The Buzz 12.21.23

FREE SPEECH

Overall, 2023 was not a good year for the media industry. The firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports that 19,881 jobs have been eliminated from the industry in 2023 year to date. To put that in context, Axios reports that figure is six times higher than the number of industry jobs eliminated in 2022. Companies that slashed their staff toward the end of the year include Condé Nast, The Washington Post, Yahoo News and Vox Media. Other big-name outlets like Businessweek and The Nation recently shrank their production schedules, becoming monthly magazines. Meanwhile, some nonprofit outlets report that their model is succeeding. Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting announced on Dec. 14 they are merging into one “multiplatform” investigative news organization. The Philadelphia Inquirer is the country’s largest newspaper company under nonprofit ownership (in this case, the Lenfest Institute). The Local News Initiative at Northwestern University reports the Inquirer’s staff of over 200 “dwarfs those of metro newsrooms owned by national chains now controlled by investment funds.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“If it’s appropriate, we go out and rescue them.” - Marine Mammal Center volunteer Charles Young speaking about a sea lion rescue in Moss Landing on Dec. 13 (see story, mcweekly.com).

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

The Bob Hoover Academy, run in partnership with the Monterey County Office of Education, offers aviation training for high school students struggling to meet graduation requirements. Not all students learn best in the classroom – some learn in the skies, where they can learn STEM skills in real time and gain practical experience in aeronautics. Good news comes from the California School Boards Association, which awarded MCOE and the nonprofit flight academy the prestigious Golden Bell Award in December. “This program is a bold and brave approach to inspiring youth to undertake what they never imagined they could do,” Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss said in a statement. “Through active collaboration, community support, and a strong desire to succeed, this program is growing and expanding.”

GREAT:

The California Arts Council is infusing Monterey County with nine grants totaling $394,325 to support arts and culture. Grantees include Sol Treasures in King City; Palenke Arts in Seaside; Urban Arts Collective in Salinas; and Hijos Del Sol in Salinas. Each received $51,000 for general operating support; Alisal Center for the Fine Arts and Monterey County Pops! each got $42,000. The Monterey Museum of Art was awarded $18,475 for impact projects, and the Arts Council for Monterey County received two grants for a combined $88,000. “The California Arts Council has been working diligently to listen to our field, to be responsive to the moment, and to do our best to make our investments strategic and equitable,” Executive Director Jonathan Moscone said in an announcement about $33 million granted statewide in 2023.