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Political analysts discuss Wisconsin governor's race results

Democrat David Crowley defeated a Republican with close ties to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, rising from a childhood in one of the nation’s poorest neighborhoods to become the first Black person to lead the battleground state.

Nov 4 • 12:42 AM EST • Politics • wowt.com

AFGHS co-signatory countries ask health care users to help fill the financing gap

Hundreds of thousands of Ugandans living with HIV on antiretrovirals could be targeted for user fees or community health insurance schemes requiring modest premium payments, according to the April 2026 version of the country’s America First Global Health Strategy implementation narrative.1 As part of the “sustainable financing for the private not for profit sector” strategy, 491 facilities will be targeted for a phased introduction of user fees and scale up of community health insurance programs.2 In the Ugandan context, PNFP facilities include faith-based hospitals and other health facilities, US missionary organizations and centers of excellence—services that are often co-located at government facilities but run with additional financial and technical resources. 402,000 people—or about 28 percent of the total Ugandan adult PLHIV population on treatment—get ART from the private not for profit sector. The selected facilities provide the majority of ART and prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services. The plan doesn’t give the total number of clients served by the 491 facilities, so it is not possible to give a precise number. But the majority of 402,000 is a figure in the hundreds of thousands—hence the estimate I’m using.3 The April draft of the Ugandan implementation plan narrative is the only one I’ve been able to review. But the government of Uganda is not alone in turning to health care users to help fill the financing gaps caused by the abrupt withdrawal of US funds. In July 2025, the Government of Liberia introduced user fees for previously free services including “registration, accommodation, patient feeding, hospitalization, and a wide range of surgical and diagnostic procedures.”4 Earlier that year, Liberia rolled out a revolving drug fund designed to stabilize drug supplies by “allowing patients to pay a small fee for standardized, quality medications,” according to a Ministry of Health press release.5 (Both of these approaches had been proposed in the National Health Policy 2022-2031; media coverage explicitly connects the launch with the US foreign aid cuts.) The health financing strategies proposed by Uganda and established in Liberia are qualitatively different from user fees officially adopted by specific health facilities to cover funding shortfalls caused by the new US approach.6 The latter is a stopgap, adhoc change. The former is a national governmental adoption of policies that pass costs on to health care users, despite evidence that such approaches can exacerbate inequities and leave deficits unfilled. Two countries does not make a pattern, but they do point to urgent questions: Have other countries, including Liberia, included user fees or community health insurance schemes in their implementation plans? If so, do any of these narratives have what Uganda’s lacks: a fall-back plan in place in case these strategies for sustainable health systems fail to deliver—as they have before? I wonder if you think about it Subscribe Predictable pitfalls Both community-based health insurance and user fees are as old as the hills. And after decades of people climbing up these hills, duking it out, climbing back down—neither strategy has shown the results the Ugandan implementation plan is counting on. This is, in fact, a hill some folks are willing to die on. (You knew I’d get there, right?) In November 2025, an African-led team of health system experts published a paper directed at low- and middle income country governments trying to figure out how to create self-sustaining health systems. The money wasn’t coming back. It had been more than nine months since the season of freezing, waivering and wood-chippering; two months since AFGHS tumbled into the world touting co-financing requirements and reductions in future US government health aid. Governments were looking for strategies for sustainable, self-financed health systems, the authors wrote. For countries considering user fees and community health insurance to fill the financing gaps, they had a simple message: Don’t. On user fees, the paper states: “Reliance on user fees is ultimately a regressive and inequitable approach. It places a disproportionate burden on the poor and undermines health system goals of equity and financial protection. […] There is overwhelming evidence that user fees mobilise very limited resources for the public health sector, making it an inefficient mechanism for revenue mobilisation.” On community health insurance: “Attempting to shift the burden of funding previously donor-funded services, such as HIV care and management, and TB treatment, onto contributory schemes would exacerbate their fragility and fail to protect the population.”7 The WHO says that community-based health insurance “cannot be expected to provide a major source of funding or coverage,” and noted that most schemes offer only moderate benefit to individuals paying into them, and exclude the poorest segment of the population.8 And yet, the US-Ugandan implementation plan says that community health insurance is “the central pillar of this [PNFP] sustainability strategy” and that this approach that will generate “pre-paid pooled funding at facility and community level [that] improves financial risk protection for households, reduces catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure, and generates structured, transparent revenue streams that can progressively absorb recurrent costs including health worker salaries.” Unfortunately, Uganda’s own history suggests the pillar might not be able to bear this weight. Ugandans Have Been to this Rodeo Before—and Some Want Their Money Back Uganda introduced its first community health insurance scheme in 1996 with support from international donors.9 Thirty years later, somewhere between 0.2 and 0.3 percent of the population is covered by CHI; just over 1 percent has any kind of health insurance.10 User fees were universally introduced in 1993 as a condition of a World Bank loan.11 They were abandoned in 2001, and in 2004—the year I moved to Uganda to watch the free HIV program get underway—a definitive study found that the fees did not improve health systems and outcomes.12 In 2004, most clinics and hospitals had ‘free’ and ‘fee for service’ options for getting care.13 The fee for service, or “cash and carry” programs had often been established in the years prior to PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. People who could afford to paid for the drugs, often at facilities in the private-not-for-profit (PNFP) sector. When free drugs arrived, some people who’d been paying kept on doing so, perhaps because of shorter wait times, greater confidentiality, convenience or other factors. But in the year that I spent visiting the same clinics around the country week after week—including a “center of excellence” that maintained separate days for cash and carry clients and those accessing free ARVs—lots of people who had been paying tried to switch to the free option. They’d paid because they had no other choice. They’d sold pieces of family land, begged family members for loans, bought pills by the week, and sometimes by the day. Or they were just cash-strapped, like most of us, and wanted the funds for other things. 