix did have a strategic problem (a lack of hits) and that’s what they moved to address. (One could also argue the industry drastically overrated Netflix’s growth prospects, but that’s a financial industry problem, not a Netflix strategy problem per se. Some growth estimates are just crazy. *cough* AI *cough*) Now, the last time Netflix’s stock price crashed—circa 2022—it gave them an opening. I’d argue Netflix insiders knew they needed to expand post-COVID-19 crisis, adding advertising, cracking down on password sharing, and dabbling in sports. But if they had done that when their stock price was high, it would give folks a reason to second guess their strategy. (Arguably, last year, when Netflix pursued the Warner Bros. merger, it gave the industry a chance to review their business.) Instead, after the 2022 fall, they had the opening to make strategic changes. We may see Netflix pivot again following this latest slide. For example, the “binge versus weekly” conversation is alive and well again. Same for expanding into theaters even more. And adding both linear channels and streaming bundles. And maybe more either social, user-generated, vertical, or creator content. But the first shift came with who is making the content calls. A Message from Our Sponsor Last winter Pulp Fiction was on Netflix. For those same 90 days, it was also free, with ads, on Pluto TV and the Roku Channel. That is not a glitch, and it is not rare. The title has run on 20 different US streaming services since 2019, across 80 separate windows, and for more than 600 of those days it sat on a paid subscription service and a free ad-supported one at the same time. Almost nobody can see this, because when a title leaves a service, the record that it was ever there tends to leave with it. Reelgood keeps that record, dated to the day rather than the month: 4MM+ movie, show and episode titles across 300+ services globally, with timestamped arrivals, departures and moves across SVOD, AVOD, TVOD and vMVPD. Licensing teams price against every prior window. Rights teams check what a licensee actually delivered, and when. Pick a title you think you know: data.reelgood.com/title-availability Film - Dan Lin Want to know why I don’t opine on individual film or TV executives, especially new hires? Dan Lin. As I always caution, it’s really, really, really tough to predict which executives will succeed in new roles and which won’t. The successful head of co-production/finance partner, Rideback, Lin was considered for the head of DC Studios job before taking the job as the head of Netflix. By all accounts at the time, this was a smart hire. (That’s my read of the news coverage anyways.) But now that Netflix has fired Dan Lin, we got a slew of news stories about how he was doing a terrible job. In sports media, Bryan Curtis, new Substack writer/podcaster from The Ringer, calls this the “now you tell us” story, when you only hear the bad news after a star athlete leaves a sports team. In this case, now they tell us that Dan Lin was bad with talent after he got kicked out the door. So was Dan Lin a flop? It’s actually tough to say. While film moves faster than TV, even two years isn’t really enough time to evaluate a person’s output. The new head hasn’t really taken control. As Emily Horgan noted, it takes much longer than two years to produce animated films, so yeah, it’s definitely too early to judge in that domain. As for live-action films, I just published an article by Brandon Katz called “Netflix’s Summer of Bummer”, but I’d point out Netflix had a bad summer two years ago too. Arguably, their best summer came from KPop Demon Hunters last year and Happy Gilmore 2, the latter of which I saw credited to Lin. Then, the stories came out that Dan Lin clashed with talent, both Ben Affleck and Greta Gerwig, classic “now they tell us” factoids to explain his firing. This may have been true, but also should have been expected given that he was given the mandate to bring budgets back in check, especially after Rebel Moon. So if he made folks upset, well, that’s what he was hired to do! But also, he was described as “well-liked” at his hiring! In that case, I’m a bit sympathetic to Lin, since he may have been undercut by senior leadership, as often happens. Basically, a CEO hires a subordinate to be their “bad cop” and keep budgets in check, but then when talent complains, the CEO ends up undercutting them. That’s how I think you end up with a Narnia movie as expensive as any of the other flops, along with a film executive the town no longer likes. As a result, I think that Netflix is now executing a classic “hire the opposite” move by hiring Peter Rice. This phrase comes from my experience following football and basketball coaching decisions, where teams generally hire the opposite of who they just had. If you have an offense-minded head coach, hire the defensive guy. Or in college football, if you have a strong recruiter, then you pivot to an “X’s and Os” type of guy. Or in pro basketball, if you have a very analytically minded coach, you hire the player-friendly guy. I see that here. After dropping Scott Stuber—arguably a talent-friendly executive with lax budget control—Netflix hired the business guy to keep costs in check. Now Netflix is pivoting back to Peter Rice and presumably a more talent-friendly regime. (Disney, by the way, has done this twice: hiring business guys to succeed talent-friendly Bob Iger. It didn’t work out last time.) When it comes to Peter Rice…we’ll see! Maybe he works out, but maybe he doesn’t. I’d actually say the biggest problem is that Netflix still hasn’t solved its “IP Problem”, in that they don’t own much IP, so they just have a lower hit rate. The new executive won’t solve that. (Though buying Lionsgate would help.) Share “Content” - Bela Bajaria I almost published yesterday’s article after this column, but ended up flipping the order, because it told the story so well. So if you want the data for why Netflix is looking at TV to fix their problems, it’s in that article, this graph in particular: I know I just wrote that it’s often hard to judge executives, but Bajaria ran TV for six years and film for three and a half more. That’s more than enough to judge hit rates, and Netflix needs more hits. That’s the story. Since 2023, Netflix hasn’t had as many hit shows as it used to, and many of its previous power house TV shows have ended their runs (Stranger Things most of all). Also, many shows from 2020 to 2022 probably pre-dated Bajaria’s tenure. (That said, one thing may have been outside of Bajaria’s control, which I explain below.) Let’s lump some content strategy thoughts about Netflix and TV into one place: We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Why I partially blame Squid Game for Netflix’s latest troubles… What is “the football trap”... Why it might not be the TV shows or films’ fault at all… What change I don’t think Netflix will make... How Bela Bajaria evolved Netflix’s TV strategy in smart ways… Whose departure likely submarined Bajaria’s final few years… One sneaky explanation for Netflix’s content struggles... And a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
Young entrepreneurs showcase businesses at Future Makers Youth Market in OKC
Kids in Oklahoma City, from grades 4 through 12, showcased their businesses and learned about entrepreneurship at the Future Makers Youth Market on Saturday.