Fox Corp Condemns ‘Horrific’ Behavior by News Employee
Fox News: Fox News Media immediately accepted the resignation of a staffer on Friday upon learning he made “deeply offensive racist, sexist and homophobic” comments online under a fictitious name. In a company-wide memo, Fox News warned colleagues that such behavior...
Disney’s ESPN Suspends Journo After Profane Email Leak
Fox News: ESPN suspended NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski a day after a profane email from him to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., was leaked to social media. Wojnarowski is arguably ESPN's most prominent reporter and breaks so much NBA news on Twitter that his messages have...
ViacomCBS’s MTV Blocks Ads from Racism, Protest News
Wall Street Journal: MTV has avoided advertising placements near articles about protests and unrest. The ViacomCBS-owned youth-oriented cable channel asked a leading publisher to avoid placing its ads in stories that mentioned words including "George Floyd," "Black...
Fox Corp Gets a Boost on YouTube from Algorithm Change
Bloomberg Businessweek: YouTube wanted to promote more "authoritative news" as its algorithms fed viewers conspiracy theories. But after the Google-owned video giant changed its algorithms in January 2019, YouTube found it accidentally gave prime billing to America's...
Amazon’s Audible Content Officer Exits After Just a Month
Bloomberg: About a month after Audible announced that Brad Schwartz would oversee its big push into original audio series, the executive has left the Amazon division. Audible reconsidered having Schwartz take over as the audio-book company’s chief content officer...
Facebook Mulls Political Ad Blackout Ahead of US Election
Bloomberg: Facebook is considering imposing a ban on political ads on its social network in the days leading up to the US election in November. The potential ban is still only being discussed and hasn’t yet been finalized. A halt on ads could defend against misleading...
Amazon: We Sent TikTok Ban Email to Employees in Error
Reuters: Amazon said it sent an email on Friday that requested employees remove the TikTok app from mobile devices that also had access to company emails in error. “There is no change to our policies right now with regard to...
Cumulus Cuts Jobs, Shutters News Network at Radio Giant
Radio Ink: Cumulus CEO Mary Berner has informed employees that 3% of the US radio giant's workforce is being eliminated and the Westwood One News Network will be shuttered. Westwood One's news product is heard on over 900 affiliates. so that’s going to leave stations...
Lupa Systems, from Murdoch, to Invest in Art Basel Owner
Bloomberg: James Murdoch plans to invest in ailing Art Basel organizer MCH Group, which has been hammered by delays and cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic. His investment company Lupa Systems will acquire a stake of 30% to 44%, Basel-based MCH Group said in...
News Corp Gets a Push for Changes at Wall Street Journal
New York Times: Staff members of the Wall Street Journal have been pressing newsroom leaders to make fundamental changes in how the newspaper covers race, policing, and its primary focus, the business world, along with other matters. The paper must "encourage more...
McClatchy Says Chatham is Winner in Bankruptcy Auction
Reuters: Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management’s bid succeeded in a court-supervised auction for bankrupt news publisher McClatchy, the news company said on Sunday. The Miami Herald publisher said Chatham’s proposed deal would help it exit Chapter 11 protection in the...
Meredith to Unveil Book Club for Kids at Parents Magazine
MediaPost: In Parents upcoming August issue, themed “Raise a Reader,” the title will debut a new list called “100 Books to Inspire Your Kids,” alongside new initiatives being launched, such as the Raising the Future Book Club. The issue includes tips on how to raise a...
Maven Touts First Transgender Model at Sports Illustrated
NBC Today: Sports Illustrated will feature its first openly transgender model for the magazine's annual swimsuit issue. Valentina Sampaio was named a 2020 rookie for the upcoming issue that hits stands on July 21. "I am excited and honored to be part of the iconic...
Disney in Clash Over Covid Tests as Florida Parks Reopen
Orlando Sentinel: The Actors' Equity Association has filed a grievance against Disney, accusing the company of retaliating against its members after the union argued that its theme park performers should be regularly tested for Covid-19 because it's difficult to wear...
Comcast’s Universal Denies Covid Shutdown of ‘Jurassic’
Screen Rant: "Jurassic World: Dominion" reportedly stopped filming on its very first day back, due to crew members testing positive for the coronavirus. But Universal Pictures has denied the shutdown: "Any reports [of a] halted production are categorically...