14 Twenty-two years later, this hasn’t changed. Ugandans pay out of pocket for 30-40 percent of their health care costs, leading one paper to declare that “falling ill is more than a health crisis. It is a financial emergency.”15 One recent study found that up to 48.5 percent of households dealing with tuberculosis sold something, took out a loan or dug into savings to defray the costs of TB care—which is supposed to be universally free.16 The Ugandan implementation plan does anticipate challenges. It proposes a phased approach, with 187 facilities introducing user contribution systems in Year 1, 152 in Year 2, and 153 in Year 3. Willingness to pay and feasibility studies will precede roll out; fees will be tiered by region, and a waiver system is proposed to ensure that no one has to pay who is unable to. Moreover, the plan provides for quarterly reviews of epidemiological data to “ensure that user contributions do not compromise epidemic control gains, ART continuity for the client cohort, TB case management, or PMTCT services.” Alt text: A screenshot of a table included in the implementation plan narrative that is the subject of this stack. It’s got a fetching pink bar at the top. It uses the abbreviation “CHI” which is Community Health Insurance, and FBO which is Faith Based Organizations, and it details the number of facilities that will implement user fees with waivers and community health insurance schemes over the five years of the agreement. As I said in the footnote, this is a super interesting document with a lot of other rich material. Tell me what you see—and what you would have focused on. And if you’ve seen something like this, or anything else that strikes you, in another implementation plan, tell me that too. You can use the Substack message platform or try me on Signal at @endaplague_again.25 (because @mercoonfan was, weirdly, taken). But the plan doesn’t fully explain what will happen if this approach doesn’t work out. Yes, progress will be monitored, and corrective action triggered. However, there is no specified funding replacement if premium and fee revenue prove inadequate. Instead, the authors write, “Currently, COEs serve a total client cohort of over 180,000 across 28 facilities. In the initial years, the U.S. Government (USG) will provide financial support for clients; over time, user fees generated by COEs will become the primary source of funding for sustaining their services.” Failure does not really seem to be an option. Health insurance schemes are more acceptable to the Ugandan population than user fees. Members of Parliament and civil society traveled to Ethiopia to see how that country’s scheme worked. In a follow up report, a veteran civil society group recommended allowing the “health insurance ecosystem to grow organically and [to] keep reviewing the law and regulations as this growth takes root.”17 One study found that more than three-quarters of Ugandans were willing to join a health insurance program.18 However, coverage of community-based health insurance is minimal, as is coverage of any kind of insurance—including private plans.19 A national health insurance scheme bill has been stalled for several years and presently sits with President Yoweri Museveni.20 Community-based health insurance scheme that do exist are expanding in number, but losing enrollees. Between 2022 and 2026, the number of community-based health financing schemes across the country increased by 42 percent, while the number of people enrolled decreased by nearly 11 percent.21 None of this means that community-based health insurance should not happen in Uganda—or that people do not want insurance. It doesn’t even mean that user fees and waivers won’t ever work. But there is highly relevant evidence from Uganda and the surrounding region that it is quite optimistic to describe community health insurance and user fees as central supports for sustainable financing in any sector of the health system. And now for the best-case scenario In the best-case scenario22, the Ugandan approach does exactly what it sets out to do, and so does the Liberian fee structure and revolving pharmacy fund—though I’ve not confirmed that these are in the MoU. In one best-case scenario, Uganda is an outlier, and user fees and community health insurance are not recurrent pillars of self-sustaining financing in other countries’ implementation plans. In another best-case scenario, all countries that include these strategies enjoy success beyond anyone’s evidence-informed wildest dreams: reliable funding generated by health care users fees, great health care outcomes for everyone, no exacerbation of inequities, no crippling household debt. No sold land, repurposed school tuition or high-interest loans. In the best-case scenario, not one of the hundreds of thousands of Ugandans living with HIV receiving antiretrovirals from 491 PNFP facilities misses a refill or leaves care because of user fees or community health insurance premiums. This is the best-case scenario for these people for their own health, and for their families. It is also the best-case scenario if Uganda wants to stay on the path to eliminating HIV as a public health threat. According to the country’s most recent data, 96.5 percent of people living with HIV on antiretrovirals are virologically suppressed. Epidemic control depends ensuring that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those individuals are on ART, and 95% of those individuals are virologically suppressed. Uganda is still struggling with the first “95"—a frankly abysmal 85.3 percent. If HIV epidemic control and the attendant prevention of new infections, avoidable suffering and premature death matter, the country cannot afford to lose any clients who are currently in care.23 As I write this a couple hours before the polls close for the US elections in the city I live in, I say with soul-deep sincerity: I am rooting for the best-case scenario. I think it’s safe to say that we all are.24 I think it’s also safe to say that if the US and co-signatory governments have inked plans that lead to successful expansion of community health insurance and strategic use of user fees, we all would like to know, now, so that we don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate when success happens. The implementation plan narratives have to enter the public domain. They are the fullest expression of a strategy co-created by two governments. There are assumptions and details that people living in the US and co-signatory countries need to understand that are not available in the MoUs or, to date, in the Congressional Notifications. Some of these details can help other countries that are, as I write this, still working on implementation plans. Others, like a solid count of how many other countries have plans for expanding user fees or health insurance, are important for regional and global health architecture reform initiatives. No matter how this election night turns out, there will be a slew of new Congressional member orientations, briefings and talking points papers in the next few months. Release of implementation narratives should be a bullet point in every context that AFGHS is discussed. These documents can be redacted so that procurement sensitive information isn’t disclosed. There is much more historical precedent for sharing such documents than there is for relying on user fees to fill health financing gaps. Let’s look at the information together so we can hope for the best and prepare for, you know, the other thing. Alt text: A substack first: a bicep selfie! It’s my arm - peachy-white skin, black shirt (flannel, notch neck, too hot for this appallingly balmy November weather, if you’re wondering) and a sticker that says I VOTED 2026. Beige letters on red for I voted. Beige on blue for 2026. You bet I did.25 In your wildest dreams. Subscribe 1 This is a really, really rich 95 page document. There are fascinating ideas and detailed plans in it. It is all worth reading AND I have, in this post, highlighted an instance of content that could pose challenges and certainly posits success of strategies that haven’t worked before. I would love to hear what readers’ see that’s interesting and should be lifted up as something to check for in other implementation plans. I will also shortly be adding a static page to the substack site where implementation plan documents will live. I will put the url into this footnote and it will also be there on emilybass.substack.com by the end of the week. Uganda Implementation Narrative Section 4 April 22 2026 Draft 1.51MB ∙ PDF file Download Download 2 User fees are costs charged for visits, labs, medicines or other health services, usually at the time they are provided. Community health insurance, or community-based health insurance, is what the World Health Organization calls “micro insurance,” which is health insurance targeted at low-income people. 3 As usual (by which I mean always), please prove me wrong. 