AT&T’s CNN Hit with $435 Million Lawsuit Over Story on Nunes
Fox News: Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., sued CNN for defamation on Tuesday, accusing the cable network of publishing a “demonstrably false hit piece” about him amid his high-profile opposition to the Trump impeachment inquiry. The 47-page lawsuit accuses the network of...
iHeartMedia to Open Second Digital Headquarters in Nashville
Associated Press: iHeartMedia has announced it will be establishing a second headquarters in Nashville. The New York-based company said in its statement that the city’s rich music culture, “eccentric vibe,” lower cost of living and university presence were among...
Fox News Host Ditches $50-Per-Year Podcast After First Year
Daily Beast: Before hosting a Fox News primetime show, Laura Ingraham was a famous radio host, often referred to as “the most-listened-to woman in America on political talk radio.” But late last year, citing “family life,” the conservative pundit dropped her...
Sinclair Local News Host Looks to Prosper in ‘Train-Wreck TV’
Mediaite: Eric Bolling's new broadcasting project is a political Sunday show that airs on Sinclair television stations. "We’re in an era of train-wreck TV," Bolling said. "And the bigger the train, the bigger the wreck, the more ratings you get, the more people want...
Bloomberg Rebrands TicToc to Avoid Confusion with TikTok
Variety: Bloomberg is dropping TicToc as the name of its two-year-old social-media news service, rebranding it as “QuickTake by Bloomberg.” The move comes as the media company preps the launch of an over-the-top streaming news channel in 2020, with the new QuickTake...
Attention Capital Names Vice Media Veteran to Lead Strategy
Hollywood Reporter: Investment firm Attention Capital is growing its team. The business, which plans to buy, build and scale media and technology companies, has tapped Vice Media veteran John Kulback as an operating partner. In his new role, Kulback will work on the...
New York Times Develops Tech Tool to Help Promote Articles
Digiday: The New York Times has developed a new tech tool to determine which articles it promotes on Facebook and Twitter — without using those platforms’ tracking pixels. The tool, called TAFI (Twitter and Facebook Interface), measures which articles draw the most...
News Corp Taps Viacom Veteran for Chief Technology Officer
News Corp: News Corp has announced that David Kline will become chief technology officer, beginning in January. He will succeed Marc Frons, who has held the post since 2016. Kline joins News Corp from Viacom, where he served as CTO since 2010. “David Kline is expert...
Hearst on Collision Course with Magazine Staffers Over Union
New York Post: The Writers Guild of America East said it has contacted the National Labor Relations Board to supervise a secret ballot, which would be required if a company does not agree to voluntarily honor union pledge cards. “It is both unfortunate and...
Conde Nast Alum Joins Magazine Run by Head of Hudson News
New York Post: A former Conde Nast publisher has been hired as the president of Galerie, a 4-year-old art and design magazine started by James Cohen, the head of Hudson News magazine wholesaler, and his wife Lisa, who is the publication’s editorial director. Beth...
Penske Media Brings Rolling Stone Interviews to Digital Video
MediaPost: Rolling Stone is turning "The Rolling Stone Interview," its 50-year-old franchise featuring conversations with notable names in culture and music, into a video series. Dodge will be the presenting sponsor of “The Rolling Stone Interview.” The series is...
BuzzFeed to Create Editorial for Specific Advertiser Audiences
Digiday: To bolster its display advertising business, BuzzFeed is asking marketers what kinds of people they want to reach, then having its editorial team create content specifically designed to attract them. Imagine an alcohol brand that wanted to reach female...
TheSkimm Opens Manhattan Pop-Up Shop for Holiday Season
WWD: In an effort to take the stress out of holiday shopping, The Skimm, a media company that helps millennials live smarter, will open a pop-up boutique and e-commerce shop. The pop-up boutique, at 909 Broadway in New York, will be open through Dec. 24. The...
ViacomCBS Plans Major Cost Cuts, Layoffs After Mega Merger
Fox Business: The Viacom-CBS merger is set to close Wednesday, with layoffs from “synergies” expected to follow. The conglomerate will be “drawing up plans [for layoffs] shortly after close of the deal,” according to Fox Business journalist Charlie Gasparino. “The...
Discovery CEO Predicts ‘Carnage’ Coming in Streaming Wars
Yahoo News: “You have six or seven or eight players trying to be the dominant player in the entertainment pie,” said Discovery CEO David Zaslav. “And there’s going to be a lot of carnage. There will probably be three or four that are left, and the rest of them will...
