Barry Diller Says Publishers Can And Should Sue Chatbot Firms (mediapost.com)

The good news -- or bad news, depending on how you look at it -- is that consumer time spent with media continues to expand. The really bad news for the ad industry is that ad-supported media's share continues to decline, in both the U.S. and worldwide. Those are among the findings in the 2024 edition of an annual Global Consumer Media Usage Forecast released this morning by PQ Media. While total weekly time spent with media actually declined 0.4% to 76.69 hours in the U.S., and inched up only 0.3% to 56.15 hours worldwide, PQ forecasts it will rebound again this year and continue expanding for the foreseeable future.

Keep US Posted — a nonprofit advocacy group of consumers, nonprofits, newspapers, greeting card publishers, magazines, catalogs and small businesses — is warning Americans that stamp prices are set to increase on July 9 for the second time in 2023, and cautioning that if such unprecedented and excessive postage increases continue, Americans could be facing a government bailout of the U.S. Postal Service. The July increase marks the third such increase in 12 months — the most mailing rates have increased during the U.S. Postal Service’s 247-year history. Yoder continued, “DeJoy’s stated intent has been to use stamp increases to bring in additional revenue, yet each hike drives down mail demand at a progressively faster rate and increases internal costs, meaning less revenue for USPS, no matter how much more a stamp costs. The result is additional strain on the system. Congress passed bipartisan postal reform in 2022 intending to prevent these excessive postage increases by bringing financial solvency to the Postal Service but USPS, under DeJoy’s leadership, has plowed ahead with pre-planned stamp increases, which will continue every six months. The American people need Congress to step in now and bring additional oversight to the USPS rate strategy, otherwise we could be looking at a situation where a federal bailout is necessary."

On the heels of one of the most successful years in National Geographic magazine’s 130-year history, the iconic print publication is introducing (video HERE) a bold new redesign, with new visual story forms, thought-provoking essays, and even more stunning photography. The May issue, on print newsstands April 24 and available online at ngm.com, explores and illuminates the frontiers of our world, from the depths of the ocean to the frontlines of culture, always with an eye for understanding the people, places, and ideas that shape our planet. Through dynamic new sections, type faces, premium paper stock, and more of the breathtaking photography that has engaged audiences for over a century, the iconic yellow border will continue to offer a portal to the farthest reaches of the Earth and beyond. Click Read More below for additional information.