4 https://smartnewsliberia.com/liberias-ministry-of-health-announces-2025-hospital-service-fees-for-public-facilities/?utm 5 https://moh.gov.lr/news/2025/grand-cape-mount-leaders-residents-embrace-new-community-pharmacy-program/?utm 6 https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/09/hiv-usaid-pepfar-africa-foreign-aid-cuts-mission-hospitals/?utm 7 https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/11/e021270 8 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/community-based-health-insurance-CBHI 9 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2827475/ 10 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10861328/#b3-jpmph-23-110 11 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC527704/ 12 Same citation as the footnote 2 - the article is called “Learning from failed health care reform in Uganda.” To which I say: If only. If. Only. 13 There is a whole taxonomy of user fees to be aware of, if not commit to memory. Out of pocket costs are everything that someone pays for themselves. In this Stack, user fees are planned and policy-supported out of pocket costs. There are also out of pocket costs that people pay to buy drugs or receive tests or health care assessments that would be free if the drugs were on the shelves, or the machines or kits were available, or the staff were on site. A user fee is usually designed to be modest, pegged to willingness to pay, and may be waiveable at the point of care for anyone who is unable to do so. The costs for things that would otherwise be free are whatever the market will bear and people either have to pay them or go without. Out of pocket costs for services and stuff that aren’t available in public facilities are different again from bribes or unofficial fees that some health workers may impose, even though most are indefatigable, tireless and tired, and devoted to their clients. 14 For the record—which really is these footnotes—I would give a whole stack of fridge magnets for a systematic analysis of the economic and social impact of the Mass Unemployment Event in AFGHS countries among the very people who used to be able to afford and cover user fees, both for themselves and vast family networks. Locally employed USAID technical staff, house cleaners, caregivers, drivers and technicians were financial anchors for cousins, friends, friends’ children, friends’ childrens’ cousins, teachers, pastors, neighbors and so many other kinds of kin. Aid recipients lost direct funding; many other people who had not been aid recipients, but parts of the elaborate care webs that function as safety nets for so many people, lost crucial support too. And that’s even before we get to the people who worked at the hotels and restaurants and bars where people employed by the US and its implementing partners used to spend disposable income. Those businesses have lost revenue; those folks have lost jobs. It will be some time coming—and someone will have to fund this work—but I do hope it happens. And I hope, as usual, to be proven wrong. 15 https://eprcug.org/blog/how-out-of-pocket-healthcare-costs-keep-driving-ugandans-into-poverty/ 16 Another straight-to-the-point journal article title. Households experiencing catastrophic costs due to tuberculosis in Uganda: magnitude and cost drivers. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32938411 17 https://www.cehurd.org/download/technical-policy-brief-on-community-health-insurance-scheme/?wpdmdl=13661&refresh=6ae9122f5d4ed1793659439 18 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10125197/ 19 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10861328/#b3-jpmph-23-110 20 https://ugandapost.news/uganda-to-make-health-insurance-mandatory-by-2026/ 21 https://shu.org.ug/download/235 22 With a nod, tip of the stack hat, and wag of the Mercoon tail to a deeply valued reader who told me that I have a tendency to speculate about the worst-case scenarios a little too much of the time. 23 https://news.mak.ac.ug/2026/10/uphia-2025-shows-ugandas-hiv-status-awareness-gap-despite-strong-treatment-outcomes/ As you’ll see in the next footnote, I’ve already written a subSubstack on another topic, so I will be brief with regard to the study referenced in this article. The Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment, or UPHIA, will never happen in this way again. For more than a decade, PHIAs have been supported by the US government as a way to generate accurate estimates of country progress on key HIV indicators. They are a holdover from the PEPFAR program that was laser focused on ensuring US taxpayer dollars subsidized progress in pandemic control. There may be other population-level surveys and the data may even be publicly released, as the entire set of FY2026 MER data have not. But PHIAs will never happen again. If you’re wondering whether the estimates of HIV progress at country level might get less reliable….you’re not alone. 24 Ooh baby, I hate “we” in almost all forms. But sometimes I go there, when I am looking for company, which I am. Because this Stack moves into the somewhat-uncharted territory of assessing what the implementation plan narratives may suggest about co-signatory countries’ roles and responsibilities to the people living within their borders. The MoUs, specimen and data sharing agreements were templates. Countries’ answers fit into pre-specified questions that did not include, “how are you going to fill financing gaps and stabilize your health system as this plan unfolds?” In contrast, the implementation narratives are open form—the product of co-creation between the two governments. Co-creation can mean lots of things, but nothing leads me to believe that implementation plans are ghost-written by the US government, or that contents were imposed by the US counterparts. Instead, I think the parts of the plans that read like country government initiatives are endorsed, if not initiated by, those governments. For instance, the Ugandan implementation plan narrative describes plans for revenue-generation through fees charged for equipment calibration, repair and maintenance provided through Uganda’s National Equipment Calibration Laboratory, and laboratory accreditation through the Uganda National Accreditation Service (UGANAS), targeting private sector, PNFP, research and academic clients. That’s super specific and also quite ambitious. It doesn’t read like an American idea. There’s also a provision for solar panels, and other stuff that feels country owned and driven. This is where it gets interesting. If co-creation is the case, then both the US and co-signatory governments are accountable for the contents and the outcomes. Most discourse about AFGHS to date has focused on the decisions that America has made, or demanded that other countries make. The AFGHS architects have monopolized the hot seat. As they should, in so many ways. America absolutely created the conditions under which countries needed to come up with health financing strategies to fill unanticipated, catastrophic funding gaps. And with not-too-long a lens, we can look back and see that America is also on the hook for its role in the Bretton Woods institutions that made user fees and health system fiscal austerity conditions of loans during the era of structural adjustment. But in the here and now, it is not at all clear to me that the US is requiring Uganda or any other country to implement specific approaches to sustainable financing. Instead, it is as the authors of that paper up in footnote 6 suggest: African governments have agency. As implementation plans roll out—whether or not the narratives are shared—it will be important to understand what this agency looks like and what it means for people, including the poorest of the poor. And it will be important to figure out how to talk about it safely, respectfully and critically in places other than the literal and metaphorical footnotes. 25 This week’s song is “Once upon a time” by the Moody Blues. (I know, this is gonna be a weird, largely banger-free end of 2026 playlist. HMU with requests.) AND please do watch the video and appreciate the truly amazing opening sequence—a drum kit wasteland, a coupla plastic bags, a bit of sand. Sort of like the hill where fiscal austerity policies that put costs on health care users might go to perish. But then there’s a lady with amazing hair. It’s worth it.

