Hearst Labor-Board Loss Sets the Stage for Union Election
Business Insider: The National Labor Relations Board just ruled against Hearst Magazines in its fight against a union. Hearst had argued that many of the proposed union members were actually supervisors and not eligible for the...
Conde Nast ‘Lifer’ to Modernize Architectural Digest at 100
Ad Age: Amy Astley, a lifer at Conde Nast, is modernizing a premium media brand that had grown a little dusty, as editor in chief of Architectural Digest. In her time at AD, the magazine has seen its audience grow 63 percent across print and...
Meredith’s People Editor Readies Print Spinoffs, TV Series
WWD: Dan Wakeford is nine months into the top job as editor in chief of People magazine. "We’ve elevated the design of the magazine. I wanted to make it a lot more sophisticated. I really want to provide what you can’t get on the...
Outside Magazine Dominates as a Media Brand, Chief Says
Mr Magazine: Larry Burke, chairman and editor in chief of Outside: "We happen to dominate in a very active lifestyle marketplace as a media brand. And it has given us a lot of opportunities. Of course, there are a lot of...
G/O Media Taps Daily News Veteran as Leader of Deadspin
Wall Street Journal: G/O Media has turned to Jim Rich, the former top editor of the New York Daily News, to lead Deadspin, the sports website that has been rudderless since its entire staff resigned last fall to protest company CEO Jim...
Group Nine Names Exec as General Manager of PopSugar
MediaPost: Women’s lifestyle brand PopSugar is tasking Angelica Marden with leading both its editorial operations and business efforts as its new general manager. Marden had served as the brand’s SVP of content...
ViacomCBS Remakes Exec Ranks with Job Cuts to Come
Hollywood Reporter: When ViacomCBS was formed Dec. 4, some insiders predicted that CBS chief Joe Ianniello, who was suddenly second fiddle to CEO Bob Bakish, wouldn't be long for the gig. Last week, those prognostications became more...
Comcast Plans Summer Launch for NBC Sky World News
Variety: NBCUniversal and Sky, both owned by Comcast, will this summer launch NBC Sky World News, a news service aimed at English-speaking audiences around the globe. The company intends to recruit new talent as well as 100...
Liberty Global Preps Bid for Spanish-Language Univision
Bloomberg: Liberty Global’s investment arm is working with Hemisphere Media on a bid for Spanish-language media giant Univision. Private equity firm Platinum Equity is also interested, as well as former Viacom CFO Wade...
Disney Sells Off FoxNext Video Game Development Studio
Los Angeles Times: Disney is selling video game studio FoxNext in the latest example of the entertainment company trimming assets it acquired from 21st Century Fox. Disney is selling FoxNext to Culver City game maker...
Tegna TV Stations Under Investor Pressure to Sell, Merge
Reuters: Another large investor in Tegna wants the U.S. regional TV station operator to pursue a merger or sale, arguing a tie-up could be very valuable at a time the industry is facing a wave of...
Hallmark Media CEO Departs After Same-Sex Ad Backlash
Associated Press: Bill Abbott, the head of Hallmark’s media business, is leaving the company after 11 years, just a month after its flagship Hallmark Channel faced an outcry over a decision to pull an ad with a lesbian couple...
ViacomCBS Book Unit Sees ‘Gatsby’ Enter Public Domain
Associated Press: The copyright for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is set to expire at the end of 2020, meaning that anyone will be allowed to publish the book, adapt it to a movie, make it into an opera or stage a Broadway...
Fox’s Super Bowl Ads to Include Little Caesars, Facebook
Reuters: Little Caesars pizza chain, Facebook and the running brand Saucony will buy their first Super Bowl ads ever this year, taking advantage of one of the last events that enjoys a large live audience as streaming services splinter TV...
Google, P&G at Work on Plan to Remove Harmful Content
The Drum: Some of the world’s biggest brands – including P&G, Adidas, Lego and Unilever – have outlined a plan they hope will ultimately suffocate harmful content online by ensuring those spreading it have “no access” to advertiser...
