Amazon CEO’s Ex-Wife Remarries to School Teacher
Wall Street Journal: MacKenzie Scott, the philanthropist formerly married to Jeff Bezos, has married again following her 2019 divorce from the Amazon founder. Scott, one of the world's wealthiest women, has married Dan Jewett, a science teacher at a Seattle private...
Facebook Faces US Probe for ‘Systemic’ Racial Bias
Reuters: A US agency investigating Facebook for racial bias in hiring and promotions has designated the probe as "systemic." Such a probe means the agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, suspects company policies may be contributing to widespread...
Netflix Inks Record Global Deal at European Market
Deadline: Netflix's big spending at the virtual European Film Market is continuing with a mighty worldwide pre-buy of around $55 million for Christian Bale Gothic horror-thriller "The Pale Blue Eye," which will reunite the actor with director Scott Cooper. The deal...
Disney Gets OK to Reopen Theme Park in California
USA Today: Disneyland will be allowed to reopen at limited capacity on April 1, in accordance with new rules announced Friday as part of an update to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy." California divides its counties into four color-coded...
Comcast Cuts 130 NBCUniversal Staffers in Revamp
WWD: The shakeout at NBCUniversal is not yet done as it focuses increasingly on streaming entertainment and news. So far this year, the conglomerate has laid off 130 employees working in and around Los Angeles, according to filings with the state of California. The...
ViacomCBS Wins Applause for Oprah-Harry-Meghan
New York Times: For viewers to come together in this age and for television at an appointed time — interrupted by commercials even! — requires a high bar. The ratings aren't in, but many watchers were reminded of the skill, empathy and just all-around mastery of...
Fox Corp Braces for Upheaval as Murdoch Turns 90
The Economist: Lachlan Murdoch is said to have "stars in his eyes" and wants to build the family empire back up through acquisitions. But on Rupert Murdoch's death, control of the family trust will pass to his four eldest children. James, who now has little to do with...
AT&T’s CNN, New York Times Plan Murdoch Project
Bloomberg: CNN and the New York Times are collaborating on a multipart documentary series about Rupert Murdoch, turning a lens on one of the most influential media executives of the past half-century. Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg, who profiled the Murdoch media...
Nexstar Staffers Exit as Ratings Dip for ‘NewsNation’
New York Times: Six months after its debut, "NewsNation" has abysmal ratings and disaffected staff members who say it has not lived up to its billing. In recent weeks, the news director and managing editor have resigned. Six people at the network, who spoke on the...
Twitter CEO Nabs $2.5 Million Offer in Sale of Tweet
CNBC: Jack Dorsey appears to be offering to sell the very first tweet as a non-fungible token, or NFT. The Twitter CEO shared a link Friday afternoon to a platform called "Valuables," where his March 21, 2006 tweet "just setting up my twttr" was up for bidding. The...
Reddit Steps Toward IPO by Naming Financial Chief
Bloomberg: Reddit, one of the world's most popular internet forums, appointed Drew Vollero as its first chief financial officer, taking a step closer toward an initial public offering. Vollero led Snap's IPO preparations when he served as CFO at the social media...
Conde Nast Taps Axios Reporter to Edit Teen Vogue
New York Times: Alexi McCammond, a political reporter at Axios, will be the next editor in chief of Teen Vogue. McCammond, 27, made her name covering the 2018 midterm elections and Joe Biden's presidential campaign for Axios, a site known for its punchy Beltway...
Hearst, Conde Magazine Industry Veteran Dies at 68
WWD: Former longtime Departures editor Richard David Story died Friday in New York City at age 68. A consummate media insider, Story spent his career orbiting through some of the more influential magazines. In addition to his tenure at Departures, Story worked at...
Advance Newspaper Ex-Editor Newhouse Dies at 65
New York Times: David Newhouse, a member of a powerful publishing family, drove his Pennsylvania newspaper's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the child sex abuse scandal at Penn State. Newhouse died on Wednesday at a hospital in Hanover, N.H. He was...
News Corp British Tabloid Live Blogs Oprah Interview
The Sun: "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on US TV. In a sensational 'nothing off limits' conversation with America's biggest celebrity interviewer, the couple revealed explosive inside information about the Royal Family...
