🥁 Axios PM: News audience plunges

Photos: 24-hour traffic jam | Tuesday, January 04, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Walmart   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Jan 04, 2022 Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 456 words, a 1.5-minute read. 🚨 Scoop: The House's Jan. 6 committee is preparing to ask Fox News' Sean Hannity for voluntary cooperation with its investigation of the assault on the Capitol, Axios' Jonathan Swan reports. Go deeper.     1 big thing: News consumption falls off cliff Data: NewsWhip, Apptopia, SimilarWeb, Nielsen. (Cable ratings include CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.) Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Engagement with news plummeted last year compared with 2020. Given the ongoing decline in interest in news about COVID and politics, it doesn't look like 2022 will be much better, Axios' Sara Fischer and Neal Rothschild report. Why it matters: The Trump era and the onset of the pandemic created a one-of-a-kind media moment that will be hard for news companies to replicate. With fewer singular storylines capturing America's collective attention, news consumption was more scattered and diverted to sports. Data shows that Omicron isn't jump-starting Americans' engagement in COVID news to the level it was at the onset of the pandemic. Reality check: As Axios has reported, traffic to hyper-partisan and political publishers took a severe hit in 2021, while mainstream news publishers did better. Keep reading.     2. Stranded in 24-hour traffic jam Photo: Steve Helber/AP Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) had one orange and zero liquids in his car as he chatted nonchalantly with a CNN anchor this afternoon. He was stuck in a snow-driven, 40+-mile-long traffic jam on northbound I-95 in Northern Virginia that trapped him and hundreds of his constituents overnight. The former Virginia governor said that to conserve gas through the night, he'd heat up his car for 10 minutes, then shut off the engine, lean his chair back for maybe 20 minutes, and sleep till the cold woke him up. Photos: Virginia Department of Transportation traffic cameras, via Reuters What happened: Problems began yesterday morning when a truck jackknifed on I-95, the main north-south highway along the East Coast, triggering a swift chain reaction as other vehicles lost control, AP reports. People could be seen walking down traffic lanes that were still covered with ice and snow. That stretch of interstate wasn't pretreated, a state engineer said, because heavy rain preceded the snow, which fell at 2 inches an hour. Keep reading.     A message from Walmart Walmart commits $1B in career training for associates     As part of a five-year, $1 billion investment in career training and development, Walmart will now pay 100% of college tuition and books for associates. The goal: Eliminate the burden of education debt for nearly 1.5 million eligible U.S. associates so they can pursue a degree — and their dreams.     3. Record job quits in November Data: BLS. Chart: Sara Wise/Axios A record 4.5 million workers quit their jobs in November, according to data out today, Axios' Emily Peck and Courtenay Brown report. Why it matters: The numbers are the latest sign that the job market is red hot for workers, particularly in lower-wage industries. America's quit rate is now 3% — matching the highest in the two decades the government has kept records. Keep reading.     4. (Don't) fly me to the Moon Data: Axios/Momentive poll. Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Frank Sinatra might have been bummed by the lack of demand for Moon travel among American adults. The big picture: 61% of adults surveyed wouldn't be interested in visiting the Moon, even if money wasn't an object, according to a new Axios/Momentive poll cited by Axios Space reporter Miriam Kramer. Share this story.     A message from Walmart Walmart to pay college tuition for nearly 1.5M+ eligible associates     Walmart will pay 100% of college tuition for U.S. associates as part of its Live Better U program. Now nearly 1.5 million part-time and full-time U.S. associates, like Brandon, can now pursue a degree or learn trade skills without the burden of education debt. Watch Brandon's story.   Like this email style and format? Bring the strength of Smart Brevity® to your team — more effective communications, powered by Axios HQ.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: