Conde Nast Staffers Say Internal Culture Hinders Progress
Business of Fashion: Conde Nast's "elite" company culture and pressured business models are frustrating efforts to modernize the business and have created challenges for employees who are women and people of color, staffers say. "Straight white men, in a lot of cases,...
Los Angeles Times Food Editor Departs After Abuse Claims
New York Times: Peter Meehan, the editor of the Los Angeles Times food section, announced that he was stepping down. The move came after a series of tweets by Tammie Teclemariam, a freelance food-and-drinks writer, alleging a pattern of verbal abuse and workplace...
Essence Magazine CEO Resigns After Op-Ed on ‘Appetites’
New York Post: A group dubbed Black Female Anonymous penned a scathing exposé about the alleged conditions of working at Essence magazine. One of the execs they singled out, Richelieu Dennis, has resigned as CEO. Their essay claimed that Dennis was "driven by greed...
Fox Corp CEO Faces Dilemma as Trump Declines in Polls
Crikey: Murdoch watchers are about to see in real life how Lachlan handles the dilemma his father regularly faced: how to choose between the political right and the likely political winner. It's not just the polls. It's the perceptions leaking out of the Murdoch...
ViacomCBS Names Fox Film Expat as Head of Paramount
Los Angeles Times: Emma Watts, the former 20th Century Fox Film executive who left the Disney-owned company this year, is heading to Paramount Pictures. Watts has been named president of Paramount’s motion picture group, putting her in charge of the ViacomCBS-owned...
Disney Park Workers Aren’t Being Tested for Coronavirus
TheStreet: The union representing Walt Disney World Cast members in Florida said Disney is not testing employees for the coronavirus before they return to work, including stage performers who cannot wear masks. Both Florida and California have reported increases in...
ViacomCBS Book Publisher Won’t Halt New Trump Tell-All
Associated Press: Distribution of a tell-all book by President Trump's niece was blocked by a judge after the president's brother said its publication would violate a pact among family members. But Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp says the book has already been...
Netflix Pledges $100 Million to Support Black Communities
CNBC: Netflix announced it will start putting 2% of its cash holdings into financial institutions and organizations to "directly support Black communities in the US." The video streaming giant said in a blog post that its initial commitment will be as much as $100...
iHeartMedia Unveils National Black News Audio Network
Wall Street Journal: iHeartMedia has launched a national news network focused on the Black community. Black Information Network, or BIN, went live with 15 radio stations across the country, plus an online presence, and more stations coming over the next two months. It...
Disney Raises Price of Sports-Streamer ESPN Plus by $1
The Verge: ESPN Plus will get a $1 price hike in August to $5.99 a month, making the baseline price for Disney's sports streaming app the same as Hulu's basic tier. The price hike is only being applied to ESPN Plus's monthly fee. The annual price of $49.99 will remain...
Google Hikes Price of Cable-TV Rival YouTube TV by $15
TechCrunch: YouTube TV will be getting another price hike, making its live TV streaming service less competitive with the cable TV services it aims to replace. The company announced its service would now cost $64.99 per month for new members. The increases are due to...
Netflix Hires High-Profile Black Exec for Marketing Officer
Reuters: Netflix has appointed Bozoma Saint John as the streaming giant's chief marketing officer, starting in August, adding a high-profile Black executive to senior management. Saint John, who has been vocal about inequality in corporate America, joins from...
Google to Suspend Monetization for YouTube Personality
Tubefilter: Amid a firestorm of controversy, YouTube has suspended monetization on all three of Shane Dawson's channels. Dawson operates flagship hub Shane (22.5 million subscribers), Shane Dawson TV (8.4 million subscribers), and a newer beauty channel, Shane...
Hearst Hires to Expand Global Venture Capital Operation
FinSMEs: The global venture capital division of Hearst has made a series of hires as it continues to seek new investment opportunities across key regions. Notable current Hearst Ventures investments include 3D Hubs, BuzzFeed, Duality, FlashEx, GeoPhy, Kujiale, Otonomo...
Tribune in Talks to Give Alden Global Another Board Seat
Wall Street Journal: Tribune Publishing is said to be in talks to add the co-founder of Alden Global Capital to its board as part of an agreement that would prevent the hedge fund from making a hostile bid to buy the rest of the newspaper company in the near...
