Conde Nast Veteran Revisits Fake-Byline Dispute at Details
Columbia Journalism Review: Many bizarre things transpired in the glory days of Conde Nast, writes Andrew Essex. But the fake-byline fiasco at Details magazine involved "a very different sort of surreality" -- one the New York Times "didn't get quite right in its...
Vox Media in Spat with Writer Over Stolen Twitter Account
Vice: A senior executive from Vox Media managed to break into a sports blogger's Twitter account and change the login credentials, effectively stealing it — and its nearly 10,000 followers — from its 23-year-old creator who was primarily responsible for growing its...
Bustle Digital’s Plan to Reboot Gawker ‘Didn’t Make Sense’
Daily Front Row: What happened with the relaunch of Gawker? "Just as with print changing, the same is true within digital," says Dan Peres, who was once set to be the editor of the Gawker reboot. "Owners look at a business and say, 'This doesn’t make sense to move...
Apple, Amazon Forecast to Take Over Entertainment Media
No Mercy / No Malice: What happened in retail, over the last decade, is about to happen in entertainment media, according to New York University professor Scott Galloway. "Most large entertainment media firms (Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Netflix, Fox, Sony, etc.)...
Google’s YouTube Touts $3 Billion+ Pay to Music Industry
Digital Music News: YouTube has the lowest per-stream payouts among streaming music platforms. But CEO Susan Wojcicki says it all adds up. She touted a very healthy payout to the music industry and its artists: "YouTube offers twin engines for revenue with...
Amazon’s Bezos Offers $10 Billion to Fight Climate Change
CNBC: Amazon's Jeff Bezos on Monday announced the launch of a new Earth Fund that the e-commerce chief plans to use to combat the effects of climate change. He said in an Instagram post that he’s pledging $10 billion to start the fund, which will be called the Bezos...
Facebook’s Zuck: We’re a Hybrid of a Newspaper, Telecom
Reuters: Online content should be regulated with a system somewhere between the existing rules used for the telecom and media industries, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told global leaders and security chiefs at the Munich Security Conference in...
Google in Talks to Pay Publishers Licensing Fee for News
Dow Jones: Alphabet's Google is in talks with publishers about paying a licensing fee for content that would be in a premium news product, a move that would mark a shift in the search giant's relationship with news organizations. Most of the publishers in talks with...
AT&T Auction to Sell Regional Sports Channels Falls Short
New York Post: AT&T's auction to sell four regional sports networks appears to be faltering — the latest sign that the business of airing local sports is in trouble as Americans continue to cut their ties with cable. All of the bids came in around or below $500...
Viacom Former CFO Leads Group in Talks to Buy Univision
Wall Street Journal: Univision is in exclusive talks with a bidding group that includes a former senior exec of Viacom for a sale that could value the Spanish-language broadcaster at close to $10 billion including debt. The development indicates that a deal for...
CBS Radio Faces New Lawsuit Claim of Sexual Harassment
New York Post: Jacquelyn Musiello, a former payroll specialist at CBS Radio, quit her job in 2017 due to the "physical and emotional distress" of being sexually harassed by the talent, and witnessing countless situations in which others were as well, according to a...
iHeartMedia Sits Out Industry Effort for Podcasting Awards
Radio Ink: Wondery CEO Hernan Lopez last week announced a new a new not-for-profit organization of independent podcasters called the Podcast Academy. Notably not in the group that made the announcement with Lopez were iHeartMedia, Entercom or any other commercial...
Kantar Media Chief Ousted in Power Play by Private Equity
Financial Times: Eric Salama has been abruptly ousted as CEO of Kantar, the market-data business he helped build, after Bain Capital decided to cut short his remaining time at the company. Salama had already announced plans to step down this summer after recovering...
Redbox Unveils Free Online Streaming Service with Live TV
USA Today: Cord-cutters have another website they can visit to catch up on TV shows for free. Redbox, the company best-known for its DVD kiosks, has launched a basic online streaming service, entering a crowded field of ad-supported live entertainment offerings on...
Conde Nast to Embed New Studio Chiefs at Magazine Titles
Digiday: Conde Nast Entertainment will appoint heads for each of its five new studios and assemble teams to work under them. The studio heads will have "a dotted line" to the editors at the corresponding publications to identify potential projects. They will be...