Apple Eyes New Office Space at Penn Plaza in Manhattan
New York Post: After losing to Facebook in a tug-of-war over the historic Farley Building, tech giant Apple is negotiating to lease office space at 11 Penn Plaza. The 1.15-million-square-foot building has 638,921 square feet...
ByteDance Seeks New CEO for Popular Video App TikTok
Bloomberg: Chinese internet giant ByteDance is seeking a new CEO for its TikTok business, a hugely popular video app. The company has interviewed candidates in recent months for the CEO role, which would be based in the...
Amazon CEO’s Phone Hack is Linked to Washington Post
Washington Post: The Saudis were “intent on harming Jeff Bezos since . . . the Washington Post began its relentless coverage” of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Post contributing columnist, in October...
Serial Podcast Maker Mulls Sale; New York Times Circles
Wall Street Journal: Serial Productions, the company behind the hit true-crime podcast “Serial” is exploring a sale, putting one of digital audio’s biggest brands on the market. The New York Times is considered a potential...
New York Times’s Star Media Columnist to Take New Role
nytco: Jim Rutenberg, a New York Times investigative and political reporter, will become a writer at large, splitting his time between politics and the Sunday magazine. Over the past couple of years he has been the Times's star media...
Hearst Unveils Cosmopolitan Newsletter Devoted to Acne
Glossy: Cosmopolitan has launched a weekly newsletter — its first in the beauty category — dedicated to acne. The publisher views email as a way to monetize its beauty coverage and set parent company Hearst on a path toward personalized...
Conde Nast Veteran Editor to Turn Memoir Into TV Series
Hollywood Reporter: Former Teen Vogue editor Elaine Welteroth has optioned her memoir "More Than Enough" for development as a TV series. Paramount Television Studios and Anonymous Content have acquired the rights to the...
Meredith to Partner with Curry on New Lifestyle Magazine
People: Between being a best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, chef and television host Ayesha Curry has done just about everything — and now she’s venturing into magazines. The lifestyle expert is partnering with Meredith to launch a new quarterly lifestyle...
Maven Media Unveils Major Overhaul of Sports Illustrated
TheStreet: Maven Media has launched a newly reimagined Sports Illustrated print magazine, featuring expanded feature storytelling and enhanced digital extensions. The February edition of SI celebrates the Super Bowl with a gatefold...
G/O Media Touts Zero Debt, Plan to Increase Jobs in 2020
CJR: G/O Media "has zero debt, has been funded with capital by Great Hill Partners, and is hiring aggressively with plans to greatly increase jobs in 2020," according to a statement from the digital-media...
Drudge Report Founder Set for Portrayal in New FX Series
Deadline: Billy Eichner is joining FX's Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky limited series "American Crime Story: Impeachment" in the role of Drudge Report founder Matt Drudge. It was the Drudge Report that first broke news of the White House...
Facebooker Fails to Find a Business Model for Journalism
Vox: "I felt that I had to figure out the answer to, 'How do I find the business model for journalism?'" says Chris Hughes. "I thought I was gonna go up into some ivory tower and read enough books. ... And that's not how the world...
Netflix US Subscriber Growth Slows as New Rivals Emerge
Associated Press: After years of spectacular success, Netflix is starting to hit some potholes. The high-flying internet video service added only 160,000 U.S. subscribers from April through June. The drop comes amid intensifying...
Disney to Move Up Streaming Launch Date Across Europe
CNBC: Disney announced that it will launch its new streaming service Disney+ in the UK and parts of Europe a week earlier than planned. Disney+ was initially set to launch across parts of Europe on March 31. It will now roll out on March...
Apple Eyes Developing Podcasts to Promote Its TV Shows
Bloomberg: Apple is discussing making original podcasts related to programs on its Apple TV+ video streaming service, another sign of the tech giant’s ambitions in entertainment. Apple sent out a request for pitches last...