Nov 3 • 11:57 PM EST • Health • emilysbass.substack.com

The Last Disney+ Original?

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Before we get going, I wanted to remind readers about how I plan to keep your trust while I add advertising to this newsletter. As you’ve no doubt noticed, I’m running ads now, but the danger is that it could impact my analysis and writing. I have a list of sponsors on my About Page, so if you think I’m biased, you can check out who’s sponsored this newsletter! This is something that I’m not sure anyone else in digital media does (if you’re a writer or media outlet and you do this, let me know and I’ll shout you out!) but it’s something I’d love to see embraced by the entire industry. Sunlight, i.e. transparency, is often the best disinfectant. Okay, on to this week’s issue. We (finally) have another major Disney+ TV show to talk about, so that’s my main focus for today. Plus, we had a lot of new shows come out, including the fourth seasons of The Diplomat and Tulsa King! And Love is Blind! The Lowdown! Also, four (four!) straight-to-streaming films came out this week, featuring a lot of big names and celebrities, so I’m going to look at those. All that, mixed news for the WNBA, Reacher ends its run on the charts, Skydance does well in September viewership, NYU’s Sundance dominance, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of October 12th to October 18th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Television - Disney+’s Porridge Problem Listen, per my headline, VisionQuest isn’t the last Disney+ Original. At least, I’m pretty sure it’s not. They have other MCU shows in development. Well, maybe one: But it sure feels like the end of an era. I’d call it their “porridge too hot” era, to quote myself from The Ringer. I told Ben Lindbergh that Disney+ seemingly couldn’t figure out the right amount of content. In the heights of the Streaming Bubble Era (circa 2019 to 2022), they started releasing an insane amount of TV shows. After their growth slowed, they’re down to two or three shows a year, and that might be down to 1 by 2027. Here’s my TV shows by year chart: Even at the time, I thought Disney was making too many shows (that cost too much). Today? They’re definitely making too few shows (though the budgets are more in check, at least according to the reporting). Porridge too hot, porridge too cold; too many shows, now not enough. Which makes evaluating VisionQuest so interesting. This show didn’t have a great lead-in, whether it be a Marvel Cinematic Universe film (the last non-Sony-produced-Spider-Man flick came out The Fantastic Four from July of 2025) or Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show (the two this year were Wonder Man back in January and _Daredevil: Born Again_in May, both of which underwhelmed). And so far, VisionQuest hasn’t quite recaptured the MCU Originals glory, but it has some signs of sparks. First, it made Samba TV, though at a lowly ninth place. At least it made it, a feat some other Marvel shows didn’t accomplish. (Ironheart landed on the Samba TV charts one week at tenth place, but Wonder Man and Daredevil: Born Again both missed.) VisionQuest also made Luminate, though with only 3.0 and 7.6 million hours. But it missed Nielsen in its first week. The best news might be its 7.8 on IMDb, on 12K reviews so far, great numbers, even for a superhero show. Looking at those numbers, this show will really need to pick up in future weeks—and it may since it’s coming out weekly—or Disney will have another disappointment on its hands. Disney+ binge-released their last few shows to try to boost numbers, but that meant shows like Iron Heart and Wonder Man didn’t last long on the charts. _Daredevil: Born Again’s_last season missed entirely (though it came out weekly). Here’s the Disney+ Originals by totals: And for a fun new look, here are those same shows, rearranged by the years they came out: That really shows that, in addition to Disney+ releasing fewer shows, those shows just don’t hit like they once did. If I had to offer one main explanation, it’s that Marvel Studios moved away from characters who starred in the Avengersmovies (The Scarlett Witch, Vision, Hawkeye, Loki, Falcon, Winter Soldier) to characters who didn’t (Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Iron Heart, Wonder Man, Daredevil). It sounds trite, but more popular IP tends to do better than less popular IP. In Marvel’s case, beloved, decades-old characters trump newer ones. And yes, I think this is a problem for Disney. The failure of Marvel TV shows to linger for weeks on the charts, unlike in 2021 and 2022, explains why Disney’s share of the charts has plummeted: That’s a strategic issue. Yes, these shows are really expensive, but without them, Disney+ will struggle, especially if Disney+ keeps raising prices AND licenses out its shows non-exclusively. My recommendation? Return to the core value proposition, which is Disney+ as “genre HBO”. The goal is six shows a year, coming out weekly, spaced out throughout the year. When a show hits, keep it coming back. Make three to four of those shows Marvel or Star Wars, and fill out the rest with IP swings like Percy Jackson, Goosebumps or something like National Treasure. And make YA-skewing shows like Coven Academy to fill out the schedule. Disney, you can get this porridge just right, er, make the right number of shows. Quick Notes on TV Netflix’s sophomore, er, junior, er, senior season slump abated very, very slightly this week. I speak of The Diplomat, which returned for its fourth season on 15-Oct. Credit where credit is due, this show debuted in April of 2023, and has put out new seasons every year since. Has that helped the viewership? Not really. This season opened to 16.4 million hours, which is down significantly from the first season (21.7 million hours) and down somewhat from the second season (18.0 million hours), but it is up from last year’s 14.2 million hours opening. On Samba TV, it opened to third place; that’s also very good. On Luminate, it opened to 25.0 million hours, which is good, but over thirty million hours is a hit on that platform. Netflix wisely renewed it, since it’s steady and, frankly, Netflix needs hits.1 Paramount+ put out Tulsa King’s fourth season on a Friday. After putting out most of their big, usually-Taylor Sheridan-scripted shows out on Sundays last year, they’ve clearly moved to Fridays going forward. Was this a thought-out strategic change, Netflix mimicry, or a data-inspired move? Tough to say. Fridays are crowded with new movies, but so are Sundays with new shows. Anyways, this one is coming out weekly, and we haven’t seen it hit the Nielsen or Luminate charts yet. But it did make Samba TV at fifth place, which is a good opening. Still, if this doesn’t make Luminate or Nielsen next week, I’d call it a disappointment. Netflix had two unscripted shows hit the charts this week, one a docu-series and one a reality competition show. Tyson is a four-episode docu-series about one of boxing’s most popular fighters, and it made both the Samba TV and Luminate charts, but not Nielsen. That’s a solid run for only four episodes (assuming it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to produce). Netflix’s latest season of Love Is Blind also returned for its eleventh season, which opened to 10.0 million hours, down from previous seasons. It also had 11.0 million hours according to Luminate, roughly in line with the Nielsen numbers. Last issue, I analyzed the triple successes of Below, Carrie and Crystal Lake, noting that all three have done well. I mostly used Nielsen, but all three shows also made Samba TV (see above). Crystal Lake in particular did very well on Luminate, getting 35.0 million hours, top for Peacock among first seasons: The top “show” of the week would have been Thursday Night Football again, at 41.7 million hours. This is still above last year’s game, but it continues the season’s overall downward trend, which happens every year. (Though a big week is coming, based on the news stories I’ve seen.) As I said before, I’ll do a deeper dive on all the October games later this month, with comparisons to previous years. One company is quietly on a roll, when you consider the shows it makes and streams. I speak of Skydance—a point Variety made—noting that it produces Neagley and Reacher for Amazon, along with Paramount+’s Lioness, which means it produced three of the top four shows of September according to Nielsen. By the way, Neagley fell off the Nielsen charts after four weeks, which is a pinch short for how well it started, but it’s still a huge success. (Interestingly, it finished just 7.3 million hours ahead of the cancelled Ride or Die.) The point, though, which I’ve made before, is that Prime Video still has a problem with how many co-productions it buys, most notably _The Boys_from Sony and Reacher/Jack Ryan from Skydance. It’s not a critical flaw—everyone licenses shows—but Amazon still struggles to make its own hits. Reacher finally fell off the Nielsen charts, so here’s its final rank for season four: We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… ...An example of the algorithm NOT picking a film… …whether or not Netflix buys shows simply for the movie poster… ...if East of Eden is above the Obliterated Line... ...what four star-studded straight-to-streaming films didn’t chart... ...and a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. If you want an idea of just how much content you’d get in a full issue, check out this older issue.

Nov 3 • 7:03 PM EST • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com

Slavic Village CDC to lease building on catalytic corner

Three commercial spaces are available to help reinvigorate that part of the Cleveland neighborhood, with particular interest in finding a restaurant.

Nov 3 • 2:34 PM EST • Business • crainscleveland.com

Waymo expands driverless taxi service in Los Angeles County

Waymo expanded its Los Angeles service area on Tuesday, adding three South Bay neighborhoods to the 210-square-mile region where the robotaxis roam. Riders can now travel to Torrance, El Segundo,

Nov 3 • 2:14 PM EST • Entertainment • thederrick.com

Deep Ellum businesses ask again what can be done to curb violence

Deep Ellum businesses grapple with the aftermath of deadly violence. The neighborhood’s restaurants and shops face more concerns after the Halloween weekend.

Nov 3 • 2:01 PM EST • Business • dallasnews.com

Payal Gandhi, M.D., Joins UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic on Rahling Road

Payal Gandhi, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Neighborhood Clinic on Rahling Road, where she will offer patients comprehensive care with an emphasis on helping them manage obesity. She also performs a variety of outpatient procedures including Pap smears and joint injections.

Nov 3 • 12:44 PM EST • Health • news.uams.edu

How political disagreement with our neighbors relates to whether we bother casting a ballot

In the 2025 federal election, Canadians voted at the highest rate since 1993. Explanations for high or low turnout usually focus on the national election campaign, including how close the race was and ...

Nov 2 • 10:20 PM EST • Politics • phys.org

<i>The Gilded Age’s</i> George & Bertha Russell Are TV’s Best Couple. Carrie Coon & Morgan Spector Tell Us Why

Carrie Coon says Bertha is “a gay icon” and Morgan Spector loves being objectified as George. Here's a candid conversation with the stars of The Gilded Age on Season 4 of the buzzy HBO series.

Nov 2 • 8:13 PM EST • Entertainment • refinery29.com

Indonesia's toxic haze is giving its neighbours a political headache

Governments in Singapore and Malaysia are split between anxious citizens and an irascible neighbour.

Nov 2 • 6:02 PM EST • Politics • bbc.com

Silver linings: Assume the best, even about your political opposite

Don’t let real disagreements divide you from neighbors, family or friends

Nov 2 • 4:34 PM EST • Politics • deseret.com

Austin Public Health launches updated opioid overdose data dashboard

Austin Public Health unveiled an updated dashboard tracking overdose deaths, non-fatal overdoses, hospital visits and naloxone distribution across Austin and Travis County.

