Larry King, Legendary TV Talk Show Host, Dies at 87
CNN: Larry King, the longtime CNN host who became an icon through his interviews with countless newsmakers and his sartorial sensibilities, has died. He was 87. King hosted "Larry King Live" on CNN for over 25 years. He had been hospitalized with Covid-19 in late...
Google Bullies Australia, Pleases France Over News
Sidney Morning Herald: Google said it would shut off search in Australia if the government forces the internet giant to pay for news. Google is likely fearful the move could set a global precedent. France 24: In a first in Europe, Google and French publishers said...
Facebook Sends Trump Ban to New Oversight Board
Associated Press: Facebook is passing the buck for its indefinite suspension of former president Trump to a quasi-independent oversight board, setting up a major test of the recently established panel. The social media giant said that it believes it made the right...
Amazon Prime Show to Change After Outcry in India
Arab News: The cast and crew of a popular streaming series starring Bollywood megastar Saif Ali Khan have agreed to "implement changes" to the show after ruling party politicians accused it of insulting Hindu gods. The Amazon Prime drama "Tandav" — loosely compared to...
Netflix Age Upends Financing of Film, TV Production
Bloomberg Businessweek: For decades, movie stars and A-list directors have earned both a salary and a share of a movie's profits, often bolstered by how well a film performs in theaters. But the majority of movies that appear on streaming services don't get released...
AT&T, Disney Shake Up Relationships in Hollywood
Wall Street Journal: Streaming hit Hollywood fast. In its wake, the industry is racing to find a new way of doing business, rethinking who's in charge, how contracts are set up and how stars get paid. Studios are overturning their management ranks, empowering...
MGM to Delay New James Bond Film Until October
CNET: "No Time To Die," the latest entry into the storied James Bond franchise, was supposed to come out in 2020. Most recently it had a release date in April, but thanks to Covid-19 and its impact on cinema as a whole, the latest 007 film has a brand new release...
Comcast on Edge Amid Talk of Canceling Olympics
Associated Press: Organizers are pushing back against reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled. Now set to open July 23, the Tokyo Games were postponed 10 months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now the event appears threatened...
ViacomCBS to Roll Out Streamer Pluto TV in France
WorldScreen: ViacomCBS plans to bring Pluto TV to France, making it the first free ad-supported television service to debut in the country. Starting February 8, Pluto TV will be available on all major streaming devices. Its library will include content from both...
Snap CEO Splurges $30 Million on Mansion in Paris
New York Post: Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel and supermodel Miranda Kerr have shelled out a whopping $30,358,000 for a sensational Paris mansion. The property spans over 10,000 square feet with an additional 10,000 square feet of their very own private park. The...
iHeartMedia’s Podcast Awards Honor ‘Office Ladies’
Variety: The spirit of Dunder Mifflin was alive and well at the third annual iHeartRadio Podcast Awards, held Thursday night in a virtual online awards show. "Office Ladies," a podcast hosted by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey about NBC's "The Office," took home the...
Bloomberg Eyes Film, TV Projects with Help of WME
Hollywood Reporter: WME has signed business news agency Bloomberg Media for representation. WME will look to convert the global media brand's journalism and news franchises into film and TV projects for third-party platforms like subscription streaming services. Those...
Tribune Frets as Alden Vows to Rescue Newspapers
Financial Times: Alden Global Capital head Heath Freeman has been called "the Grim Reaper" and a "destroyer of newspapers." But he believes he is saving publications: "We've pretty much bought all of our newspapers out of bankruptcy or near that fate,” he said in an...
New York Times White House Subscription Returns
The Hill: President Biden's White House has renewed subscriptions to the New York Times and the Washington Post after former President Trump canceled them out of anger over how he was portrayed. A White House source said physical copies of both papers arrived on...
Conde Nast Workers Hold a Walkout at New Yorker
WWD: Members of The New Yorker's union, part of the NewsGuild of New York, staged a 24-hour virtual work stoppage Thursday over demands for fair wages and an equitable salary structure. The union represents around 100 editorial staffers at the magazine, including copy...
