Tribune Apologizes for Fake Offer in Staff Phishing Test
Washington Post: There are few places in media where the dangling of a phony bonus would receive a worse reception than at Tribune Publishing. Employees of the newspaper colossus have been subjected to furloughs, pay cuts andthe closure of their shared...
Washington Post Details Reporting on Hacked Materials
Vanity Fair: Top editor Marty Baron outlined five "principles for covering potential hacked or leaked material ahead of the election," in a memo to the Washington Post newsroom. Baron urged his journalists to slow down in handling leaks and beware of echoing...
Penske Media Rounds Up Hollywood Trade Publications
Next TV: The owners of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter announced a joint venture that effectively merges the two oldest and biggest show business trade publications, housing them in a joint venture controlled by Variety owner Penske...
Conde Nast Names New Editor at LGBTQ+ Digital Brand
Fashion Week Daily: Whembley Sewell has been promoted to editor in chief of Conde Nast’s online magazine Them. In her new role, Sewell will continue to expand the brand's creation of content for the queer community. Sewell was most recently executive...
Time Magazine’s 100 ‘Influential’ TV Special Disappoints
Showbiz411: Not many people watched the "Time 100" special on ABC Tuesday night. Just 2.4 million, actually, tuned in from 10-11 pm ET. The "Time 100" tried to turn Time magazine's long-moribund special edition magazine into a TV awards...
Chicago Sun-Times Editor Exits for Digital News Startup
Chicago Sun-Times: Chris Fusco, the top editor at the Chicago Sun-Times, says he is leaving the publication to begin work at a media startup in California that aims to rejuvenate local news. Fusco will become the founding executive editor at Lookout...
Vox Media Journalist Joins the Big Jump to Newsletters
New York Times: Casey Newton announced that he was leaving The Verge, the website where he has covered the tech industry since 2013, to write a subscription newsletter hosted by Substack, a three-year-old platform that is growing in...
Harold Evans, Journalist Legend, Dies in New York at 92
Reuters: Sir Harold Evans died on Wednesday of congestive heart failure in New York, according to his wife, Tina Brown. A former editor of Britain's Sunday Times and, at his death, Reuters editor-at-large, Evans put a unique stamp on investigative...
Facebook to Restrict Use if Election Descends Into Chaos
Financial Times: Facebook says it will take aggressive and exceptional measures to "restrict the circulation of content" on its platform if the US presidential election descends into chaos or violent civic unrest. "There are some break-glass options available to...
Fox Corp’s App to Let Users Bet on Presidential Debates
Deadline; Fox Bet Super 6, a free-to-play app where users make predictions about what they think will happen, is adding presidential politics to its offerings. A $25,000 pool of prize money is guaranteed to be given away after the Sept. 29...
Disney’s ABC ‘World News’ Emerges as Top US Newscast
Axios: For the first time in 24 years, ABC's "World News Tonight," anchored by David Muir, won the season as the No. 1 newscast in total viewers, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49. Muir's dinnertime newscast out-delivered primetime, daytime, morning, late-night and...
Comcast Eyes Streaming in Big Rethink at NBCUniversal
New York Post: NBCUniversal, which owns cable networks like Bravo, E!, USA and Syfy, is overhauling its entertainment division to focus on video streaming. Wall Street Journal: New CEO Jeff Shell is centralizing decision-making and slimming down the cable unit....
ViacomCBS to Rebrand Paramount TV in Shift to Movies
Variety: Paramount Network plans to move out of long form series television and instead focus its efforts on made-for-TV movies featuring big name stars. To that end, the network will be rebranded as the Paramount Movie...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Sees Departure of Marketing Chief
Deadline: Chris Spadaccini, who spent two decades at HBO and became WarnerMedia Entertainment's chief marketing officer in 2019, is exiting the company. His departure comes as WarnerMedia continues to undergo significant reshaping at the direction of CEO Jason...
Disney Preps Weekly Rollout of Products from Streaming
MarketWatch: Disney and Lucasfilm have teamed up for "Mando Mondays," a weekly release of new product tied to the blockbuster Disney+ series "The Mandalorian." New products, games and more will be introduced each Monday starting on Oct. 26 until Dec. 21....
