Spotify’s The Ringer Faces Backlash for Lack of Diversity
New York Times: An episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, one of The Ringer's most popular shows, provoked a backlash from staff members. A frequent guest, who is white, spoke on the podcast about racism protests, describing "looters" who were "breaking into sneaker...
Facebook Eyes Neiman Space for Offices at Hudson Yards
WWD: Facebook is in talks to take over the Neiman Marcus space at Hudson Yards. "Neiman's wants out. Hudson Yards wants them out. They are figuring out an exit agreement," said one source. Facebook has already leased more than 1.5 million square feet of office space...
Snap Sees Departure of Exec Overseeing Snapchat News
Business Insider: Xana O'Neill, the executive producer of news at Snap, is no longer with the company. In that role, O'Neill was a member of the news division and oversaw Snapchat's news content, including shows and partnerships with news outlets on its Discover...
WPP: Digital Ad Market to Eclipse Old Media for First Time
Financial Times: Digital advertising on platforms such as Google and Facebook is set this year to overtake spending on traditional media for the first time, a historic shift in market share that has been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, according to Group M,...
Google Likely to See Ads Drop as Facebook, Amazon Gain
MarketWatch: Analysts at eMarketer have predicted that Google will see its US advertising revenue contract this year, from $39.58 billion from $41.8 billion. They still see growth for Facebook and Amazon, however. Facebook will climb to $31.43 billion from $29.95...
Facebook Ad Boycott Grows in Support of ‘Stopping Hate’
CNBC: Patagonia has joined companies like REI and The North Face, saying it plans to pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram to show support for a movement called ”#StopHateForProfit.” Last week, a group of six organizations called on Facebook advertisers to pause...
Vice Media Among Publishers Facing Skittish Advertisers
Adweek: The New York Times, Variety, Bon Appetit and Refinery29 are among the publications that experienced backlash from staffers on social media. And that could lead advertisers to rethink where they spend in an already hyperconscious environment of brand...
Conde Nast Hopes to Woo Advertisers Amid Controversy
Business of Fashion: Conde Nast's annual NewFront presentation is a crucial moment for the publishing giant to bring in ad revenue for the year. The company is facing a double whammy as it seeks to navigate the tumultuous financial climate and mounting criticism of...
Gannett Fires Manager Over Anti-Muslim Ad in Newspaper
Tennessean: The Tennessean and its parent company Gannett announced that an advertising manager was fired after the news organization published an anti-Muslim advertisement. Gannett will donate the $14,000 value of the ad sale to the American Muslim Advisory Council,...
New York Times Pushes Back Return to Office to January
WWD: The New York Times has informed staffers that the majority won't be required to return to the office until at least January. Previously, the publisher had said staff may be able to start returning in September. The exceptions are a few whose physical presence in...
Apple Rethinks Live Events for Coronavirus Era at WWDC
CNET: Apple will kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. The event will have all the pageantry we expect from the iPhone maker: CEO Tim Cook, polished presentations, and "ooh" and "ahh" reveals. But barely anyone will be in the room when it...
Disney Workers Fear Theme Park Not Safe for Reopening
Reuters: Unions representing 17,000 workers at the Disneyland Resort in California have told the state's governor they are not convinced the theme park will be safe enough to reopen by the company's July target date. There are "numerous questions Disney has not...
Comcast NBCUniversal CEO Pivots After Covid Recovery
Wall Street Journal: Jeff Shell fell ill from Covid-19 in March and has since recovered. Now the CEO is overhauling NBCUniversal film distribution and TV operations to be more aggressive in streaming. He says "pivot" so much the Peacock team had the word printed on...
Discovery Streaming Chief Exits Amid Strategy Struggles
Broadcasting & Cable: Peter Faricy, who left Amazon to head up Discovery's direct-to-consumer business, has resigned, effective July 15. Discovery has launched small direct-to-consumer businesses in the US, but has struggled to come up with an aggregated streaming...
Fox Corp Forecast to Benefit from Political Ad Spending
Hollywood Reporter: "The ad market is looking better than previously expected, and a return of live sports along with political ad spend in the second half of the calendar year would boost Fox," according to Macquarie Capital analyst Tim...
