Facebook Plans Newsletter Tools to Court Writers
New York Times: Facebook is working on newsletter tools for journalists and writers, a move toward offering more services to independent writers as the social network jumps into the fast-growing newsletter space. The product, which is still in its earliest stages,...
Disney Mulls Selling Off Assets at Declining ESPN
The Information: ESPN last November laid off 300 people, about 6% of its workforce, a gut-wrenching move for what was once Disney's profit engine. Now, ESPN is considering selling small parts of its business. For instance, the network is said to be trying to sell its...
ViacomCBS Mega Merger Lawsuit Gets Go-Ahead
Reuters: A judge said former CBS shareholders may pursue a lawsuit accusing Shari Redstone, the daughter of late media magnate Sumner Redstone, of pressuring the company into entering an unfair merger that created ViacomCBS. Redstone had a "dogged determination to...
Comcast Faces Ad Hurdles from Tokyo Olympics
Business Insider: Advertisers are making contingency plans in case the Tokyo Olympics do not go ahead as scheduled this summer. They're asking for much greater flexibility in cancellation options than before, including getting their cash back versus simply rolling...
Liberty Media Eyes Acquisitions in Music, Digital
Inside Radio: Liberty Media suddenly has a lot more cash for shopping. The company's newly formed special purpose acquisition company has raised $575 million. The SPAC told investors it would search for a target in media, digital media, music, entertainment, and...
Disney’s ABC News President to Depart in March
Mediaite: ABC News president James Goldston announced that he is stepping down after 17 years with the company and seven years as president. "I'vve loved every day of my 17 years at ABC News, but in recent times I've always assumed that after this extraordinary...
Fox Corp News Alum Sees ‘Outright Lies’ in Media
The Hill: A former political editor for Fox News who was fired last week said the public reaction to former President Trump's election loss is a result of "informational malnourishment." Chris Stirewalt, who had defended Fox News's relatively early call that President...
Tegna Buys Pro Sports Focused Podcast Network
Variety: Tegna is acquiring the Locked On Podcast Network, which produces some 160 daily shows for teams across the US's four major pro sports leagues and more than 30 colleges. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Park City, Utah-based Locked On will remain a...
Sinclair Conservative Host Exits for New Podcast
Mediaite: Eric Bolling, the conservative pundit and outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, is parting ways with Sinclair, which has been home to his weekly show "America This Week" since 2019. Bolling will be teaming up with football great Brett Favre for a podcast set...
Twitter Names New Head of Global Entertainment
Deadline: Twitter has named Ged Tarpey as managing director of global media and entertainment, overseeing relationships with studios, networks and streamers. Tarpey has been with Twitter since 2012 most recently as sales lead for US media and...
IAC Unit Acquires Mobile Messaging App Confide
TechCrunch: IAC is acquiring the encrypted mobile messaging service Confide, which once made headlines for its use by White House staffers during the Trump administration. The deal sees Confide joining Teltech, the makers of spam call-busting app Robokiller, which...
Conde Nast Mulls Reducing Offices in Manhattan
Bloomberg: Conde Nast is exploring taking office space in New Jersey and reducing its presence in Manhattan as part of a bid to cut costs. The magazine publisher, a high-profile tenant at One World Trade Center, is said to be looking for roughly 400,000 square feet of...
News Corp Hacking Scandal to Become TV Drama
Deadline: British producer Rise Films is developing the first major television drama series on the phone-hacking scandal that shook the very foundations of Rupert Murdoch's media empire. The series will provide an insider’s perspective on the illegal information...
New York Times Editor Buys Home in Los Angeles
New York Times: Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the New York Times, recently bought a house in Los Angeles. The purchase comes as Baquet approaches the paper's usual retirement age of 66. "He's rented an apartment there for a few years, his son lives there, and...
Financial Times to Boost Climate News Coverage
Talking Biz News: The Financial Times is launching Climate Capital, a new section on FT.com, edited by newly appointed climate editor Emiliya Mychasuk and led by journalist Leslie Hook. Climate Capital will offer readers a community and events program, providing...