Meredith Names New Editor at Allrecipes Magazine
PR Newswire: Nichole Aksamit has been named editor in chief of Allrecipes, the bi-monthly magazine of the multi-platform food media brand for home cooks, effective immediately. Previously executive editor of Allrecipes, Aksamit will oversee the print editorial for the...
Bonnier Flip-Flops on Auction of Boating Magazines
New York Post: Bonnier, the Swedish media giant that early last year unveiled plans to sail away from most of the magazines it owns in the US, has suddenly reversed course and plans to hang onto its boating titles that include Yachting and Sailing World. At least...
Forbes to Hire More Journalists for Newsletter Effort
Business Insider: Forbes plans to hire 20 to 30 staff writers for its new Journalist Entrepreneurs program, which will launch subject-specific newsletters. They will split subscription revenue with Forbes 50-50, but won't own the intellectual property, since they are...
Survey: Traditional Media Trust Declines to New Low
Axios: For the first time ever, fewer than half of all Americans have trust in traditional media, according to data from Edelman's annual trust barometer. Trust in social media has hit an all-time low of 27%. Some 56% of Americans agree with the statement that...
Biden Calls Out News Media in Inauguration Speech
Poynter: White President Biden's inaugural speech touched on numerous topics, those who observe the media couldn't help but hear his subtle and not-so-subtle remarks about the media. Specifically, Biden called out the media who helped perpetuate the lies of Donald...
Amazon Offers to Help Biden with Rollout of Vaccine
Reuters: Amazon has offered to help with the US efforts involving the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a letter addressed to President Biden. The world's largest online retailer has an agreement with a healthcare provider to administer vaccines at its facilities and...
Facebook, Twitter to Face Big Changes, Experts Say
CNBC: Experts predict the banning of President Trump from social media platforms will force Facebook, Twitter and others to change. "These social media companies need to be dealt with as publishers," said former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya. "And I think at...
Netflix CEO Celebrates Subscriber Win with Denny’s
CNBC: Reed Hastings marked Netflix's 200 million subscriber milestone the same way he has celebrated company milestones in the past — by eating a steak from Denny's all by himself. In 2017, Hastings celebrated Netflix passing 100 million subscribers the same way. This...
Disney Chief Tweets Praise of New Presidential Team
Deadline: Bob Iger praised the incoming presidential team in a tweet late Wednesday. "Today was a great day in our nation, as President Biden & Vice President Harris assumed their roles with dignity, humility, a strong adherence to values & to the weighty...
Fox Corp News Host Nabs Last-Minute Trump Appeal
CNN: Fox News host Jeanine Pirro successfully lobbied former President Trump in an eleventh-hour effort to pardon her ex-husband in the final hours of Trump's presidency. Pirro was upset that her ex-husband, Albert J. Pirro Jr., wasn't on Trump's final pardon list...
iHeartMedia Radio Star Sticks to Conspiracy Theories
Mediaite: Rush Limbaugh churned out a series of conspiracy theories Wednesday regarding the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during a rant claiming that the new president did not legitimately win the 2020 election. The conservative radio host started by...
Report: US Consumers Scoff at Ad-Supported Media
MediaPost: The good news is that consumer time spent with media surged during 2020. The bad news is their share of time spent with media supported primarily by advertising dollars fell to its all-time low, according to a new report from PQ Media. The forecast shows...
Tribune in Hot Water Over Newspaper’s Unpaid Rent
Chicago Tribune: As the Chicago Tribune prepares to move from Prudential Plaza, the owner of the downtown office complex has sued the newspaper's parent company for $4.8 million in unpaid rent. Property owner Sterling Bay filed the lawsuit against Tribune Publishing...
Gannett to Beef Up Trump News Coverage in Florida
Poynter: With President Trump's departure from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida comes a new phase his news coverage — especially for the Palm Beach Post. "For much of South Florida, he has become a major story since he started running for...
News Corp Boosts Barron’s, MarketWatch in Europe
Press Gazette: Dow Jones has been building up its financial newsbrands MarketWatch and Barron's in the UK and Europe – where it hopes to make them as well-known as they are in the US. "We thought these two brands have probably been punching below their weight, so we...