Verizon-Hearst’s Complex Appoints New Editor in Chief
Billboard: Complex Networks has named a new editor-in-chief to oversee its news and editorial operations: Maurice Peebles, who will take over the job beginning Oct. 5. Peebles, who most recently was digital editor-in-chief at SportsNet New York for two years, replaces...
Hearst Spends Millions on Real Estate in San Francisco
San Francisco Business Journal: Hearst is spending $52 million to buy a leased office building in San Francisco, as the media giant goes bullish on commercial real estate in the city. Hearst and developer JMA Ventures plan to transform a 13-story office building at 5...
Thomson Reuters Gives Staffers Mental Health Day Off
Talking Biz News: "At Thomson Reuters, we intend to place increased long-term focus on mental health," says CEO Steve Hasker. "So I am happy to announce that all associates who are currently eligible for company holidays will be given a Mental Health Day...
Conde Nast Preps New Recipe for Video at Bon Appétit
Business Insider: Plans for Bon Appétit's comeback video are coming together. The food magazine's popular video channel has not released new content since June 5. The comeback video is not expected to be released until October and will likely feature three new...
Meredith Lays Off 180 Staffers Amid Covid Ad Declines
WWD: People magazine publisher Meredith has laid off 180 staffers. The Des Moines, Iowa-based publisher confirmed that 50 staffers had been laid off at its national media group, which includes brands such as People, InStyle and Entertainment...
Lee Enterprises Cuts Jobs at North Carolina Newspapers
Indy Week: North Carolina journalism has taken a hit with major layoffs at the Greensboro News & Record and the Winston-Salem Journal. The cuts were issued by parent company Lee Enterprises, which publishes 75 daily newspapers. The papers just changed hands in...
Media Recruiters Say Industry Hiring Starting to Pick Up
Business Insider: Headhunters say their media clients -- from early-stage startups to large conglomerates -- are starting to hire again, even amid the economic uncertainty. But many are also looking outside of media, to industries like technology, fintech, or...
BuzzFeed Deletes Email Accusing Staffer of Harassment
Daily Beast: Someone earlier this week emailed dozens of BuzzFeed staffers alleging harassment by one of their co-workers. Less than a day later, the email was gone from all company inboxes, leaving staff confused and disturbed. "We have not corroborated the...
Amazon’s Music Service Expands Into Original Podcasts
Wall Street Journal: Amazon's music service is launching into podcasting, becoming the latest entrant to the rapidly expanding medium. While the company is joining a competitive field, executives say the service can tack differently from rivals -- as it has with music...
Facebook Teams with Ray-Ban Maker on Smart Glasses
CNBC: Facebook is unveiling a partnership with Luxottica, the maker of Ray-Ban, to release its first pair of smart glasses in 2021. "I can’t go into full product details yet," says Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, "but they’re really the next step on the road to...
Twitter Altered Video of Biden Circulates Despite Label
Associated Press: A video altered to make it appear as though Joe Biden played a song disparaging the police was viewed more than 4.5 million times on Twitter by Wednesday afternoon, its spread fueled by President Trump, who tweeted it —...
Report: Engagement Soaring with Video, Social Content
Ad Age: People are engaging with publisher videos and influencer content during the pandemic like never before. The clicks, comments and shares are rising much faster than the views. People working or schooling from home appear to feel much freer to comment or...
AT&T’s Tepid ‘Tenet’ Stirs Worries at Hollywood Studios
New York Times: People aren't returning to the movies at anywhere close to the numbers that Hollywood hoped, and things are not expected to improve in the near term. Studios are postponing big movies again. Some analysts have started to re-sound alarm bells about the...
Fox Corp to Lay Off About 100 ‘Lowest-Paid’ Employees
Showbiz411: Fox News is starting a round of layoffs by firing the most vulnerable, nicest group in the building: hair and make-up. This group of mostly women were the friendliest and lowest paid at 1211 Avenue of the Americas. From now on, only on-air talent will get...
News Corp Shuts Down Printing Plant That Employs 500
Wall Street Journal: News Corp is closing its printing plant in the Bronx and moving the publication of several of its newspapers based in New York City to Queens. News Corp didn't release financial details of the move but says there would be job...