Axel Springer Takes Subscription Pricing Cues from Netflix
Digiday: Axel Springer, publisher of popular tabloid Bild and newspaper Welt, is bullish about the prospect of growing its reader revenue this year. On Welt Plus, it now offers two rather than three pricing bundles. "I don't see three prices on Netflix. Our lesson is...
McClatchy Gets Closer to National Enquirer in Bankruptcy
Bloomberg Law: McClatchy last week filed for bankruptcy in New York with plans to hand majority ownership of one of the industry’s largest newspaper publishers to hedge fund Chatham Asset Management, owner of the scandal-plagued tabloid National...
Conde Nast Defends Vanity Fair Editor Amid Ouster Rumor
Daily Beast: The power players at Conde Nast have moved swiftly to shoot down internal speculation that Vanity Fair editor in chief Radhika Jones is headed for the exit. Internal chatter about a potential ouster moved around the Conde Nast offices at a frenzied pace...
American Media in Deal to Sell Muscle & Fitness Magazine
Generation Iron: There has been a changing of the guard as American Media announces the sale of its fitness-media assets, including Muscle & Fitness magazine and the Olympia trade show. Buyer Jake Wood is a fitness industry insider whose portfolio includes...
Maven Media Eyes Diversity for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Daily Mail: The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has revealed the final six picks for its 2020 #SISwimSearch — and they include a bald bombshell from Pennsylvania, a plus-size stunner from Maryland, and a 56-year-old knockout from California. These six women will...
Newsweek Former Owner Avoids Jail After Fraud Scheme
New York Post: A $35 million fraud and money-laundering scandal that ensnared Newsweek magazine wrapped up on Friday. Etienne Uzac, former co-owner of IBT Media, which owned Newsweek, and William Anderson, former CEO of Christian Media, both pleaded...
Vox Media Takes New York Magazine ‘Sex Diaries’ to HBO
Hollywood Reporter: The Cut's voyeuristic "Sex Diaries" series is set to bare even more. HBO is developing a verité docuseries based on the sex-and-dating column with "The Fourth Estate" producer and co-director Jenny Carchman set to direct. Vox Media Studios is...
Drudge Report in Spotlight After Bloomberg-Clinton Story
Politico: Matt Drudge, the famous news aggregator and internet provocateur, shattered the lull of an otherwise calm Saturday morning with a big-if-true bombshell: "BLOOMBERG CONSIDERS HILLARY RUNNING MATE." News of the possible Bloomberg-Clinton ticket drew swift...
Report: Blogger Rakes in Cash from Right-Wing Fake News
AFP: Christopher Blair produces false stories he insists are easily identifiable as satire rather than news. His pages can rack up millions of views, and at least part of that audience believes the material is true. "The truth is no longer important to them. All they...
Apple’s Former HBO Chief Hires Book Pro for Movies, TV
Financial Times: Former HBO boss Richard Plepler has hired well-connected New York literary agent Heather Karpas for his new company, as he builds a production hub to make movies and television shows for Apple. Karpas, from ICM Partners, is set to move to Plepler’s...
Disney Plans Redo of Old Film for New Streaming Service
Fatherly: The beloved 1990s hit movie "The Mighty Ducks" is getting a reboot — this time as an episodic series on Disney+. Production has already begun, and the new show will premiere on the Disney streaming service later this year. And Emilio Estevez will be hitting...
AT&T’s Struggling DirecTV Sees Leading TV Exec Resign
Los Angeles Times: DirecTV is experiencing another defection: Dan York, one of the highest-ranking AT&T execs based in El Segundo, is leaving the company after two decades. York has been one of the most powerful execs in television, serving as evp and chief...
Vivendi Preps IPO of Universal Music Before Early 2023
Reuters: Vivendi said on Thursday it planned to list its most-prized asset, Universal Music Group, by early 2023 at the latest. A consortium led by China’s Tencent bought 10% of the music label last December, in a deal that valued Universal at 30 billion...
Oracle Founder Ellison to Host Big Fundraiser for Trump
Desert Sun: President Trump will attend a campaign fundraising event at Oracle chairman Larry Ellison's Rancho Mirage, Calif., estate on Feb. 19, less than two weeks before California's Super Tuesday primary election. Ellison will host supporters on a golf outing at...
Fox Corp Communications Chief Returns to White House
Associated Press: Hope Hicks, one of President Trump's most trusted and longest-serving aides, is returning to the White House as the president works to surround himself with loyalists as his reelection campaign moves into high gear. Hicks left the White House in...