News Corp Deletes Fake Story in New York Post
Mediaite: The New York Post had to take down a story that purported to profile a 22 year-old man caught up in the "you only live once" GameStop stock-buying frenzy. The man had claimed on Twitter that he took out a second mortgage on his parents' house, which turned...
New York Times Journalist Under Fire for Racism
Daily Beast: New York Times Covid-19 reporter Donald McNeil Jr. has faced accusations of making racist comments while leading a Times-sponsored student trip. Participants on the excursion claimed McNeil made racist and sexist remarks throughout the trip including...
Apple CEO Teases ‘New Things’ to Launch in 2021
TechRadar: Apple fans can expect "new things" in 2021, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who teased upcoming announcements during the company's earnings report. "We have new things that we aren't going to talk about that we think will contribute to the company," he...
Facebook Vows to Downplay Heated Political Talk
USA Today: Just weeks after a pro-Trump mob organized the Capitol siege on social media, Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook is taking steps to "turn down the temperature" and downplay divisive and inflammatory political discussions on its platforms. "One of the top pieces...
Reddit Rally Reveals Shift in Power on Wall Street
Wall Street Journal: Newbie investors are gathering on platforms such as Reddit, Discord, Facebook and Twitter. They are encouraging each other to pile into stocks, bragging about their gains and, at times, intentionally banding together to intensify losses among...
Netflix Breaks Viewership Record with ‘Bridgerton’
Deadline: Netflix's mighty algorithms were no match for the global pop culture phenomenon that "Bridgerton" has become. The Regency-era romance, already renewed for a second season, not just exceeded Netflix's original viewership projections, it blew them out of the...
Cannes Film Festival Hopes for Live Event in July
Associated Press: The Cannes Film Festival, canceled altogether last year by the pandemic, is postponing this year's edition from May to July in hopes of having an in-person festival. This year's festival will now take place July 6-17, about two months after its...
AT&T Targets Spring Rollout of HBO Max with Ads
Next TV: AT&T CEO John Stankey said the company's anticipated ad-supported, price-reduced iteration of HBO Max will debut in the second quarter. "Building large subscription bases of customers who pay us every month for something has been one of the hallmarks of...
ViacomCBS Sells Out Ad Time for CBS Super Bowl
CNBC: Ad inventory on the Super Bowl is "virtually" sold out for the Feb. 7 game, according to ViacomCBS. Thirty-second spots on the advertising’s biggest night have been selling for $5.5 million or slightly higher. But ViacomCBS could still let an advertiser on the...
Disney-ABC Morning Host Tests Positive for Covid
TMZ: Michael Strahan, the "Good Morning America" host and NFL Hall of Famer, has tested positive for Covid-19. Strahan is said to be currently quarantining, which is why he has been absent from "GMA" all week. Football fans also noticed he only appeared remotely for...
Conde Nast to Open Magazine-Branded Retail Store
WWD: Conde Nast-owned Allure magazine is gearing up to open its first physical retail store in New York City's Soho neighborhood during the fall, through a licensing partnership with STÔUR Group, which specializes in turning online destinations into physical retail...
Meredith Plans People Magazine Spinoff on Royals
WWD: People magazine, which covers royal gossip every day across its multiple platforms, is delving even deeper into the subject with the launch of a 100-page quarterly magazine, People Royals. The magazine, which hits newsstands in early March at $12.99, will cover...
Hearst, BuzzFeed Wait in Line for Magazine Award
New York Post: Now that The New Yorker has decided to return its 2019 National Magazine Award, the American Society of Magazine Editors has to decide whether it will present the award to one of the other six finalists. The first runner-up will be an article by Jonah...
Atlantic Magazine Expat Slams ‘Sh*tty’ Media Men
Jennifer Barnett: "I had the plum job. The top of the masthead of one of the most prestigious and respected publications with more than a 150-year-old history. I left because I blew the whistle on my boss for doing something unethical then abusing the staff and...
News Corp Explains Differences in News, Opinion
Talking Biz News: The Wall Street Journal launched a new resource designed to educate readers on the standards and ethics that are fundamental to its journalism and also highlight the differences between its news and opinion sections. The resource comes as the paper's...