Nov 2 • 3:54 PM EST • Health • kxan.com

Voters on the left and right fear the America they've known is slipping away

Whether they’re from the left or the right, they’re worried that the America they’ve known is slipping away. They see the political class stirring up anger and hate and turning neighbors against each other.

Nov 2 • 2:14 PM EST • Politics • pbs.org

Health players backed Raul Ruiz’s campaign

Ruiz enjoyed more support from health trade organizations and industry groups than Castor, showcasing his existing relationships with the healthcare industry.

Nov 2 • 1:50 PM EST • Health • punchbowl.news

Jet crashes into a South Florida neighborhood, killing all nine on board and leaving a fiery crater

Federal investigators are expected to provide an update on a fiery plane crash that killed all nine people on board in South Florida | 100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA

Nov 2 • 9:19 AM EST • Entertainment • audacy.com

This unassuming neighborhood is a perfect political microcosm of California

We found the single neighborhood that best mirrors how all of California votes. Even here, there are plenty of divisions.

Nov 2 • 8:00 AM EST • Politics • yahoo.com

This neighborhood is a political microcosm of California

We found the single neighborhood that best mirrors how all of California votes. Even here, there are plenty of divisions.

Nov 2 • 7:00 AM EST • Politics • sfchronicle.com

Harriette Cole: I don’t like this divisiveness at our neighborhood dinners

Another guest crossed a boundary by asking my political party.

Nov 2 • 5:00 AM EST • Politics • mercurynews.com

Nine killed as business jet crashes into South Florida neighbourhood

A business jet plunged into a South Florida neighbourhood on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard and exploding into a fireball near homes and a busy road. The pilot had reported icing, precipitation…

Nov 1 • 6:45 PM EST • Business • france24.com

Some defense politics is local

The direction of defense policy and corresponding federal spending within many states hinges on the outcome of Election Day.

Nov 1 • 6:17 PM EST • Politics • punchbowl.news

Business jet crashes in Florida, killing all nine on board

The aircraft was en route from Texas to the Bahamas when it crashed in a West Palm Beach, Florida, neighborhood, the FAA said.

Nov 1 • 5:47 PM EST • Business • washingtonpost.com

Nine people killed after jet from Austin crashes in Florida, transportation secretary says

At least 9 people are dead after a business jet flying out of Austin crashed in a Florida neighborhood, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.The Federa

Nov 1 • 5:00 PM EST • Business • cbsaustin.com

Boston 25 News

A business jet carrying nine people nose-dived into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday and erupted into a giant fireball that appeared to just miss homes before crashing near a busy roadway. All...

Nov 1 • 4:53 PM EST • Business • facebook.com

All 9 people aboard a jet that crashed in Florida have died, transportation secretary says

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — All nine people died aboard a business jet that crashed into a Florida neighborhood, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday.

Nov 1 • 4:43 PM EST • Business • 2news.com

All 9 people aboard Business jet from Austin killed after crash in Florida neighborhood

KABB Fox News 29 San Antonio provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, investigations, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for San Antonio and nearby towns and communities in South Central Texas, including Bandera, Boerne, Carrizo Springs, Castroville, Cibolo, Converse, Crystal City, Cuero, Del Rio, Devine, Eagle Pass, Floresville, Fredericksburg, Goliad, Helotes, Hondo, Kerrville, Live Oak, New Braunfels, Pearsall, Pleasanton, Poteet, Poth, Sabinal, San Marcos, Seguin, Schertz, Somerset, Universal City, Uvalde, Windcrest.

Nov 1 • 4:34 PM EST • Business • foxsanantonio.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in flames

WOAI NBC News Channel 4 San Antonio provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, investigations, and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for San Antonio and nearby towns and communities in South Central Texas, including Windcrest, Uvalde, Universal City, Somerset, Seguin, Schertz, San Marcos, Sabinal, Poth, Poteet, Pleasanton, Pearsall, New Braunfels, Live Oak, Kerrville, Hondo, Helotes, Goliad, Fredericksburg, Floresville, Eagle Pass, Devine, Del Rio, Cuero, Crystal City, Converse, Cibolo, Castroville, Carrizo Springs, Boerne, Bandera.

Nov 1 • 4:34 PM EST • Business • news4sanantonio.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

Nov 1 • 4:30 PM EST • Business • clickorlando.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A business jet carrying nine people nose-dived into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday and erupted into a giant fireball that appeared to just miss homes before crashing near a busy roadway, creating a giant fiery crater in the pavement.

Nov 1 • 4:13 PM EST • Business • local10.com

Business jet carrying nine people crashes in Florida neighborhood

It is unclear if anyone on the ground was hurt and no details yet on whether anyone onboard survived

Nov 1 • 4:13 PM EST • Business • theguardian.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A business jet carrying nine people nose-dived into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday and erupted into a giant fireball that appeared to just miss homes before crashing near a busy roadway, creating a giant fiery crater in the pavement.

Nov 1 • 4:13 PM EST • Business • wral.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

The Learjet 60 was carrying nine people when it crashed in a residential area in Florida’s Palm Beach County, federal officials said.

Nov 1 • 4:13 PM EST • Business • wral.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, erupts in massive fireball

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood Sunday, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 4:00 PM EST • Business • abc13.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, erupts in massive fireball

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood Sunday, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 4:00 PM EST • Business • abc7chicago.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, erupts in massive fireball

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood Sunday, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 4:00 PM EST • Business • abc7.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, erupts in massive fireball

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood Sunday, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 4:00 PM EST • Business • abc11.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood Sunday, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 3:51 PM EST • Business • mysuncoast.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood Sunday, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 3:51 PM EST • Business • wsaz.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, erupts in a massive fireball

First responders are at the scene of a jet crash in Palm Beach County, Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration said a Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven at around 12:50 p.m. Sunday. It was

Nov 1 • 3:49 PM EST • Business • wbal.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, erupting in massive fireball

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood Sunday, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 3:45 PM EST • Business • wfla.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

A business jet carrying nine people nose-dived into a S. Florida neighborhood Sunday and erupted into a giant fireball that appeared to just miss homes before crashing near a busy roadway.

Nov 1 • 3:37 PM EST • Business • sun-sentinel.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood Sunday, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 3:37 PM EST • Business • news4jax.com

A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, er

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball.

Nov 1 • 3:33 PM EST • Business • wbal.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashed in a Florida neighborhood, erupting in a massive fireball

A business jet carrying nine people nose-dived into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday and erupted into a giant fireball that appeared to just miss homes before crashing near a busy roadway, creating a giant fiery crater in the pavement.

Nov 1 • 3:26 PM EST • Business • winknews.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, FAA says

Nine people were on board the aircraft bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, authorities said. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured.

Nov 1 • 2:53 PM EST • Business • nbcsandiego.com

Business jet carrying 9 people crashes in Florida neighborhood, FAA says

Nine people were on board the aircraft bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, authorities said. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured.

Nov 1 • 2:53 PM EST • Business • nbcphiladelphia.com

Jessica Biel wants to ‘modernize’ ‘7th Heaven’ for reboot: ‘We have less limitations now’

Jessica Biel says the ‘7th Heaven’ reboot will not ‘hold back’ from tackling difficult teen issues.

Nov 1 • 2:49 PM EST • Entertainment • ew.com

Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods' GOT Costumes

HBO Max reveals how elaborate prosthetics and special-effects makeup transformed the newlyweds into the Night King and a White Walker.

