Washington Post Media Writer Explores Local News Crisis
Los Angeles Times: The decline of local news is no surprise to any journalist and certainly not to Margaret Sullivan, the media columnist for the Washington Post and author of an important new book, "Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American...
Comcast’s CNBC Lands Fox News Veteran Shepard Smith
CNBC: CNBC announced on Wednesday that former Fox News anchor Shepard Smith is joining the network to host a one-hour evening news program on weekdays at 7 p.m. ET. The newscast, which will be called “The News with Shepard Smith,” is set to launch in the...
Comcast’s Peacock Debut Plans Upended by Coronavirus
CNET: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, several plans for Peacock's July 15 rollout have been overturned. Filming production of original programming is largely shut down, and the plan to piggyback Peacock's launch on NBC's live coverage of the summer Olympics is...
Disney Says Florida Park Reopening on Track for Saturday
Reuters: Disney will stick to its plans to reopen its Walt Disney World theme parks in Orlando, Florida, to a limited number of guests on Saturday. Florida’s coronavirus cases have soared in the last month, with the state’s daily count topping 10,000 three times in...
ViacomCBS to Revamp Comedy Central with Charlamagne
Vulture: Under the new direction of Chris McCarthy, Comedy Central is shaking up its approach to scripted comedy. Among the new projects is a talk show hosted by Charlamagne Tha God, the "Breakfast Club" radio host recently in the news for his candid interview with...
Fox Corp’s News Channel Faces Criticism for ‘Hate Speech’
Associated Press: Tucker Carlson, TV's most popular political host, says leaders of the Democratic party should be disqualified from running the country because they "despise" it. That led the Biden campaign to accuse the Fox News host on of using "hate speech...
Comcast’s NBC News Chief Wants 50 Percent Diverse Staff
Los Angeles Times: NBCUniversal News chief Cesar Conde has set a goal of having a 50% diverse work force across his division, in response to the current national period of reflection on race. No timetable has been set for the target Conde set in an internal video sent...
ViacomCBS Fires Worker After Probe of ‘Toxic Environment’
The Hill: CBS announced that showrunner Peter Lenkov had been fired after an investigation into claims that he promoted a toxic work environment. Lenkov is to cease working for two shows at the network, “Magnum P.I.” and “MacGyver,” and end an overall deal with...
Disney Starts Excavation on New Manhattan Headquarters
YIMBY: Demolition is finished and excavation work is now in full swing for Disney's new 1.2-million-square-foot headquarters at 137 Varick Street, aka Four Hudson Square. The upcoming 22-story building will eventually top out at 320 feet tall. A completion date is yet...
Nielsen to Slash 3,500 Employees in Restructuring Effort
MediaPost: Nielsen will lay off about 3,500 employees as part of its continuing restructuring efforts. Nielsen said the total restructuring charge for this year will now be higher -- $150 million to $170 million versus its previous guidance in April 2020 of $120...
Facebook Ad Boycotters See ‘No Commitment’ from Zuck
Reuters: Organizers of a growing Facebook advertising boycott said they see "no commitment to action" after meeting with CEO Mark Zuckerberg. More than 900 advertisers have signed on to the "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign, organized by social justice...
ByteDance’s TikTok Faces US Probe on Children’s Privacy
Reuters: The Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department are looking into allegations that popular app TikTok failed to live up to a 2019 agreement aimed at protecting children’s privacy. The development is the latest bump in the road for the short video...
Amazon Prime Video to Make User Profiles Go Worldwide
TechCrunch: Amazon's Prime Video is finally adding a feature that's long since become a standard for streaming video services: user profiles. With profiles, Prime Video users will be able to track their own viewing progress, similar to rival services, like...
Google’s YouTube Sees Rise of Influencer Apology Videos
Financial Times: Apology videos by YouTube influencers are so inescapable that they have blossomed into a recognizable format. The set-up is carefully planned so viewers are not distracted by mansions, sports cars and other evidence of YouTube-generated...
New York Times Readies Documentary Series for FX, Hulu
The Hill: FX and Hulu are teaming up to launch a new documentary series produced by the New York Times that will premier this Friday. "The New York Times Presents" will feature 10 individual documentaries exploring breaking news, investigations and character-driven...