New York Times Metro Section Disappears in Print Edition
New York Post: It's still called the New York Times, but good luck finding any section of the print edition that's devoted exclusively to news from New York. The paper's March 23 edition ran a "Note to Our Readers," in which it said the New York section would not be...
News Corp Launches WSJ Digital Magazine for Under 35s
Nieman Lab: The Wall Street Journal has been previewing Noted, a monthly digital “news and culture” magazine for 18- to 34-year-olds, for the past couple of months, and on Tuesday it officially launched. Noted, whose tagline is “For you. With you. By you,” is a push...
Conde Nast’s Former W Magazine Looks for a Buyer Again
WWD: W magazine’s new leadership is already looking to sell the magazine. Acquired only last summer from Conde Nast by Surface Media, which then changed its name to Future Media Group, the oversize fashion magazine has had years of troubles (financial and with waning...
Meredith’s Former Golf Magazine Tees Off with New Owner
Forbes: The past several months have been pretty big for Golf. Not simply the game, mind you, but the brand and its various media properties — from the relaunched website, Golf.com, to a reinvigorated magazine that starting in July will have even more...
Maven’s Sports Illustrated in Story Flap with Football Star
New York Post: Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott threatened to sue Sports Illustrated after the magazine ran a column online with the headline, “Ezekiel Elliott Forgets to Log Off, Admits to Being High on Twitch: Traina Thoughts.” Elliott tweeted: "You guys will...
The Hill’s Owner Arranges White House Position for Wife
Politico: The owner of the news outlet that published the columns at the center of the Ukraine scandal helped secure an unpaid White House position for his wife — a fact the publication did not disclose to readers. The Hill owner Jimmy Finkelstein personally discussed...
Disney, AT&T’s WarnerMedia Hit by Big Ad-Sales Losses
New York Post: Media giants Disney and WarnerMedia logged some of the steepest ad declines last month due to a delay in the NBA playoffs, which typically take place in May and is broadcast by Disney’s ABC and ESPN and WarnerMedia’s...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Looks to Sell CNN Center in Atlanta
TheWrap: WarnerMedia leadership told staffers that the CNN Center in Atlanta will be sold, downplaying questions about whether the move signals impending layoffs. WarnerMedia will not be leaving Atlanta altogether: "Our strategy is to...
Disney Musicals on Hold as Broadway Theaters Stay Dark
Laughing Place: Disney's "The Lion King" and "Aladdin" have cancelled all Broadway performances until January 2021 at the direction of government officials. Broadway venues have been closed since mid-March as New York City went into lockdown to help stop the spread of...
ViacomCBS Plans MTV VMAs in Brooklyn Despite Crisis
Associated Press: The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards will still go ahead despite the coronavirus pandemic. An MTV spokesperson confirmed that the show will take place Aug. 30 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New...
Comcast’s NBC Wins Golf as Fox Corp Cancels Contract
Associated Press: The US Open is returning to NBC after Fox Sports has asked to end its 12-year contract with the US Golf Association. The US Open was postponed to Sept. 17-20 when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down golf for three months....
Fox Corp’s Murdoch Eyes Stake in Swiss Events Company
Bloomberg: Rupert Murdoch is interested in providing capital to MCH Group, the company that organizes Switzerland's Art Basel shows. James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch, is said to be negotiating the possible investment on his father's...
News Corp Unveils British Radio Service to Take On BBC
AFP: The British newspaper group that owns The Times and the Sunday Times launched a news and current affairs radio station, aiming to position itself as a rival to the BBC. Times Radio had Prime Minister Boris Johnson as its first big-name...
Disney Removes ‘Golden Girls’ Mud-Pack Episode on Hulu
The Hill: Hulu removed a 1988 episode of "The Golden Girls" in which actresses Betty White and Rue McClanahan wear black mud on their faces, with the decision prompting backlash on social...
Netflix Preps New Series on Kaepernick’s Path to Activism
Associated Press: Colin Kaepernick is joining with Emmy-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay on a Netflix drama series about the teenage roots of the former NFL player's activism. “Colin in Black & White” will examine Kaepernick's high school...