Here’s a special look at the fall 2019 season ahead in media, tech and entertainment. I’ve always loved this back-to-school time of year.
Tuesday: Several big books
The new book by James Mattis, “Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead,” comes out Tuesday… It hit No. 1 on Amazon’s best seller list on Sunday, thanks in part to a “CBS Sunday Morning” segment. The book is holding steady at No. 2 right now…
>> Mike Isaac’s “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber,” Pamela Paul’s “How to Raise a Reader” and the NYT’s first published collection of Bill Cunningham photographs also come out on Tuesday…
Wednesday: CNN’s climate crisis town halls
CNN is billing this as an “unprecedented prime-time event focused on the climate crisis.” The ten candidates who have topped 2% in four recent DNC-approved polls will all be on stage, back to back, “taking audience questions about their climate plans as scientists sound the alarm about global warming.” Here’s the schedule for all the candidates between 5 p.m. and midnight ET…
Thursday: NFL 100 begins
Via the Sporting News: “The league’s 100th season kicks off Thursday, Sept. 5 with a game between the Packers and Bears. While the defending Super Bowl champion is usually featured in the first game of the season, the NFL opted to pit two of its oldest franchises and one of the league’s most historic rivalries against one another to celebrate the centennial season.”
This season’s biggest storylines
President Trump arguably wasted the summer. What will he do with the fall? Will Democrats increase their pressure? Will support for impeachment proceedings rise or fall? Will “Trump fatigue” get worse? Will the Dem debates change the race in any meaningful way? Will the Congress accomplish anything? Or will we remain on our present course — with diminishing confidence in institutions and increasing fears of recession?
Political debates, forums and more
Tuesday 9/10: Special election in North Carolina… Thursday 9/12: A one-night Dem debate on ABC and Univision… Thursday 9/19: GU Politics is working with MSNBC and Our Daily Planet on a two-day climate forum… Tuesday 10/15: A Dem debate, host TBA… Tuesday 11/5: Roger Stone’s trial is slated to begin… TBD in November: Another Dem debate…
>> TIME mag’s table-setter: “Fall campaign season begins with Biden teetering atop Democratic field…”
The top media biz stories will be…
Which subscription models are working? Which are not? And which new competitors are joining the fray? These questions affect everyone from Disney to The Atlantic. Every month more and more news and entertainment brands are asking people to pay for digital subscriptions. The Apple TV+ and Disney+ streaming services will get a lot of attention this fall. Distinguished news brands will be rolling out and refining paywalls as well. Whether selling entertainment or news, some of the challenges are the same…