Bye Bye Borders!

Borders stores always seemed so impressive. A huge selection of books, plus music, plus DVDs, plus a good newspaper and magazine section, plus greeting cards and fun gifts, plus a cool coffee bar, plus stuff I've probably forgotten.

Apparently, that caused the company to pin too much of its future on physical brick and mortar stores at a time when paper books are rapidly giving way to digital book players. NPR reports.

Forever Harry

The Harry Potter novels and movies may be over, but Warner Bros. is still looking for ways to make money from its stellar franchise. This NPR story talks about some of the possibilities.

How Big Is Too Big?

Why does it matter if some media companies, like News Corp., are big enough to own many media outlets in numerous countries? Does great size lead to great cultural and political influence? We discussed this in light of the scandal involving News Corp. that continues to unfold in Great Britain. NPR Reports.

Standing Up to the (online) Bully

Cyberbullying has become a huge problem, with millions of children reporting harassment and their parents anxious over what to do about it.

Time-Warner and Facebook have responded by announcing an anti-bullying campaign. Increasing awareness of the problem, and giving those affected actions to take are two major parts of the campaign.

Drive-Ins: Nearly Extinct

Drive-in movie theaters have a nostalgic value, especially during the summer. But they were never really a good business model, and their heyday was fairly short. This Los Angeles Times "Then and Now" article gives a nice overview of the drive-in movie theater in Southern California.

The Presidential Tweet

Successful political campaigning means going out to meet the voters in the places they gather. Apparently that can also include online places. President Obama recently held a press conference where he took questions from voters asked entirely by Twitter. NPR reports.