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...
Facebook Threatens to Depart Europe Over Regulations
Vice News: Facebook is threatening to pack up and go home if European regulators don't back down and let the social network get its way. Facebook says a decision by Ireland's Data Protection Commission would force the company to leave 410 million people who use...
Microsoft Buys Game Publisher ZeniMax for $7.5 Billion
TheStreet: Microsoft says it has agreed to the takeover of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks that values the maker of "Fallout" and "The Elder Scrolls" at around $7.5 billion. Microsoft will purchase ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5...
Hollywood Studios, Unions Agree to Rules for Pandemic
Los Angeles Times: Hollywood studios and entertainment unions are agreeing to a new set of safety protocols and pay for television and film crew should they become infected with Covid-19 while working. All union employees will receive 10 days of Covid paid sick leave,...
Fox Corp News Show Returns to Studio with Distancing
Forbes: For the first time since mid-March, the hosts of Fox News Channel's "The Five" are all in the same place at the same time, rather than arrayed across the scene in five separate boxes from five different locations. "We're excited to be back together...
Comcast’s New Activist Investor Talks with Management
Wall Street Journal: Trian Fund Management, a hedge fund known for pushing big companies to make operational and other changes, is launching an activist campaign against Comcast. in a bet that the cable-TV and entertainment giant's stock is undervalued....
Disney’s ABC Sees Record Low Ratings for ‘Pandemmys’
Associated Press: The novelty of television stars getting Emmy Awards delivered to their homes wasn't enough to keep the annual show from slipping further in popularity. Nielsen says 6.1 million people watched the Emmys on Sunday night, down from 6.9 million in...
ViacomCBS Makes Shift in ‘Schitt’s Creek’ After Emmys
Deadline: On the heels of its history-making Emmy wins Sunday, "Schitt's Creek" is heading to Comedy Central. The Pop TV series will premiere October 2 on its sister ViacomCBS network. Pop and Comedy Central are both part of ViacomCBS's Entertainment and Youth...
Fox Corp Eyes $2 Billion Spend to Keep Sunday Football
Bloomberg: Fox Corp is willing to spend as much as $2 billion a year to maintain its rights to National Football League games on Sundays, a huge increase from its current contract. Fox has to fend off other broadcasters, which also want to air high-profile...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Promises a ‘New Chapter’ at ‘Ellen’
Associated Press: Ellen DeGeneres is addressing allegations of a toxic work environment at her daytime talk show, apologizing for things "that never should have happened." "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" started its 18th season in Los Angeles with the host on stage for the...
Comcast’s Peacock Goes Live on Roku After Dispute Ends
Philadelphia Inquirer: Comcast's Peacock streaming service is now available on Roku devices after months of wrangling that spilled into public view last week. The agreement gives the fledgling Peacock access to a market leader in streaming media players....
Quibi Meets Potential Buyer as Streamer Mulls Fire Sale
Wall Street Journal: Streaming service Quibi is exploring several strategic options including a possible sale, as the company struggles to sign up subscribers in a competitive online-video marketplace. Recode: Quibi already pitched at least one potential acquirer in...
ByteDance, Oracle at Loggerheads Over Deal for TikTok
Reuters: ByteDance and Oracle are issuing conflicting statements on over the terms of an agreement they reached with the White House over the weekend to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, casting doubt on President Trump's preliminary blessing...
Nexstar Lands Trump for WGN America’s ‘News Nation’
Robert Feder: Will an exclusive White House interview with President Trump help jump-start the ratings for "News Nation"? Trump has agreed to tape a one-on-one interview Tuesday morning with Joe Donlon, news anchor for the national cable news...
Sun Rebrands Florida Radio Station as ‘Trump Country’
Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers FM rock station WXNX abruptly switched formats to country music, with a new "Trump Country" format. It's unclear how the change will fit with Federal Communications Commission rules about political content and...
News Corp’s Dow Jones Pursues More Decision Makers
TalkingBizNews: Dow Jones & Co., the parent of the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch and Barron's, believes it has plenty of room for growth. More than 90 million "decision makers" in the United States aren't yet customers. "We are unlike any other business," says...
Conde Nast Announces New Editor for Vogue’s Website
WWD: Chioma Nnadi is beginning the week in a new job, with Vogue boss Anna Wintour informing staffers that she's been appointed editor of Vogue.com. Nnadi takes the helm from Stuart Emmrich, who revealed in June that he was stepping down after less than a year in the...
Los Angeles Times in Spotlight After Summer Scandals
Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles Times executive editor Norman Pearlstine, under fire for the turmoil at the newspaper, admits mistakes and defends his record. He says he is not stepping down but hopes to soon accelerate succession planning with the paper's...
Alphabet Reverts to Using Human Moderators at YouTube
Financial Times: Google's YouTube is reverting to using more human moderators to vet harmful content after the machines it relied on during lockdown proved to be overzealous censors of its video platform. Almost 11 million were taken down between April and June,...