Bloomberg Media Plans Big Relaunch of News Streamer
Hollywood Reporter: Bloomberg Media hopes to get ahead of linear TV's decline, relaunching its QuickTake video service Nov. 9 with 100 dedicated staffers as a global, 24-hour streaming service. "We are creating in some ways the first post-Covid business network," says...
Axel Springer’s Insider to Unveil News Hub in Singapore
Digiday: The publisher of Business Insider is announcing this week the launch of a news bureau in Singapore, kicking off with four reporters and a salesperson. The global hub will publish English-language content. The publisher opened its London bureau in 2014, where...
New York Times to Join Facebook in Augmented Reality
Axios: The New York Times and Facebook are entering a multi-year partnership to co-develop augmented reality filters and effects on Instagram that help users access and contextualize New York Times journalism. The Times is building a dedicated "AR Lab"...
Washington Post, Financial Times Team for Digital Offer
MediaPost: The Washington Post and Financial Times are teaming up to attract new readers. From now through October 8, readers who purchase a Washington Post subscription will get three months of the Financial Times included. The bundle subscriptions range from $39 to...
Conde Nast Hires News Corp Veteran for Role in Digital
MediaPost: David Kaufman, the founding editor in chief of News Corp's news aggregator Knewz.com, will become the new digital director of Architectural Digest. He has also worked at the New York Times, New York Post and...
Meredith Magazine Star Launches Own Production Firm
Deadline: Ayesha Curry is unveiling her own TV and film production company, Sweet July Productions. Curry is continuing to expand her entrepreneurial empire, including the recently released lifestyle magazine, Sweet July Magazine, which will publish its second issue...
Forbes Top Editor Gets Doxxed on Twitter by Kanye West
Business Insider: Kanye West tweeted the phone number of a top editor at Forbes — an action known as "doxxing" that violates Twitter policies. The tweet called the editor a "white supremacist" and invited West's fans to call him. Talking Biz News: A Forbes veteran...
Bustle Digital CEO Hints of Another Relaunch of Gawker
The Information: "Gawker was not a very expensive bet for us," says Bustle Digital Group CEO Bryan Goldberg. "We paid a little over a million dollars to buy it. I do think we will relaunch it in the future. I still believe in the brand. The fact that the first attempt...
TheSkimm Kicks Off New Coverage of Health, Wellness
WWD: The Skimm is launching Skimm Well, a new content vertical focused on assisting women to navigate and prioritize their physical and mental health. "The world as we know it has turned upside down, putting unprecedented stressors on millennial...
Newsstands, Print Media Matter in Digital Age, Fans Say
Financial Times: Even in the thick of the digital revolution, landmark newspaper and magazine covers are still a major event. When the New York Times ran its 100,000 Covid deaths cover, all copies at one Manhattan newsstand were gone by 9 am. "People want more than...
Apple Unveils Subscription Bundle of Music, TV, Games
CNET: Apple's new service bundle, Apple One, will bring together different combinations of subscriptions including Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus, storage service iCloud and the newly revealed Apple Fitness Plus under one...
Microsoft’s xCloud Looks to Become ‘Netflix of Gaming’
CNBC: Microsoft's new game streaming service, Project xCloud, is now available on Android phones and tablets. It competes directly with Google's Stadia, which launched last year. Think of xCloud as the "Netflix of gaming." The service may help attract casual...
Amazon to Sell High-End Fashion in New ‘Luxury Stores’
Fox Business: Now you can order couture from the same place you get groceries, dog food and furniture. Amazon has confirmed the launch of Luxury Stores, its high-end online shop devoted to designer fashion and beauty brands. Luxury Stores is available by invitation...
Facebook Buys Retailer’s Headquarters Outside Seattle
Seattle Times: Facebook will buy REI's so-new-it’s-never-been-used Bellevue campus for nearly $368 million. Facebook, which opened its first Puget Sound office in 2010 with three engineers, now employs 5,000 workers in Seattle, Bellevue and...
ByteDance’s TikTok to Become Standalone US Company
Financial Times: ByteDance will place TikTok's global business in a new US-based company with Oracle investing as a minority shareholder, according to a plan presented to US officials to avoid a ban of the popular video app by President...