Meredith Attracts All-Star Talent to At-Home Virtual Event
FIPP: Meredith will host its first-ever Food & Wine Classic at Home virtual event on July 23, featuring all-star talent including Martha Stewart, Jacques Pépin, Ayesha Curry, JJ Johnson, Stephanie Izard and Kwame Onwuachi. The two-hour event will raise funds for...
Harper’s Open Letter on Cancel Culture Gets Big Reaction
New York Times: An open letter published by Harper's magazine, signed by luminaries including Margaret Atwood and Wynton Marsalis, argued for openness to "opposing views." The reaction was swift on social media, with some heaping ridicule on the letter's signatories...
News Corp Learns from Live Events at Wall Street Journal
INMA: At the beginning of 2020, the events division was one of the fastest growing businesses at Dow Jones, poised to exceed its annual goals. And in an instant, everything changed. The Covid-19 global pandemic brought waves of disruption to the entire events...
New York Times Appoints Head of Newsroom Development
MediaPost: The New York Times has renamed its Digital Transition department to Newsroom Development and Support, promoting Charo Henriquez to head the team. In her new role, Henriquez will lead her team to deepen its collaboration with the Products teams, among other...
Bustle Digital Unveils Refresh of Flagship Lifestyle Website
MediaPost: Bustle Digital Group has redesigned Bustle, the lifestyle site aimed at young women. The redesign features a new logo and design framework "that seeks to be both elevated and approachable." The reboot coincides with Bustle's July digital issue, featuring...
Disney Finds ‘Hamilton’ is Best Weapon in Streaming Wars
Los Angeles Times: Disney did not throw away its shot with the streaming debut of "Hamilton." The filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway smash drove a surge in downloads of the streaming service Disney+ during the Fourth of July weekend, according to data...
Fox Corp’s News Channel ‘Regrets’ Cropping Trump Photo
Mediaite: Fox News apparently cropped President Trump out of a photo with Jeffrey Epstein, during the network's coverage of the arrest of Ghislane Maxwell. Fox News later said that the network "mistakenly eliminated" Trump from the photo. "We regret the...
ViacomCBS’s Book Publisher Taps Journo for Top Position
Associated Press: Dana Canedy will take on one of the biggest roles at Simon & Schuster. The publishing house announced that Canedy has been named as senior vice president and publisher of the imprint — the first African American to hold the...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia to Appoint Key Exec for Europe, Asia
World Screen: Priya Dogra has been named president of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks for EMEA and AsiaPac, replacing Giorgio Stock, who stepped down at the end of June. For the time being, Dogra will continue her responsibilities as WarnerMedia EVP of...
Microsoft Mulls Acquisition of Warner Bros Games Division
The Information: Microsoft has expressed interest in acquiring the games division of Warner Bros., the publisher behind game franchises based on Batman, Harry Potter and other characters. An acquisition of the business would help Microsoft expand the Xbox's...
Disney Teams with Kaepernick for Social Injustice Projects
Los Angeles Times: Disney is going into business with Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback in exile who spearheaded the on-field protests of police brutality and racial inequality. Disney has an overall first-look deal with Kaepernick’s Los Angeles-based production...
Spotify Poised to Become ‘World-Class Disruptor’ in Media
MarketWatch: Spotify is "rapidly becoming something of a monopoly in the audio industry, according to RiskHedge trader Justin Spittler. "It's doing what Facebook did with social media ... what Amazon did with online shopping ... and what Google did with online...
ByteDance’s TikTok to Exit Hong Kong Market Within Days
Reuters: TikTok will exit the Hong Kong market within days, as other technology companies including Facebook have suspended processing government requests for user data in the region. The company is now run by former Disney executive Kevin...
Quibi Free Trials Begin to Expire as Viewer Figures Tumble
Vulture: Most Quibi subscribers have signed on with a 90-day free trial. This month, as that period expires, Quibi will learn how many of those people will stick around once they’re asked to pay. If they don’t, Quibi will be left to reckon with how it miscalculated so...
SiriusXM Eyes Deal to Buy Stitcher Podcaster from Scripps
MarketWatch: SiriusXM is near a deal to buy E.W. Scripps's Stitcher podcasting unit for around $300 million. The satellite-radio giant is working to expand into the rapidly growing podcasting industry, following similar moves by media and tech companies including...