News Corp Reports Rare Profit at New York Post
New York Post: News Corp recorded its most profitable quarter since it spun off its publishing assets into a separate company from its TV assets more than seven years ago — including record earnings at the New York Post. "History also made at the New York Post, which...
New York Times Says Digital Dominates Revenue
New York Times: The New York Times set a record for its subscription business in 2020, a year when a pandemic, social unrest and a bitterly contested presidential race made headlines, the company said in an earnings report. After adding 2.3 million digital-only...
Meredith Says Digital Ad Revenues Surpass Print
WWD: Meredith, the owner of People and InStyle, said digital advertising in its magazine division outperformed its print component for the first time as it reported better-than-expected results for its fiscal second quarter. The publisher recorded a 22 percent...
Conde Nast Stirs Reaction from British GQ Cover
@Olivianuzzi: The new cover of British GQ Hype features an image of Joe Biden's head photoshopped onto a body double. But several observers have asked if the photo is authentic — including people who work in the media. Britishgq: "Everyone is hating on this," said one...
Hearst, Conde Early Magazines in New Exhibition
NY1: A new exhibit, "Magazines and the American Experience," explores how print magazines from the 18th through 21st centuries have shaped life in the US. Using approximately 200 rare and unique magazine issues, the free exhibit runs through April 24 at the Grolier...
G/O Media Denies Firing Editor for Union Activism
Bloomberg: G/O Media told employees of its tech-news website Gizmodo that it fired a co-worker because of her union activism, the Writers Guild of America East alleged in a complaint filed with a US regulator. The move violated federal labor law, the union said. In...
Apple Accelerates Deal to Manufacture Apple Car
CNBC: Apple is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture an Apple-branded autonomous electric vehicle at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia. The so-called "Apple Car," which is being developed by a team at Apple, is tentatively scheduled to...
Amazon Plans Bold, New Headquarters in Virginia
CNET: Amazon's plans for its new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia include a unique, double helix-inspired building that will feature walkable paths of landscaped terrain spiraling up the outside of the building. The Helix will sit alongside three new 22-story...
Yahoo Former CEO Eyes Subscriptions for Startup
The Information: Marissa Mayer's first startup, Sunshine, plans to charge consumers for subscriptions to generate revenue for its products, which will start with a contact management app and evolve to include appointment scheduling, event hosting and other apps....
Netflix Faces Lawsuit Over Covid Work Conditions
Hollywood Reporter: Timothy Hearl is the first actor to sue entertainment employers over Covid-19 working conditions. Unexpectedly, Netflix is one of the defendants in his lawsuit. The case may foreshadow other pandemic-era litigation in Hollywood. Associated...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Insiders Gossip About CNN
Vanity Fair: Jeff Zucker is enjoying broad newsroom support at a network that "has never been defined by its leader like it is right now," said one employee. "It's like Roger Ailes without the sexual abuse and hush money." CNN insiders are now more inclined to believe...
Comcast Preps Tech-Style Event for NBCUniversal
Deadline: NBCUniversal has scheduled an event in March, looking to emulate the approach of tech companies' developer conferences. The "One21" gathering will be a complement to the upfront events traditionally hosted by the company, and will not preclude any...
ViacomCBS Grapples with Racism in New York TV
Los Angeles Times: ViacomCBS is confronting a widening crisis over allegations of mistreatment in its TV stations group. Employees of CBS's flagship station, WCBS-TV Channel 2 in New York, have alleged that they worked in a "hostile environment" where Black, Latino,...
Charter Resolves $10 Billion Spat with Byron Allen
Broadcasting & Cable: Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios Networks said it has "resolved and withdrawn" its lawsuit against Charter Communications. Allen sued Charter in 2016 claiming that the cable company's refusal to carry Entertainment Studio's channels was...
iHeartMedia Joins Big Snub of Country Music Star
New York Times: Morgan Wallen, one of country music's biggest new stars, was swiftly rebuked by major radio stations, streaming services, record labels, fellow artists and the CMT network after a video surfaced of him using a racial slur. Wallen currently has the No....
Spotify Touts Joe Rogan as Success in Podcasting
New York Post: Spotify added more users than expected at the end of last year as people stuck at home due to the pandemic tuned in to streaming music and podcasts like "The Joe Rogan Experience," the company said. CEO Daniel Ek gave a shout-out to podcasts like "Joe...