New York Times Columnist Steps Away from Institute
BuzzFeed News: David Brooks has resigned from his position at the Aspen Institute following a report about conflicts of interest between the star New York Times columnist and funders of a program he led for the think tank. "The current Opinion editors were unaware of...
Chicago Star Debuts as Uplifting Monthly Newspaper
Robert Feder: The Chicago Star has launched as a subscription-based monthly publication with a focus on "uplifting news." With an initial distribution of 30,000, it's a combination and expansion of former hyperlocal monthlies New Eastside News and Streeterville News,...
Drunken Canal Newspaper Among NYC ‘Quaranzines’
New York Times: The Drunken Canal is one of a handful of downtown New York media projects that have been sprouting in reaction to the dominance of giant online media. GQ: A new crop of small printed magazines are the cool alternative to starting a...
Facebook Finds Homeless Outside Its Headquarters
Los Angeles Times: Across the street from Facebook's headquarters, dozens of unsheltered people have made their home on a 60-acre plot of grassy land they shared with foxes, coyotes and other Silicon Valley wildlife. The encampment has existed for years, but started...
Google Eyes Lifting Trump’s Suspension on YouTube
Reuters: YouTube will lift its suspension on Donald Trump's channel when it determines the risk of real-world violence has decreased, said company CEO Susan Wojcicki. YouTube suspended Trump's channel for violating policies against inciting violence after the assault...
Amazon Seeks $1 Billion Rights Deal for NFL Games
CNBC: Amazon wants to be the NFL's exclusive producer of Thursday games starting in 2023, but the league may decide to keep certain games on the NFL Network and take less money from Amazon. Amazon is in talks with the league to pay about $1 billion for an entire...
ViacomCBS Shares Get a Big Spike from Paramount+
Bloomberg: ViacomCBS shares hit an all-time high Thursday morning after the launch of its rebranded flagship streaming service Paramount+, the company's relatively late attempt to prove it can compete with more-established players. The shares were up as much as 2.4%...
AT&T WarnerMedia CEO Sorry for Pandemic Remark
Mediaite: Jason Kilar told attendees at a virtual tech conference that the coronavirus pandemic is "really good" for ratings at CNN. "It turns out the pandemic is a pretty big part of the news cycle and that's not going away any time soon." Kilar later apologized for...
Fox Corp CEO Says News Channel Will Oppose Biden
NBC News: Lachlan Murdoch said it is the job of Fox News to serve as the opposition to the Biden administration, stating clearly the political biases of a network that until 2017 billed itself as "fair and balanced." Murdoch said Fox News stood to benefit from Biden's...
Comcast Hit with Claims of Sexism at Golf Channel
Washington Post: Lisa Cornwell, a former anchor and reporter for the NBC-owned Golf Channel, has alleged publicly being unfairly berated by male bosses, sidelined for standing up for colleagues and forced out for speaking up about her treatment. Her comments have...
ViacomCBS Readies Export of Oprah-Harry-Meghan
World Screen: ViacomCBS has lined up a slew of broadcasters around the world for its highly anticipated interview special featuring Oprah Winfrey in conversation with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry. The special is produced by Harpo Productions. The...
Square Deal with Jay-Z’s Tidal to Boost Blockchain?
Reuters: Payments firm Square agreed on Thursday to buy a majority stake in rapper Jay-Z's Tidal music streaming service for $297 million in a deal that could popularize blockchain or other new approaches to storing and buying online media. The tie-up "comes down to...
Clubhouse Inspires Formation of Group for Creators
New York Times: A new company called Audio Collective has launched to help build businesses on Clubhouse as brands rush to leverage the platform. Audio Collective, which announced its formation on Thursday, will offer event planning, brand consulting, and support and...
Gannett Inks Local Business Ad Pact with Snapchat
USA Today: Gannett said it has reached a deal with the owner of Snapchat to sell advertisements on the social messaging app. Gannett, which owns USA Today and more than 250 other daily publications as well as hundreds of weeklies, reached the deal with Snapchat parent...
Bloomberg Media Tests Paid Tiers for Virtual Events
Digiday: Bloomberg Media began testing paid event tiers with its annual "The Year Ahead" event in January. The company gave attendees three options: register for free to access live main stage sessions and Q&As, or sign up for one of two paid offerings. The $125...