Nov 1 • 1:29 PM EST • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Business Briefcase: Workshop to explore using AI virtual clinic

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — People are being alerted to “join Schuylkill LaunchBox,” powered by Penn State, for “an informative virtual workshop exploring how small business owners can use artificial intelligence, social media and influencer marketi…

Nov 1 • 9:00 AM EST • Business • republicanherald.com

Where to go Sunday for Dia de Los Muertos celebrations

Neighborhoods and towns all over the region have been observing Dia de los Muertos for decades as a way to remember the loved ones who are gone.

Nov 1 • 1:57 AM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com

Being community: Candidate Portia Riggins says District 1 needs neighbors

For a 34-year-old candidate, Portia Riggins has had a remarkably diversified career.

Oct 31 • 7:00 PM EDT • Politics • austinfreepress.org

Lansing History: Third-generation baker brings the family business — Calumet Bakery — to Lansing

The original Calumet Bakery was located on 106th Street just east of Bensley Avenue in the South Deering neighborhood of Chicago. It arrived in Lansing by the third generation —

Oct 31 • 5:24 PM EDT • Business • thelansingjournal.org

NYC business owner says e-bike takeover is driving away tenants, customers as city struggles to rein in chaos

A New York City neighborhood is at the center of a growing battle over food delivery e-bikes, as residents say hundreds of riders have taken over their streets, blocking driveways, attracting rats and hurting local businesses.

Oct 31 • 2:10 PM EDT • Business • foxnews.com

Why Joanne's New Nemesis on 'Nobody Wants This' Season 3 Looks So Familiar

Wondering where you've seen 'Nobody Wants This' star Andrew Rannells before? From his memorable HBO comedy role to his latest Hulu appearance, here's where you might recognize the actor.

Oct 31 • 10:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • purewow.com

Scientists discover metals that defy the deep freeze at -424°F

Scientists have discovered a surprising mechanism that allows certain metals to resist cracking at temperatures as low as -253°C (-424°F), when similar materials typically become dangerously brittle. Instead of breaking, two experimental alloys reorganize their internal structures, creating new ways to absorb stress and remain flexible.

Oct 31 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Flooding sends water into Arts District small business shops

Business owners and neighbors worked to keep shops open near Commerce and Imperial

Oct 31 • 1:30 AM EDT • Business • fox5vegas.com

Flooding sends water into Arts District small business shops

Business owners and neighbors worked to keep shops open near Commerce and Imperial

Oct 31 • 1:30 AM EDT • Business • wbay.com

Flooding sends water into Arts District small business shops

Business owners and neighbors worked to keep shops open near Commerce and Imperial

Oct 31 • 1:30 AM EDT • Business • fox8live.com

Flooding sends water into Arts District small business shops

Business owners and neighbors worked to keep shops open near Commerce and Imperial

Oct 31 • 1:30 AM EDT • Business • hawaiinewsnow.com

Flooding sends water into Arts District small business shops

Business owners and neighbors worked to keep shops open near Commerce and Imperial

Oct 31 • 1:30 AM EDT • Business • newschannel10.com

Flooding sends water into Arts District small business shops

Business owners and neighbors worked to keep shops open near Commerce and Imperial

Oct 31 • 1:30 AM EDT • Business • fox10tv.com

Weekend Watchlist: What's new in theaters, on streaming

Ready, set, binge! Here's a look at some of the new movies and TV shows coming to theaters and streaming services this weekend:Netflix TNCMS.AdManager.render({region: 'fixed-big-ad-top-asset', slot: 1, fold: "above"}); The One About Matthew Perry: This docuseries follows the life of the Friends actor Matthew Perry.SCTV: The Greatest Show You've Never Heard Of: Watch this new documentary about the classic Canadian comedy series.HBOThe Gilded Age: Season 4 of the New York-set drama series makes its premiere. Paramount+ Dexter: Resurrection: The second season of the Dexter sequel series stars Michael C. Hall as the titular serial killer.Apple TVNocturne: Liev Schreiber and Zazie Beetz star in this new crime drama series about a town under attack by an imprisoned serial killer. Movie theatersThe Only Living Pickpocket in New York: John Turturro leads this film where he plays a pickpocket who supports his wife in New York City. That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Thank you for reading kmaland.comAt KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com.

Oct 30 • 2:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • kmaland.com

Community Health Fair connects Normaltown neighbors with UGA resources

A group of UGA schools and colleges united to promote community health resources during the annual Normaltown Community Health Fair.

Oct 30 • 2:01 PM EDT • Health • news.uga.edu

Study links Chicago school closures to rise in neighborhood shootings

A study found a 10.2% increase in shootings near 50 Chicago schools closed in 2013. Reusing vacant school buildings appeared to mitigate the increase.

Oct 30 • 12:11 PM EDT • Health • healthjournalism.org

A City Doesn’t Grow at One Speed

Using decades of Landsat and Sentinel-2 images, researchers discover the Urban Pulse to help track the cycles and rhythms of how neighborhoods within cities change.

Oct 30 • 10:32 AM EDT • Science • science.nasa.gov

Community Halloween Safety Reminders

As neighborhoods prepare to celebrate Halloween, the Central MA Regional Health Department would like to remind residents and motorists to take simple precautions to ensure a fun, healthy, and injury-

Oct 30 • 8:08 AM EDT • Health • shrewsburyma.gov

The dashboard misses the mark against Genoa

Juventus controlled the ball on paper, but a complete lack of urgency proved numbers can't measure heart.

Oct 30 • 6:45 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Spot available on Mental Health Board - Illinois Times, the capital city's source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture

Sangamon County Board is seeking to fill a vacancy on the Mental Health Board in the next few weeks. Interested individuals should submit a résumé, letter of interest and “any supporting documents, such as letters of recommendation” in person to 200 S. Ninth Street or to County@SangamonIL.gov by Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. Sangamon County […]

Oct 30 • 5:52 AM EDT • Health • illinoistimes.com

Maine adopts $600K mental health safety net for people affected by PFAS

The program will provide counseling and peer support to farmers, workers and neighbors coping with contaminated land and water.

Oct 30 • 4:00 AM EDT • Health • pressherald.com

Opinion | What he thinks about when he mutes political ads

Election Day cannot come soon enough.

Oct 30 • 2:00 AM EDT • Politics • bostonglobe.com

Guest columnist: Science of finding cancer early just proved itself

Residents of Houston’s Fifth Ward live adjacent to documented creosote contamination. The neighborhood is 94% non-Hispanic Black. It is a state-designated cancer cluster. Those who live there do not need […]

Oct 29 • 9:20 PM EDT • Science • state-journal.com

Las Vegas Sports Jobs Have More Than Doubled in a Decade, UNLV Data Shows

Updated CBER dashboard reveals nearly 19,000 regional sports-related jobs, $860 million in annual visitor spending, and growing youth participation.

Oct 29 • 7:33 PM EDT • Sports • unlv.edu

What to stream in November 2026: ‘The Altruists,’ ‘Blade Runner 2099’

Here's what's coming to Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, HBO Max, Prime Video, Peacock, Paramount+ and other streaming services in November.

Oct 29 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • yakimaherald.com

With new digital dashboard, Morrisey promises to move at ‘the speed of business’

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey launched a new digital dashboard that offers a one-stop shop for businesses applying for permits. The system, which had a soft launch Oct. 1, pulls together permit applications from 13 different agencies. It will also include a fast-track application process. The One Stop Shop Permitting Portal is part of the Speed to Build initiative.

