For Immediate Release:

Friday, September 13, 2019

Featuring Express, The Washington Post, Google and Netflix

In this week’s edition of Five on Friday, The Washington Post announces that it is terminating the publication of Express, its commuter newspaper, after 16 years. Also, Disney is launching a subscription box for adult fans – the Disney Backstage Collection, Amazon plans a Career Day, Google removes 24 malware-ridden apps from the Google Play store and binge watchers get hit with higher internet fees.

Weekday Commuter Paper ‘Express’ Shuts Down After 16 Years 

After 16 years, The Washington Post has ceased publication of Express, a free weekday commuter newspaper for Metro riders and commuters. Yesterday was the newspaper’s last day of publication. The Post said that the paper wasn’t financially sustainable, though they did not provide any data to support that decision.

Similar to U.S.A. Today, the newspaper was a colorful paper made to be a quick read during the morning commute. The paper featured a mix of stories, some taken from The Post and others were original articles or columns. The newspaper’s staff of 20 are being laid off due to the decision.

The Post reports that the newspaper was distributed daily about 75 people and through newspaper boxes along the commuter route. At its peak, the newspaper enjoyed daily circulation of about 190,000. Circulation is now down to 130,000 per day. Paul Farhi speculated that the demise of Express may have come from Metro’s offering of WiFi. This made it easier for commuters to read news on their devices.

On the last day of the newspaper’s publication, the paper’s executive editor Dan Caccavaro wrote, ““This Monday morning, as I rode the train to work .?.?. three people on my crowded Blue Line train were reading Express (thank you!) One man had his nose in an old-fashioned book. Almost everyone else was staring at a phone.” 

A Disney Subscription Box for Adults - Disney Backstage Collection

There’s something about Disney that appeals to the kid in all of us, whether it is a love for the iconic Mickey Mouse or an affection for Disney princesses. Maybe that’s why Disney created a subscription box for adult fans – the Disney Backstage Collection. Starting at $35 a month, subscribers will receive a limited-edition t-shirt, collectible pin and other goodies curated by Disney Imagineers and delivered straight to their door, reports Business Insider. Disney says that each release will only be offered for a limited time and will not be available for purchase after it has been retired.

“Get exclusive behind-the-scenes merchandise you won’t find anywhere else!” touts Disney Backstage Collection on its subscription page. “Each release reveals a new mystery.”

In each subscriber’s first box – the welcome canister – they can expect to receive a premium-blend t-shirt with exclusive Disney art, a collectible pin that complements the story featured on the t-shirt, a behind-the-scenes story card and a retro-inspired keepsake canister. The welcome canisters will be rotated out every six months. Other releases are retired once they sell out.

A one-year plan is priced at $34.99 a month for 12 consecutive deliveries, a six-month plan is available for $37.99 for six consecutive deliveries and a three-month plan is available for $39.99 for three consecutive deliveries. Learn more about Disney Backstage Collection here.

 

Amazon Hopes to Fill 30K Jobs on Career Day – September 17

Amazon is looking to fill a lot of jobs. In a recent press release, they disclosed that they are looking to create and fill more than 30,000 permanent jobs across the U.S. They are hosting a Career Day – the country’s largest job fair – in six cities (Arlington, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and Seattle) on September 17. The open positions will be full-time and full-benefit opportunities, in the company’s headquarters, tech hubs, datacenters and fulfillment centers.

According to the news release, all candidates will have access to on-the-job training and upskilling opportunities. Earlier this year, Amazon revealed their Upskilling 2025 plan. Upskilling 2025 is a $700 million commitment Amazon has made to help pilot, launch, and scale training programs to help raise current employees’ skills across the board, in all of their employment opportunities. This plan is to also help Amazon retain their U.S. employees.

USA Today reports that openings run the gamut, everywhere from entry-level, up to corporate roles, and everything in between. Interested candidates can browse jobs on Amazon’s website. Career Day events will have recruiters available to talk about roles within the company, and also include information about selling on Amazon, becoming a Delivery Service Partner, and more.

Additionally, they are also hiring seasonal employees to stock up before the holiday season. All positions will start at a minimum of $15 hour, the minimum wage in Washington state where Amazon headquarters is located.

Google Shakes off Malware – Again

It seems that Google can’t catch a break when it comes to apps that have malware issues. The newest campaign was found recently and has been participating in ad fraud since at least early June. 

The Next Web reports that the malware, named Joker, is designed to sign users up for subscription services, as well as stealing information from consumer phones – including their contact lists and text messages. The cybersecurity firm CSIS Security Group found 24 Android apps that contained the malware – and these have all been downloaded more than hundreds of thousands of times. The operators of Joker’s software went after people in 37 different countries.

Joker was able to interact with ad networks and websites by silently signing users up for subscription services, ZDNet reports. In some cases, there were texts sent to premium numbers. In some instances, depending on the country the user was in, the malware could not be activated.

Some of the apps affected were Age Face, Beach Camera, Climate SMS, Great VPN, Ruddy SMS, Ignite Clean, Rapid Face Scanner and Spark Wallpaper. See the complete list on The Next Web.

The origin of the malware is unknown, but it has been reported that some coding of the bot indicated that the developers could be in China. Google has since detected and removed all of the apps from the Google Play store. Google has had other incidents of apps with malware in the Play store in years past, but it continues to be an issue as hackers become more sophisticated.

High Netflix Usage = Higher Internet Bill?

With cord cutting on the rise, more and more people make the switch every day from cable to streaming services. However, what people may not realize is that this may come with a hidden cost. Most internet providers give everyone a terabyte of data for internet usage a month. There are higher plans available, however, they do tend to cost a LOT more.

If you remember cell phone data limits, these are a lot alike. You have a cap that you’re allowed to use, and anything over, you owe the company extra money. If you are a Comcast/Xfinity user, and you have hit your data cap, you know that they have a two-month grace for their data cap. The LA Times reports that Comcast has actually raised their limit – to more than three times its former limit – in 2016.

This all stems from the outcry of one customer – James Wright. He bought a 4K TV and has the Netflix 4K plan, and then found out that his internet bill was through the roof after he hit his data cap. Wright is dubbed a ‘power user’ of his internet, and the number of power users is on the rise. The number has doubled since last year, in fact. ISPs say that this number will continue to rise with the amount of cord cutting people are doing.

The data when using streaming services is a lot easier to go through at a time. It’s harder with one person, but if you have a 4K streaming plan, that does require more data to stream. Wright has noted that he has had to adjust his viewing habits or get hit with a $50 fee for using all of his data. While other ISPs have data caps, some do not, but they are few and far between. The smart play is for streamers to understand their internet plan and their viewing habits to choose the best combination for their budget.

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