Samsung Brings TV Streaming Service to Mobile Phones
Protocol: After turning Samsung TV Plus into a success story on smart TVs, Samsung is launching the service on some of its latest mobile phones this week. People who own a Galaxy Note20, Galaxy S20, Galaxy Note10 or Galaxy S10 will be able to access TV Plus on their...
Quibi Founder Sells Mansion to Co-Founder of WhatsApp
Variety: Jeffrey Katzenberg has electrified LA's luxury real estate market by inking a deal to sell his custom-built Beverly Hills home for $125 million in cash. That figure represents the third-largest residential transaction ever closed in...
Univision Investor Boosts Support for Biden, Democrats
CNBC: Haim Saban says that he and his wife, Cheryl, plan to ramp up their campaign spending up and down the ballot to back Joe Biden and Democrats with just six weeks until Election Day. "We are going to continue pushing and doing everything that's asked of us and...
Bloomberg Founder Raises Millions to Help Felons Vote
Axios: Michael Bloomberg has raised over $16 million to help felons pay outstanding fines and fees to regain their voting rights in Florida. A 2018 state constitutional amendment in Florida allows for felons who have completed their sentences to regain their voting...
iHeartMedia to Unveil Hillary Clinton Podcast This Month
CNN: Hillary Clinton's new podcast will be released later this month and focus on topics ranging from political issues to popular culture to the coronavirus pandemic. The first episode of Clinton's podcast, called "You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton," is due Sept....
SiriusXM Inks New Multi-Platform Deal with Kevin Hart
Associated Press: SiriusXM.has entered a new multi-platform deal with Kevin Hart and his comedy network Laugh Out Loud. The comedian-actor will host regular and live programs on his channel, while expanding comedic programming that includes podcasts and...
IAC’s Dotdash Acquires Two Digital Publishers in Food
Axios: Dotdash, the IAC-owned digital publishing company that grew from About.com, has acquired two new digital publishers, Simply Recipes and Serious Eats. The acquisitions make Dotdash one of the biggest digital food and beverage...
Playboy Plots Expansion Into Sexual-Wellness Business
New York Post: Playboy is in talks with Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp, a blank check company headed by Chinese national Suying Liu, that would enable the once-iconic brand to return as a publicly traded outfit. A key ambition would be to expand into sexual wellness...
Conde Nast’s Wired Employees Strike Over Union Delay
iT Wire: Journalists at Wired have walked off the job to protest against the delay by owner Conde Nast in allowing staff to form a union. "It's been a hard, helter-skelter time," says senior editor Anthony Lydgate. "But we've continued to do the quality work Wired is...
Penske Names Digital Alum as Editor of Variety Website
Variety: William Earl has been named editor of Variety's website, overseeing online editorial operations for the venerable entertainment business news brand. Earl's appointment comes as Variety is expanding its digital activities beyond its core focus of breaking news...
New York Times Taps Murdoch Expat as Media Reporter
Talking Biz News: Katie Robertson has been named a media reporter at the New York Times. Previously, she held the post of senior staff editor, business desk at the Times. She has also worked for Bloomberg as a news editor and was a reporter at News Corp...
Time Magazine Reveals ‘Influential’ List with TV Special
WABC: ABC brought the annual Time 100 list of the world's most influential people to life on Tuesday night. For the first time since the iconic list's inception, viewers got an entertainment-filled inside look at the leaders, creators and everyday heroes comprising...
The Nation Reduces Frequency Amid Debut of Redesign
MediaPost: The Nation will unveil a redesigned print magazine, with a new look and logo, in the October 5/12, 2020 edition. The print magazine will reduce its publishing schedule from weekly to twice a month, with 20% more pages per...
Digiday Editor Departs to Begin Newsletter About Media
Talking Biz News: Brian Morrissey, the editor and president at Digiday, is leaving the company at the end of the month. "I'm proud we built a global brand based on honesty with a sustainable business." Morrissey plans to start a newsletter on the rebooting of...
Apple CEO Talks Antitrust Issues, Remote Work, Trump
MacRumors: Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at The Atlantic Festival where he discussed privacy, antitrust issues, remote work, and his relationship with President Trump. Cook described his talks with Trump as "private conversations" and declined to reveal what has been...