MDDC Friday Planner 3-27-20

MDDC’s weekly Friday Planner, with the top news affecting the news media industry in Maryland, Delaware and DC.

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About this episode

ITEMS DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:

Congress passes the CARES Act
Economic relief for some news publishers could be coming soon.  On Friday, Congress passed the CARES Act (or stimulus 3).  Loans (some are eligible for forgiveness) are for a maximum of 2.5 times the average monthly payroll.  SBA defines small business for newspaper publishers as 1,000 employees or fewer. There are also programs for mid-size businesses (fewer than 10,000 employees).  The News Media Alliance has a primer on the CARES Act, and click here for a detailed section by section explainer.

The National Federation of Independent Business will host a FREE webinar on MONDAY, March 30 at noon to walk businesses through the CARES Act.  Register here.

Loans will be available through SBA-approved lenders.  Click here for SBA lenders in Maryland and SBA lender match in Delaware. 

WHO confirms newspapers are safe to handle
Some newspaper subscribers are worried about the risk of catching the coronavirus from their print newspaper.  The World Health Organization debunks that fear, noting that the risk of the virus spreading through commercial packages is low.  Virologist George Lomonssoff remarks that “newspapers are pretty sterile because of the way they are printed.”  As always, wash your hands.  Read more.

Police Accountability and PIA
This week in MDDC’s Five Dubs podcast, we talk to Kevin Rector and Talia Richman of the Baltimore Sun about their work using public records and investigating police accountability.  Listen here.

Pulse Research conducting consumer survey
Covid-19 is causing unprecedented uncertainty. To provide helpful insights, we are partnering with Pulse Research to conduct a complimentary reader survey to focus on content questions along with updated household purchasing plans over the next 90 days we believe your local businesses will appreciate.  Ads will be distributed soon across our classified ad network. Additional promotional materials and details are available here.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES – or CONTRIBUTIONS:

Interested in supporting our podcast, and journalism?  Contact Kevin Berrier (kberrier at mddcpress.com) at MDDC Advertising Services. Want to contribute? Please donate to our 501(c)(3) Press Foundation.  Learn more.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?

Have questions or want to know more about a person or topic connected with local journalism? Contact us.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Rebecca Snyder (host), Teb Brownlee & Charlie Ney (producers). Original music by Ruskin Nohe-Moren.