Hearst Janitor Helps Writer Land a Job at Esquire Magazine
@EnewellJones: "All of my friends know the story of my arrival at Esquire, but I wish to share it today, because it makes me happy. It's a story about how much strangers can impact another stranger's life. A janitor changed everything for me. He doesn’t even know he...
Conde Nast Video Staffer Suspension Hints of Suppression
Business Insider: Bon Appétit video editor Matt Hunziker returned to work last week, after being suspended in June over internal "concerns." However, Conde Nast employees believe Hunziker's social media posts, which were critical of the publisher, led to his...
Meredith CEO ‘Sticks with Print’ Amid September Declines
CNN: InStyle magazine's September issue is expected to bring in less revenue than usual. Luxury, fashion and retail ad spending has "slowed considerably." But that doesn't necessarily spell doom for the future of print magazines or the September issues. "There's still...
Hearst, Conde: Will Readers Pay for Digital Post Pandemic?
Freeport Press: Whether interest in paid digital content continues once we all "get back out there" is unknown. It depends a great deal on how well publishers build and maintain that all-important connection to their readers. What worked last year or last month might...
Ebony Magazine’s Creditors Duel Businessman Over Assets
Bloomberg: Now 75 years old, Ebony magazine is a shell of its former self. It hasn't published a print edition since spring 2019, and weeks after its CEO was ousted following an internal review, creditors filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition with the goal to...
Newsweek Apologizes But Doesn’t Retract ‘Birther’ Column
Mediaite: After three days and a shout-out from President Trump, Newsweek apologized for publishing a birther-echoing column falsely questioning Kamala Harris’s eligibility to serve as vice president. The editors apologized in a note inserted at the top of the column,...
News Corp Aussie Cartoon of Biden, Harris is Called Racist
Reuters: A cartoon in Australia’s biggest national newspaper drew condemnation as being racist for portraying Joe Biden describing his new running mate, Kamala Harris, as "this little brown girl." The cartoon was by Johannes Leak in Rupert Murdoch's The Australian...
Apple Plans ViacomCBS Services in Discount Video Bundle
Bloomberg: Apple plans to bundle access to CBS All Access and Showtime content at a discounted price for subscribers to its TV+ video service, starting as early as Monday. Bloomberg: Apple is readying a series of lower-priced subscription bundles of digital...
Epic Games Sues Apple, Google Amid Mobile Payment Flap
USA Today: A battle appears to be brewing between tech titans Apple and Google and wildly popular game "Fortnite." Epic Games, publisher of "Fortnite," is making the first major challenge to Apple's App Store. At issue is how players pay for weapon and outfit upgrades...
Google’s YouTube is No 1 for ‘Media Responsibility’ in Social
Wall Street Journal: The first quarterly report from IPG Mediabrands ranks YouTube No. 1 for what it calls media responsibility, giving it the highest cumulative score across 10 areas such as the handling of hate speech, measures against misinformation and...
Disney Preps Kitchy ‘Star Wars’ Streaming Holiday Special
USA Today: With a new holiday special, "Star Wars" is tapping into its kitschy yuletide past with irreverence and "A Christmas Carol" style. Premiering Nov. 17 on the Disney+ streaming service, "The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special" echoes a special that first aired on...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia CEO Admits Mistake in HBO Branding
Deadline: In an interview with CNBC, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar addresses the launch of HBO Max, concedes a "mistake" with HBO branding, and compares Max with Disney's and NBCUniversal's streaming efforts. "We're in a really good position,” Kilar says of HBO...
Comcast Studio Leads Safety Protocols for New Productions
New York Times: Big movie studios, under pressure to get productions running again, are focusing on overseas shooting. Leading the way is Universal, with "Jurassic World" and a 107-page safety manual. Its safety protocols are serving as a model for other...
Hollywood Film, TV Shoots Face ‘New Austerity’ in Covid Era
Washington Post: Interviews with Hollywood execs, writers, agents and producers suggest a dramatically transformed world of screen entertainment. Until a vaccine comes along, the coronavirus will dramatically change what Americans see in movies and...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia ‘Succession’ Star Reveals Coronavirus
Daily Mail: Brian Cox has revealed he contracted coronavirus. The actor, 74, says he believes he caught the virus while working in London before Christmas. Cox says he unknowingly carried the virus and only discovered he had the antibodies after visiting his...
