That's the same weekend as the Little Five Points Halloween Festival though the parade is on Sunday the 19th. I wonder how much costume crossover there'll be. #atl

Today’s last episode of The City Lights Collective, WABE’s daily arts show canceled due to funding cuts, featured an interview with DEVO calling for artists to be more subversive given the era we’re in. #atl #gapol omny.fm/shows/city-l...

Are they divorce papers?

One of the comments on the petition, to save WABE's arts show, asks what the purpose of local public radio is. "What kind of corporate focus group decision-making led to the idea that WABE should mainly exist to be just another cog in the unhealthy obsession with a 24 hour news cycle?" #atl #gapol

"I write as a longtime member of Atlanta's arts community since 1996 and co-founder of the emerging Edgewood Arts District to express profound dismay at WABE's decision to cancel "City Lights Collective" after just three months on air." #gapol #atl www.change.org/p/keep-city-...

Today the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published what may be its last statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation before ending print publication at the end of the year. It shows a slight increase in paid digital subscribers but an overall decline from the previous year.

I did an open records request for Sonny Perdue's application to be Chancellor. Took me awhile to get it. He was the sole final candidate and they delayed it for a year after people questioned if hot got the gig out of political patronage not merit. #gapol georgiarecorder.com/2025/09/19/p...

They're gonna add rides to the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Neither the media nor its satirists will save Democracy: Atlanta's ABC station on the Jimmy Kimmel decision:"We're an ABC affiliate that had no say..."

Reviewing WABE's 990s I wasn't surprised the # of highly compensated employees rose--though FY25 file isn't available yet. But I was struck that the number of volunteers seemed to decline in recent years. That may just be a remnant of Covid, but does fit the metaphor.

In June FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared on the John Fredericks Radio Network, which has a station in Atlanta and has become influential in state GOP politics. #atl #gapol brianpbannon.medium.com/fcc-denies-f...

"Before the 'City Lights Collective' debut I joked about it only lasting two months before being crushed by the Versailles Army. That was a joke. But the metaphor of the arts and collective effort being crushed by reactionary forces does seem fitting." #atl brianpbannon.medium.com/lights-out-6...

WABE sent this email to supporters about the cancellation of City Lights Cafe. "Dear WABE Friend and Supporter, "Due to financial challenges — including the rescission of federal funding — we’ve made the difficult decision to reduce staffing." #atl #gapol

WABE, whose CEO is the daughter of former AJC and Cox Executive David Easterly is cancelling its daily arts show City Lights Collective. My prediction that it would be crushed by the Versailles Army was supposed to be a joke btw. #atl

Duncan's tenure as (Rep.) Lt. Gov. coincided with the AJC's unspoken partnership with state-run Georgia Public Broadcasting. After leaving office Cox made him a contributing columnist and frequently promoted his various efforts: GOP 2.0, potentially running for Pres., party switch, and now... #gapol

"Yes, I’m in the media, so you can argue I’m part of the problem. But Axios doesn’t have an opinion page-our reporters cover their beats clinically, like doctors, and we aim to be sources of truth amid the noise." Cox-owned AJC republishes, in its Opinion section, Cox-owned Axios CEO's column. #atl

NYTs Article focusing on threats to rural and tribal stations emphasizing that public radio is often the only alternative to conservative talk in rural areas. That’s true in Georgia too, and the Republican-controlled state legislature has cut state funding in the past citing liberal bias. #gapol

Spotted near the Krog. #atl

Sen. Warnock met Newt Gingrich before giving a speech on toning down the rhetoric? Newt famously rose to power demonizing Democrats.

#gapol #atl

New: WABE received an unexpected $3 million dollar bequest. That plus a surge in fundraising post-rescission has softened the loss of CPB funding. The older Atlanta NPR affiliate held its first board meeting since rescission today. brianpbannon.medium.com/wabe-receive...

“Stream the Georgia General Assembly Committee meetings and legislative sessions, stepping into a space that Georgia Public Broadcasting, minus federal funding, may not be able to afford in 2026 and beyond. Go deeper there.” Is this WSB column suggesting... #gapol www.wsbradio.com/news/local/o...

Boulevard of Broken Dreams #atl

"Effective October 1, 2025, public radio station 89.3 FM WLRH will no longer be airing nationally syndicated programming content from National Public Radio (NPR). WLRH will be adding more locally-produced news and programming content."

Christmas already?

Song and Dance is somebody's bible.

From the Labor Day March on Auburn Ave. A steet band played made it a parade. #atl

Cox family weddings often made The New York Times. Thinking of turning this blog post into my next zine.

I wrote about the Cox-owned Atlanta Journal-Constitution turning to the Ochs Sulzberger-owned New York Times to break the news it was ending print. The two dynasties date back to the 19th Century and have a lot of shared history. #atl #gapol brianpbannon.medium.com/family-busin...

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December But the days grow short when you reach September youtu.be/_OLMyc52AGk?...

Under a photo of Ralph McGill. #atl

I once compared Atlanta Journal owner James M. Cox's 1939 front page statement to readers with Charles Foster Kane's in Citizen Kane. #atl #gapol brianpbannon.medium.com/a-publishers...

I'm not really qualified but I guess that's a plus now. #atl

"During the staff town hall, journalists peppered Morse with questions about the business case for cutting print, efforts to retain loyal print subscribers and what the changes will mean for the newsroom, including if other job cuts could come.... www.ajc.com/business/202...

WABE, whose CEO is the daughter of a past AJC publisher and aired an AJC-produced radio show from October 2023 until this past Feb., is, so far, using an Associate Press story about the AJC that doesn't mention any of that. www.wabe.org/atlanta-jour...

Print at the scale of daily newspapers in their prime is dying, but Morse was in charge of CNN’s controversial and short-lived CNN+ streaming service that was either visionary but stifled or delusional and a waste of money. One comment on the NYT’s story wonders if something similar is afoot now:

"While Morse was meeting with AJC employees at the Thursday town hall, the NYTs published an extensive story, 'Atlanta Journal-Constitution to Quit Print Cold Turkey.' The story quoted Morse, who continues to split his time between Atlanta and NY, extensively." saportareport.com/good-bye-pri...

Hmm. The AJC ending print broke as a national story with a New York Times story reported from Atlanta by media reporter Katie Robertson, who’s not based here, and with a series of photos of Morse and the AJC’s. It seems obvious the AJC invited the Times and/or granted access for the story. #gapol

The AJC is ending print but I just joined a Zine club.

The NYTs story is generally sympathetic about Morse's leadership at the AJC with little questioning or criticism. Morse also oversaw CNN+ which might merit a mention. Both the Times and AJC have Dynastic owners and Morse was a Punch Sulzberger Executive Leadership Fellow at Columbia. #atl #gapol

AJC publisher Andrew Morse sought half a million digital subscribers by the end of 2026. It currently has 115,000 paid print and digital subscribers. #gapol #atl

Stop the presses. www.ajc.com/business/202...

Meetings have been postponed to a later date. GPB CEO Bert Wesley Huffman tells me GPB may go off the air soon over the state if power in Midtown remains off. Again, this is due to power outage in Midtown not just at GPB but of course seems symbolic. #atl #gapol

A power outage in Midtown has delayed GPB's first board meeting since the rescission of federal funding to public media. #atl #gapol

Seared in my memory: the time they screened Joan of Arc in Findley Plaza. #Atlanta