Oct 29 • 6:15 AM EDT • Business • wvgazettemail.com

John Stamos to replace Beach Boys amid Mike Love's 'serious health challenges'

John Stamos has seemingly replaced The Beach Boys at a slate of Disney shows after sharing that Mike Love was grappling with major health concerns.

Oct 28 • 10:48 PM EDT • Health • usatoday.com

Rivera-Mariani co-authors study on long COVID and neighborhood health factors

Félix Rivera-Mariani, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a co-author of a new study published in the Delaware Journal of Public…

Oct 28 • 3:03 PM EDT • Health • lynn.edu

Hybrid Work Is Boosting Local Business Sales by 30 Percent—and RTO Could Put That at Risk

Hybrid employees now account for nearly a quarter of weekday customers at neighborhood businesses, shifting workweek spending away from downtown office districts.

Oct 28 • 12:56 PM EDT • Business • inc.com

Alexandria Real Estate Equities to Sell Fenway Life Science Property at 421 Park Drive in Boston

BOSTON— Alexandria Real Estate Equities has agreed to sell its development property at 421 Park Drive in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood to an institutional buyer, a transaction expected to generate significant […]

Oct 28 • 11:36 AM EDT • Science • bostonrealestatetimes.com

Shenanigans abound in quirky comedy

Get ready for laughter, surprise, and plenty of neighborhood shenanigans! Art Center Theatre at the Art Center of Citrus County invites audiences to enjoy "Love Thy Neighbor," a comedy by

Oct 28 • 10:11 AM EDT • Entertainment • chronicleonline.com

A Dinner for Two Helps Keep Care Rolling Across the Shenandoah Valley

Augusta Health Foundation’s Dinner to Go. Care in Motion. funds Neighborhood Clinics and the Mobile Medical Unit; orders close Oct. 30 FISHERSVILLE, VIRGINIA — Each month, Augusta Health’s Mobile Medical Unit travels to neighborhoods across the Shenandoah Valley, where getting to a doctor is not always easy. The doors open, a familiar face says hello, […]

Oct 28 • 10:06 AM EDT • Health • augustahealth.com

Sarah Snook to star in 'The Birds' limited series at HBO

A photo of Sarah Snook. (Alex Vaughan) | The poster for the film 'The Birds.' (Universal Pictures)

Oct 28 • 6:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • kmaland.com

Business owners meet with Neighborhood Services Dept. about paid parking

The department heard feedback from the community, with DECI also attending the meeting after conducting multiple surveys for businesses.

Oct 27 • 9:04 PM EDT • Business • wqow.com

Animals Starves while the Kardashians Miss the Charts Again

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Before we get going, I’d like to offer congratulations to Jonathan Funke, whose suggestion “midflicks” won the poll for what I should call straight-to-streaming films which aren’t big or cinematic enough to go to theaters but seem too expensive for a TV movie. It’s so useful a term, I just used it last week! Now I just need to add this term to my data dictionary! Okay, on to this week’s issue. We’re starting out looking at Netflix/Ben Affleck’s latest crime thriller, Animals. I’ll also look at Disclosure Day heading to Peacock (it did better than you’d remember in theaters...) and a new movie based on toys. Plus, a long-time streaming flop returns for its eighth season...will it finally chart? (No.) Will anyone at Disney care? Probably not. All that, plus another look at new shows landing on streaming on 1-Oct from Reelgood, what streamer hasn’t had a film make the Luminate charts since August, Reacher’s long run on the charts, M_onster: The Lizzie Borden Story’s_ short run, the top shows in 2026 according to Samba TV, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. And I mean that last part: putting this week’s issue together, I assembled OVER 25 images, most of which are bespoke looks I made just for this report. Really, publishing articles like this takes the work of writing two articles: one is the narrative and the other is making charts/graphs. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the week of October 5th to October 11th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - Netflix’s Latest Star-Studded Thriller Goes For Glory The tempting angle for anyone writing about streaming film this month, like yours truly, is to ask, “Is this why Dan Lin lost his job at Netflix?” Take Animals, the Ben Affleck-starring-and-directing, Artists Equity-produced crime thriller that opened on 9-Oct. (Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson are also in it.) If it did really well, then one could argue that Lin has another success on his resume. If it underperformed, then it’s another example of a Netflix underperformance this year. So where did Animals fall? Kinda in the middle, but that means it’s more “not a hit” than “big hit”. On Nielsen, it opened to 12.0 million hours, and here’s how that stacks up for 2026 films so far this year: Obviously, that’s not great. It’s both under my 15 million opening bar for “fine” for a Netflix film and 20 million bar for “great” opening. It did a bit better on Samba TV, getting to first place. That’s very, very good, though again, looking at the Nielsen data, it probably means that it was a light week overall. Luminate’s data is a bit closer to Samba TV’s, tied for 17th all time for single weeks since May of 2024: To top it off, no one seemed to like it. It has a 33 on Metacritic and only a 5.7 on IMDb. Both of these numbers could have been impacted by the stories about Affleck’s comments about using AI to make the film. Given the controversy, the film might not have been as bad as the ratings suggest, but it’s also not a bullish sign. All to say…yeah, on net this film isn’t a point in Dan Lin’s favor. At this point, Netflix’s slide has been long enough—going on since February—that I’m almost tempted to lower the bar for what a “hit” is on streaming. Post-February of 2026 or so, it seems like straight-to-streaming films just haven’t hit the same heights as they did from 2022 to 2025. Before we head onto the “Quick Hits” for film, I want to shout out a fellow newsletter whose articles I’ve been loving this year, LA Material, a new LA-based news outlet. For just a highlight of my favorite articles since July... I loved this article on Ghost Town, a group on Venice that clears homeless encampments. As a Los Angeleno, obviously I adore their articles on LA parking issues. Their article on illegal parking tickets got the City Council to address the issue! Also check out their article on people parking in medians. Check out their deep dive on what went wrong with the LA Jazz Festival and how it fell apart, or what’s wrong with USC’s finances. Finally, they wrote up a voter guide on voter guides for the LA General Election. So meta! In search of a city? L.A. Material is an independent news outlet covering the people, politics, culture and glorious chaos shaping Los Angeles. L.A. Material brings you intel on the city you can’t get anywhere else. From exploring how Reddit short stories became Hollywood’s hottest commodity to reporting on the survival jobs keeping entertainment workers afloat. And answering, once and for all, why the AMC Burbank escalator is always broken. Through their newsletters, podcast, videos, events, and member community, L.A. Material is designed to help Angelenos connect to Los Angeles and each other. Sign up now for the free weekday newsletter. Quick Notes on Film Steven Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, came to Peacock on 9-Oct, and I’ll admit that, after pulling its stats, I did a pinch of a double take. As I wrote throughout my deep, deep, deep dive on summer box office/Obsession/Backrooms/IP/superheroes, oftentimes the film media discusses films as “flops” or “misses” or “hits” without clarifying what they specifically mean. Since Disclosure Day didn’t make $250 million in the US or $500 million globally, it was definitely a disappointment by Spielbergian standards, who is the highest-grossing director of all time, and arguably even more ahead in adjusted grosses. But it did make $245 million globally on a $115 million budget, so it isn’t as big of a miss as I remember. That’s still probably not enough to break even in the theatrical window, when you factor in marketing costs…but it’s close. And it grossed a lot more even in the US than some titles with about ten times more coverage. Anyways, lots of preamble to say this one only did 4.5 million hours according to Nielsen, so it did make the charts, but on the low end. Here’s how it stacks up to other Peacock titles: Apple TV (née +) followed up their “success for them” Mayday with Matchbox The Movie. This one doesn’t look like a success even for them, but at least it’s not a miss. Apple/Skydance clearly tried to take advantage of the success of Barbie at the box office—let’s greenlight all the toy properties!!!—but of course, this didn’t make it to theaters. And it stars John Cena, who, as I argued earlier this summer, NEEDS to get his movies back in theaters. Anyways, this one has mixed-to-bad numbers. It missed the Samba TV and Nielsen charts in its first week, but did make Luminate with 7.1 million hours. That’s just enough to not be an outright miss, and about half what Mayday did earlier this summer. Speaking of Apple Studio’s Mayday, it ended up lasting five weeks on Luminate, which isn’t bad for Apple TV. On Nielsen, it had a three-week run, racking up 13.5 million hours total. Again, like Matchbox, the issue is the budget; I doubt that this viewership earned enough to justify that budget. Also, to be clear, neither of these films are “midflicks”; both should have gone to theaters. Toy Story 5 is not hanging around on the streaming charts on Disney+, so it’s not as leggy as either Zootopia 2 or Moana 2, and definitely not in the same class as Encanto. (It did make all the money at the box office, so Disney is going to be fine…) The Breadwinner on Netflix (from Sony) is down to 3.9 million hours in its third week. It only lasted for one week on the Samba TV charts. Netflix’s Doing Life had a smaller-than-normal binge release curve bounce, only going to 7.1 million hours from 6.0 to start, but it made Samba TV at fifth place in its second week. The Netflix documentary, The Widower: Til’ Death Do Us Part, also had a small binge release curve bounce to 6.5 million hours, but did make a second week on Samba TV. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Unabomber fell off after two weeks on Nielsen—which is not great at all—and Demon Slayer fell off after just one week. Over on Luminate, the two smaller titles The Swan: Behind the Mirror and Kill. Bury. Print both fell out of the Luminate top ten charts. The story of library film at the first of the month is the arrival of the Ice Age films on Netflix. Now, here’s a small example of optimizing your library that even Netflix could do better. Say you want to rent/license a new film series from Disney**.** A streamer could pay a big paycheck and then drop each Ice Age film on the exact same day of the month, the fourth of October. That’s one choice. In contrast, the streamer could have released each film one week apart, and make each one a mini-event for folks watching Ice Age films. Or even roll them out monthly. Netflix opted for the former strategy, and as a result, only three of the films made the Nielsen charts this week. The “Miss of the Week” goes to Tubi’s YA-ish horror film_, R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead 2_, which didn’t even make the Luminate charts like Tubi films usually do, or, should I say, “used to”? Tubi films, most of which are straight-to-streaming, used to reliably make the Luminate film charts (which only covers straight-to-streaming films), but a Tubi film hasn’t made it since August. The first Pumpkinhead got 1.4 million hours last year according to Luminate. As I wrote about this film before, it seems to be a bit muddled in terms of age: too scary for young kids but probably not scary enough for older kids. Speaking of Luminate, Netflix’s latest doc about a comic (expect more docs about comedians all month), Who Is Martin Mull?, flopped, getting just 200K and 700K hours according to Luminate. Three other film/special misses belonged to Hulu, including a standup special, Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself, Neon’s latest horror film, Hokum, which made $17 million in the US, and a Family Guy Halloween special. (That last one was only 22 minutes, so it’s not a surprise it missed.) Finally, another Netflix standup special missed the charts, Mojo Brookzz: I Know You Lying missed too. I can confirm last week’s misses, most notably Paramount+’s Jackass: Best and Last, MUBI’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and HBO Max’s Evil Dead Burn. Television - I Can’t Visualize Nothing: The Kardashians Story Normally, in the mini-dive essays that open the Streaming Ratings Report, I focus on shows that do well or, at the very least, make the charts. Why? Because as I’ve said time and again, I can’t visualize nothing like, say, the Kardashians’ TV shows. Here’s the TV debuts chart for this week with a missing spot for The Kardashians, whose eighth season just landed on Hulu:

