Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports
News reporting, jobless claims and a great NFL Sunday night game
In today’s newsletter, I discuss original news reporting, US jobless claims and a great Sunday night game in the NFL.
MEDIA: News Reporting
Google News and Apple News are top news aggregators that don’t do their own original news reporting, but, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, a majority of people polled weren’t certain that was the case.
According to the survey, 57% said they weren’t sure if Google News did its own original news reporting, and 66% weren’t certain if Apple News did.
In fact, 11% of those surveyed thought Google News did do its own original news reporting, and 7% thought Apple News did.
Pink's Bottom LineThat uncertainty has broad implications for news aggregators, original news reporting and for news consumers themselves.
It underscores the importance of news aggregators as large distributors of news content plus it shows that while original news reporting certainly defines and builds news brands, it might go unnoticed by some news consumers.
MONEY: Jobless Claims
There’s more evidence today that the country’s staggering unemployment problem caused by the coronavirus pandemic is persisting.
The government reported this morning that jobless claims for the week jumped to 853,000, well above expectations and well above the number of claims filed in the previous week.
Pink's Bottom LineAs the cases of coronavirus climb to record level and as an extension of unemployment benefits appears likely to end by the end of the year, the jobs market looks to be under even more pressure.
If Congress does approve a fiscal stimulus package that extends those unemployment benefits, that will undoubtedly help the vast number of Americans who are currently without a paycheck.
Until then, it will be a very worrying and difficult period for millions of Americans who are now unemployed at the height of the pandemic.
SPORTS: NFL Sunday Night Game
Perhaps the best game of this weekend in the NFL will be when Buffalo hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday night.
The Steelers, while tied for first in the AFC with an 11-1 record, are coming off their first loss of the year, an ugly 23-17 defeat at the hands of the Washington Football Team on Monday.
The Bills, meanwhile, demolished the San Francisco 49ers 34-24 on Monday led by arguably the best performance of Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen’s career.
Pink's Bottom LineAre these two teams heading in different directions or were Monday’s games not really indicative of where both clubs are headed?
In Pittsburgh’s case, I think the Steelers will be just fine and that they’ll put the loss to Washington behind them.
As for Buffalo, I do think they are trending up, and I suspect they will be a difficult team to face in the playoffs.
All of that said, I like the Steelers, who are only 1.5 point underdogs to the Bills according to FanDuel Sportsbook, to win outright as Pittsburgh’s veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will outduel Allen in what should be a thriller of a game.
Jeremy Pink is COO of Geniecast, a leading virtual content and experience company. He is also currently an advisor to companies in media and financial tech. Jeremy is the former CEO of private-equity backed Broadcast Sports International where he helped lead the company to a successful sale and exit during his tenure there. Jeremy is also a former CNBC television executive in New York, London and Singapore.
The information contained in this communication is strictly for general informational and entertainment purposes and is not meant to be construed as financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. This communication is not a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. I am not a financial advisor or offering professional advice of any kind. Users should not act upon the content or information found within this communication without first seeking professional advice appropriate for their individual situation. Decisions based on information contained in this communication are the sole responsibility of the user, and use of this communication and its contents constitutes an explicit understanding and acceptance of the foregoing disclaimers.
(Newsletter Editor: Karina Pink)