Fox Corp News Star’s New Book Debuts as No 1 Best-Seller
Fox News: Sean Hannity's "Life Free or Die: America (and the World) on the Brink" debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list for nonfiction on Wednesday. Hannity edged Mary Trump's "Too Much and Never Enough," which ranked No. 2 on the...
Verizon Media’s HuffPost Asks Trump About Regretting Lies
HuffPost: President Trump was asked if he regrets all the lies he's told to the American people. He skipped the question. HuffPost senior White House correspondent S.V. Dáte posed the question during Thursday's coronavirus task-force briefing: "Do you regret at all...
Vice Media Appoints Drag Queen to Role at Creative Agency
Adweek: Vice Media creative agency Virtue has promoted Genie Gurnani to executive creative director for the Americas region. Gurnani is also a drag queen who recently starred in the reality series "Drag Race Thailand." Gurnani is focused on bringing a "spirit of...
Verizon-Hearst’s Complex Probes Workplace as Exec Leaves
Business Insider: The head of human resources for Complex Networks, who was placed on leave in June, has left the company. Jay Salim was put on leave along with Arman Singh Walia, senior director of social media, after a former employee accused both executives of...
Tribune Publishing Licenses Ad Tech from Washington Post
MediaPost: Tribune Publishing will license the Washington Post's revenue platform Zeus Technology to optimize ad performance and delivery. Tribune migrated to WaPo's Arc Publishing platform in 2017. Now, the publisher will leverage Zeus's programmatic tech stack and...
New York Times Expands Role for Co-Writer of ‘1619 Project’
Talking Biz News: For the past five years, Jazmine Hughes has been an innovative editor at the New York Times Magazine, helping to launch Mag Labs. Now, she will be taking on a new role where she will be writing full time, both for the Magazine and for Metro....
Meredith Tallies Covid Hit on Ad Revenues, People Magazine
WWD: Coronavirus-related advertising cancellations and delays wiped an estimated $136 million off People owner Meredith's fourth-quarter revenues, but there are tentative signs that some companies are starting to spend again. Meredith is not alone in suffering a fall...
Conde Nast, Hearst Opt Out of Reporting British Circulation
Campaign: Conde Nast, Hearst, Future and Reach are among the magazine publishers that have opted not to report their half-year circulation figures because of the impact of coronavirus. Says Hearst: "We plan to deliver an annual release in February next year, which...
Hearst’s T&C Lauds Disney, Murdoch Heirs as ‘Resistocrats’
Jezebel: Town & Country magazine's September issue brings us the "Resistocrats," the liberal descendants of the traditionally Republican titans of industry. "A new generation of heirs are leveraging their legacies and defying dynasties — for the common good," the...
Bustle Digital Expands Into Print with Revival of W Magazine
New York Times: W magazine, the oversized fashion title, is changing hands again. Now to be known as W Media, its new operating partner will be Bustle Digital Group, a web company, along with a group of investors that includes producer Jason Blum and 18-year-old model...
AT&T, Disney, Comcast Kick Off ‘Great Reckoning’ in Media
Hollywood Reporter: August may go down as the time when shit got really real in Hollywood. Changes underway in the industry were accelerated by a global pandemic, and suddenly giants were rushing to transform structures and slash jobs. "It's the great reckoning...
Disney CEO Uses Pandemic to Accelerate Digital Transition
Bloomberg: Bob Chapek is using the Covid-19 crisis to transform Disney much faster than expected, all with an eye toward making the company an online juggernaut that reaches far more people worldwide. "He's going to be looking in every corner where they can save...
ViacomCBS’s Expansion or Sale Depends on Shari Redstone
CNBC: Sumner Redstone, who died this week at 97, built a sprawling media empire out of the movie theater chain founded by his father. It's now his daughter Shari Redstone's decision whether she wants to keep it. In today's world, ViacomCBS is competing against...
Liberty Global in Surprise $7.4 Billion Deal for Swiss Sunrise
Reuters: John Malone's Liberty Global plans to take over Switzerland's Sunrise Communications in a surprise $7.4 billion deal announced by the companies on Wednesday. The deal is the latest sign of consolidation in the telecom industry as companies try to ramp up tech...
AT&T in Talks for Sale of WarnerMedia’s Crunchyroll to Sony
The Information: AT&T is in discussions to sell WarnerMedia's Japanese anime-streaming service Crunchyroll to Sony. But the $1.5 billion price is a sticking point. The deal could strengthen Sony's position in the niche market, as it already owns a rival anime...