Disney-ABC’s Kimmel Takes a Break After Blackface Flap
Daily Mail: Jimmy Kimmel has announced that he is taking a break from his late-night show over the summer, to spend more time with his family. Kimmel is facing increasing pressure to follow his fellow comedian Jimmy Fallon and apologize for wearing blackface in...
AT&T’s CNN-Atlanta Erects Fence to Ward Off Protesters
New York Post: The CNN Center in Atlanta has added some imposing metal fencing after the building was attacked during violent protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. It's unclear exactly when the CNN barrier was...
Roku to Kick Off Virtual NewFronts After Pandemic Delay
Adweek: It has been a long road for the 2020 Digital Content NewFronts, which were postponed for two months and underwent a significant presenter overhaul as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. But at long last, the weeklong event is ready to kick off on...
TikTok Teens Claim Prank Helped Take Down Trump Rally
Associated Press: Did teens, TikTok users and fans of Korean pop music troll the president of the United States? Their antics may have inflated the Trump campaign’s expectations for rally attendance numbers that led to Saturday’s disappointing...
Google Under Attack by News Groups for Refusing to Pay
Bloomberg: Google has used its dominance to strong-arm news outlets into giving up their content without adequate compensation, a trade group for publishers said in a report to the Justice Department, which is investigating the internet giant for potential antitrust...
News Corp Sees ‘Flight to Quality’ from Lockdown Uptick
The Drum: News brands have been attracting record audiences during the pandemic as more and more people find themselves with a new daily news consumption habit. The Wall Street Journal believes the pandemic has sped up a so-called "flight to quality" news...
Gannett Probes How ‘Horrific’ Ad Ended Up in Newspaper
Tennessean: Gannett's Tennessean newspaper will investigate how a paid ad from a fringe religious group was published on Sunday. The ad featured a bizarre, pseudo-religious “prophecy,” including the declaration of an impending nuclear attack in Nashville by...
Verizon-Hearst’s Complex Hit with Toxic Workplace Gripe
New York Post: Complex Networks is the latest company to be blasted as hypocritical after declaring public support for nationwide racial injustice protests. Complex Networks has been slammed as “not a safe space” for women or minorities to work by a former...
Conde Nast Talk of Wintour Exit Persists Amid Apologies
Mail on Sunday: A "woke revolution" underway at Vogue could finally topple Anna Wintour's decades-long iron rule. Rumors are flying that she is one her way out and will probably be replaced by Edward Enninful, who was named the first Black editor of British Vogue in...
Meredith’s People Unveils Digital Essay Series on Racism
MediaPost: People has launched a new digital series called "People's Voices from the Fight Against Racism," which aims to place Black perspectives front and center. The essays are accompanied by a print companion that will appear in the next issue of...
BuzzFeed Joins Media in Test of Texting News to Readers
Wall Street Journal: When BuzzFeed began texting readers the latest Covid-19 news, readers quickly proved that texting is a two-way street. Their replies have included photos from the travels of a long-haul trucker and a message from someone with an eating...
The Athletic Under Pressure as Growth Stalls, Ads Dry Up
Business Insider: Former employees of The Athletic have raised questions about the sports-media startup's long-term growth and brand potential. "If this fails, it's going to be the biggest disaster in sports-writing history," said a former journalist at The...
Air Mail Newsletter Founder Sends Warning to Print Media
Business of Fashion: "Strong magazines will survive and thrive and the weak ones will go away," according to Graydon Carter, former editor of Vanity Fair. Nonetheless, "there is more good journalism being produced now than there was 25 years...
ViacomCBS TV Soap Hits ‘Pause’ on Return to Production
New York Daily News: A day after becoming the first TV series to start shooting in Los Angeles following coronavirus shutdowns, production was paused on the CBS soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful." New safety protocols were cited as the reason for the...
Fox Corp Tells News Staffers to Keep Wearing Face Masks
@jeremymbarr: Fox News Channel sent a memo to remind staffers who come to the office to follow CDC guidelines on masks: "We'd like to remind all employees to also don a face covering in Fox News Media shared spaces, particularly when you're not at a socially distanced...