Fox Corp’s News Hosts Differ from Pundits on Face Masks
Daily Beast: Fox News contributor Dan Bongino declared this week that he "will not comply" with mandatory mask orders. The network that employs him as a paid pundit, meanwhile, has recently been airing ads urging viewers to wear face coverings to stem the spread of...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Expects to Hire New Ad Sales Chief
Adweek: Friday marks the one-year anniversary of the abrupt exit of Donna Speciale as WarnerMedia ad sales chief. But even more astonishing than the timing of her departure — just after she had wrapped 2019’s upfronts — is the fact that a full year later, the job...
Comcast’s MSNBC Announces Reid as Evening Show Host
Associated Press: Joy Reid says she wants to bring some different perspectives to MSNBC's evening lineup — lots of them. As anticipated, the host of MSNBC's weekend "AM Joy" show was appointed to succeed former "Hardball" host Chris Matthews in the 7 pm ET time slot...
Discovery Plans Martha at Home Show with Virtual Guests
Broadcasting & Cable: Martha Stewart will host "Martha Knows Best" on HGTV starting July 31, as she takes on outdoor projects at her home in Bedford, NY. Guest stars virtually popping up in these pandemic times include Jay Leno, Snoop Dogg, Richard Gere, and...
ViacomCBS Enters Deal to Lock Down Creator of ‘Younger’
World Screen: ViacomCBS has struck up an expansive overall production and development deal with Emmy-winner Darren Star. Star is the creator, executive producer and writer of TV Land's "Younger," in addition to iconic shows such as "Sex and the City" and "Beverly...
Comcast’s Peacock Likely to Debut Without Amazon, Roku
CNBC: NBCUniversal subscription video service Peacock is unlikely to reach an agreement with Amazon or Roku before it launches nationally on July 15. Without a deal, Roku and Amazon Fire TV users won't have access to Peacock...
Google’s YouTube Isn’t Required to Report on Film Pirates
Reuters: YouTube is not required to hand over the email or IP address of users who upload films illegally to its video platform, Europe's top court ruled, saying there must be a balance between protecting personal data and copyright. Rights holders may have access to...
Quibi: We Didn’t Lose 92 Percent of Our Early Subscribers
Bloomberg: Quibi says a report that it lost 92% of paying subscribers after their free trials expired is "incorrect by an order of magnitude." The company said 5.6 million people downloaded the Quibi app and that it is "seeing excellent conversion to paid...
Sony Invests $250 Million in ‘Fortnite’ Creator Epic Games
Bloomberg: Sony invested $250 million in Epic Games, owner of the popular video game "Fortnite" and the widely used "Unreal Engine" for game development. The PlayStation maker didn't disclose the new value of the games...
McClatchy Faces Duel of Hedge Funds in Bankruptcy Court
New York Times: A battle of the hedge funds is brewing in the McClatchy bankruptcy auction, pitting Chatham Asset Management and Brigade Capital Management, both debt holders in the chain, against a newcomer to the proceedings, Alden Global...
News Corp Exec to Elevate Diversity at Wall Street Journal
Talking Biz News: Brent Jones is taking on a new newsroom role as editor of culture, training and outreach at the Wall Street Journal. "Brent is both realistic and optimistic about the work to be done." Jones joined the Journal in 2018 as assistant managing editor for...
Conde Nast’s Vogue Covers Biles Amid Diversity Criticism
Daily Mail: Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles has landed the cover of Vogue's August issue, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. Biles's cover shoot and interview come amid mounting criticism of Vogue's lack of diversity, which has led to an apology from editor-in-chief...
Meredith’s InStyle Cover Star Photographs, Styles Herself
Fashion Week Daily: Drew Barrymore not only shot herself for the August cover of InStyle, she was her own "glam team" doing her own hair and makeup. Inside she has a candid conversation about what her upcoming CBS daytime talk show, "The Drew Barrymore Show," is going...
Hearst Unveils $2-a-Month Memberships for Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan: "Cosmopolitan has been in the magazine biz since 1886. But we've never had an exclusive club of VIP readers. And that's why we're excited to announce the launch of Cosmo Unlocked, our first-ever membership program designed to give you even more of the...
Maven in Spat with Owner Over Future of Sports Illustrated
Daily Beast: Authentic Brands Group is examining The Maven's rights under the license to operate the Sports Illustrated media business— potentially removing the legendary sports brand entirely from the hands of the controversial Seattle-based media...