Comcast Gambles on Viewers Shopping While Watching NBC
Washington Post: A recent episode of NBC's "Songland" illustrated how the network is embedding QR codes in some shows that allow viewers to shop online using their smartphones. A judge on the show played a keyboard called Lumi that viewers were able to purchase....
Verizon Media: We’re Not Going to Sell Yahoo, AOL, HuffPost
Variety: Verizon is not selling HuffPost, according to Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan — who insisted the news and opinion site is central to its content strategy. Verizon had been looking to offload HuffPost, according to a Financial Times report last month....
CBS’s ‘Evening News’ Kicks Off Big Move to Washington DC
CBS News: "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell" began broadcasting from its new permanent home in Washington, D.C., starting Monday. Broadcasting from Washington will give O'Donnell, the the anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News," and CBS News...
Fox Nation Streaming Service to Sign Veteran Host from CNN
Associated Press: Former CNN mainstay Nancy Grace is signing up for a crime show on Fox Nation, an illustration of how Fox News’ streaming service has evolved counter to expectations one year into operation. Cameras will show her delivering her podcast and SiriusXM...
Bloomberg News Reporters Get Credentials Yanked by Trump
Associated Press: President Trump’s campaign said Monday it will no longer give credentials to Bloomberg News reporters to cover campaign events because of coverage “biases,” an accusation that the news organization rejects. The decision comes a week after the news...
New York Times Sizes Up Candidates for Next Executive Editor
BuzzFeed News: The issue that dominates New York Times newsroom chatter these days is the beginning of an old-fashioned internal succession contest, featuring big personalities and decisions about the future of the most important news organization in the world....
Tribune Adds Board Seats for Reps from Alden Global Capital
Chicago Tribune: Hedge fund Alden Global Capital, which became the largest shareholder in Tribune Publishing last month, has named two representatives who were added to the newspaper company’s board, while agreeing to cap its ownership stake at 33% through June....
Daily Mail Owner to Buy i Newspaper for ‘Time-Poor’ Readers
BBC News: The owner of the Daily Mail, DMGT, has bought the i newspaper and website for £49.6m from JPI Media. DMGT chairman Lord Rothermere said the paper was "a highly respected publication with a loyal and engaged readership." He added: "We are committed to...
Guardian Appoints Veteran of Google, Viacom as Interim CEO
The Drum: The Guardian has appointed chief customer officer Anna Bateson as interim chief executive. She replaces the newspaper group’s former chief executive David Pemsel, who announced his resignation in October. Prior to the Guardian, Bateson spent seven years at...
Hearst Launches Website to Persuade Staffers Not to Unionize
Vice: On Monday morning, employees at Hearst Magazines were treated to an email from Troy Young, the president of the company, who had a casual, no-pressure reminder for them: "As I mentioned in my note before the holiday, we want to make sure everyone has the...
Conde Nast’s Glamour Fades as Worldwide Editions Shut Down
WWD: For decades, Glamour was a huge money-maker for Condé Nast, with the success of the 80-plus-year-old U.S. edition leading to around 16 international versions. In recent times, however, Glamour has been pivoting worldwide as it adjusts to the new media landscape...
Meredith to End Subscription Sales of Rachael Ray’s Magazine
O'Dwyer's: Meredith continues to tinker with the print frequency and subscription status of several of its titles. Rachael Ray Every Day is going from a 10-issues-per-year subscription status to a quarterly journal that will only be sold on newsstands. The first...
Forbes Media Acquires Majority Stake in Stock Prediction Tool
Digiday: At the beginning of 2019, Forbes Media had just finished celebrating its most profitable year in a decade and had begun hunting for companies it could invest in or buy. Nearly a year later, it has closed its first deal. Forbes has acquired a majority stake...
Economist Releases ‘The World In 2020’ as Editor Steps Down
MediaPost: The Economist has released its annual standalone special issue, “The World in 2020.” In its 34th year, “The World In…” franchise looks at the year ahead and predicts the issues that will likely affect global affairs and the economy. Also, “The World In...”...
Newsweek Demotes Editor Behind Trump Thanksgiving Story
Washington Examiner: Newsweek has demoted the editor who published and failed to update an inaccurate story about President Trump's Thanksgiving Day plans, days after the publication terminated the reporter who wrote the story. The outlet initially published the...