Oct 27 • 6:17 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com

Neighbors, businesses cry foul over trees removed near Independence Boulevard billboard

The goal is to improve visibility for a billboard along the highway, but business owners say they had no chance to weigh in.

Oct 27 • 5:25 PM EDT • Business • wsoctv.com

Kansas megachurch pastor rejects anti-trans politics

Democrat Adam Hamilton, who is challenging Sen. Roger Marshall, says his faith calls him to love transgender neighbors — and rejects turning them into campaign targets.

Oct 27 • 3:31 PM EDT • Politics • advocate.com

HBO Orders Development of The Birds Limited Series With Sarah Snook in Lead Role

HBO is developing a limited series inspired by Hitchcock's The Birds, with Sarah Snook as Myra Massey and Tom Spezialy writing the pilot.

Oct 27 • 3:04 PM EDT • Entertainment • northeasttimes.com

As Cleveland’s grocery stores continue to close, this city official steps up to ensure food access

Zainab Pixler, Cleveland's first local food system strategist, is championing a new Good Food Retailer tax credit program to keep grocery stores open in city neighborhoods.

Oct 27 • 1:30 PM EDT • Business • crainscleveland.com

Chicago police investigate Lincoln Park business break-ins

More than a dozen businesses were broken into overnight in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Oct 27 • 11:24 AM EDT • Business • fox32chicago.com

Baltimore health department offers free lead testing during Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

As National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week continues, the Baltimore City Health Department is bringing free lead testing and resources directly into neighborhoo

Oct 27 • 6:33 AM EDT • Health • foxbaltimore.com

‘It affected my health’: Neighbors complain about building implosion, cloud of dust

“My eyes were watering and burning, my nose was like a sieve."

Oct 26 • 7:48 PM EDT • Health • wsbtv.com

‘It affected my health’: Neighbors complain about building implosion, cloud of dust

Oct 26 • 7:47 PM EDT • Health • yahoo.com

Padre Island business matches candy donations to keep Hawksnest, Eagles Nest bowls full for Halloween

Island Tire Automotive has collected more than 400 pounds of candy for Hawksnest and Eagles Nest neighbors, matching every pound donated as candy prices climb.

Oct 26 • 5:22 PM EDT • Business • kristv.com

New Jersey Cannot Prescribe Better Health Without Making Healthy Food Accessible

By Assemblyman Kenyatta Stewart We tell people with diabetes to watch their blood sugar. We tell people with hypertension to reduce their sodium. We tell families to eat more fruits and vegetables to prevent chronic disease. But what happens when the food we recommend is beyond their budget or unavailable in their neighborhood? That is[...]

Oct 26 • 5:20 PM EDT • Health • insidernj.com

Southeast Queens neighborhoods experienced significant job and business growth over decade-long period: Report

The neighborhoods of Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill and Howard Beach experienced significant growth in jobs and private-sector businesses across a

Oct 26 • 3:00 PM EDT • Business • qns.com

Owners of two LSU hangouts say they want to bring safe, nightlife options. Some neighbors aren’t happy

Both businesses have lit up a once-quiet residential street next to LSU academic buildings, with the owners hoping to provide a safe, fun place for students to let loose.

Oct 26 • 6:29 AM EDT • Business • theadvocate.com

These are the best local businesses in Columbia for 2026, Nextdoor neighbors say

The 2026 Fave Award Winners on Nextdoor were finally revealed. Columbia residents said these are the best businesses in the city.

Oct 26 • 6:02 AM EDT • Business • thestate.com