Parler Ousts CEO as Social Network Stays Offline
Fox Business: Parler has terminated John Matze, according to a memo the CEO sent to staffers. "On January 29, 2021, the Parler board controlled by Rebekah Mercer decided to immediately terminate my position as CEO of Parler. I did not participate in this decision,"...
Axel Springer’s Insider CEO Reveals Bezos Advice
CNBC: Insider CEO Henry Blodget said that Jeff Bezos offered an invaluable piece of advice when the Amazon founder invested in his upstart media company. "He said, 'I am going to beg you to stay CEO. If you bring in somebody else, you're going to want to give them a...
New York Times Employees ‘Outraged’ by Bosses
Daily Beast: New York Times staffers sent a letter to the paper's top bosses criticizing their handling of complaints that journalist Donald McNeil Jr. used racist language while on a Times-sponsored student trip. McNeil had shown "bias against people of color in his...
Los Angeles Times Courts ESPNer for New Editor
TheWrap: The Los Angeles Times is courting Kevin Merida, the editor in chief of ESPN's The Undefeated, for its open executive editor role. At least seven members of the newsroom have personally contacted Merida to convince him to come to Los Angeles. Another candidate...
McClatchy to Outsource Printing for Newspapers
Poynter: Two more local newsrooms will get printed by another company in another city. Josh Shaffer reported for the (Raleigh, North Carolina) News & Observer that that paper and the (Durham, North Carolina) Herald-Sun will stop print production. The two McClatchy...
Conde Nast Expat Domino Doubts Future in Print
New York Post: Domino, once a red-hot Conde Nast magazine, has been sold for the second time in three years — and the fate of the print edition is up in the air. While the Domino website and podcasts will continue, new owners North Equity say they have yet to...
Bustle Digital to Launch Nylon Magazine in France
WWD: While Nylon's print plans in the US are on hold, it's a different story in France. The fashion, music and cultural publication, which was acquired by Bustle Digital Group in 2019, will launch in France in March with a print magazine and a website complete with an...
Time Magazine Adds $3-a-Month Digital Paywall
WWD: Time magazine, owned by billionaire Marc Benioff, just revealed its $2.99-a-month digital subscription in a letter to readers, with editor in chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal telling them: "You'll be ensuring that we can continue producing great journalism for you...
Amazon’s Bezos Picks ‘Right-Hand Man’ for CEO
Daily Mail: Andy Jassy, the soon-to-be CEO of Amazon, is 53, a father-of-two Harvard graduate, worth more than $377 million, founded the web service that shut down Parler, and holds brutal meetings known as "The Chop." Los Angeles Times: Amazon's succession plan is...
Alphabet Sees Big Ad Growth at Google, YouTube
CNBC: Google's parent company reported fourth-quarter earnings that surpassed analyst expectations and showed a strong return to growth in its core advertising business. YouTube showed 47% advertising growth from last year, thanks in large part to direct-response ads....
Disney to Punt Hulu’s Annual Ads for Super Bowl
Adweek: Hulu is the latest longtime Super Bowl advertiser that has opted to stay on the sidelines for the 2021 game. After four consecutive years of Super Bowl ads, the streaming service will not run a standalone spot during Super Bowl 55. However, the brand will...
ViacomCBS to Expand Digital Super Bowl Viewing
Digiday: More people are likely to stream this year's Super Bowl than in past years. For starters, more people will probably watch the game within the confines of their homes. But CBS's stream of this year's NFL championship game will also be more widely available....
Comcast Revamp of NBCUniversal Brings Layoffs
Deadline: The reorganization of NBCUniversal's entertainment content team is complete with Susan Rovner setting the team and around 50 employees leaving as part of the changes. Among the high-profile execs exiting: Bruce Evans, EVP, current programming, and Dan Shear,...
Fox Corp Scrambles as Ratings Plummet in News
Daily Beast: Signaling a seismic shift in the media landscape as defeated former president Donald Trump hibernates in strangely silent exile at Mar-a-Lago, Fox News's two-decade-long winning streak came to an abrupt end Tuesday while rivals CNN and MSNBC claimed the...