Comcast on Edge Amid Talk of Canceling Olympics
Associated Press: Organizers are pushing back against reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled. Now set to open July 23, the Tokyo Games were postponed 10 months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now the event appears threatened...
ViacomCBS to Roll Out Streamer Pluto TV in France
WorldScreen: ViacomCBS plans to bring Pluto TV to France, making it the first free ad-supported television service to debut in the country. Starting February 8, Pluto TV will be available on all major streaming devices. Its library will include content from both...
Snap CEO Splurges $30 Million on Mansion in Paris
New York Post: Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel and supermodel Miranda Kerr have shelled out a whopping $30,358,000 for a sensational Paris mansion. The property spans over 10,000 square feet with an additional 10,000 square feet of their very own private park. The...
iHeartMedia’s Podcast Awards Honor ‘Office Ladies’
Variety: The spirit of Dunder Mifflin was alive and well at the third annual iHeartRadio Podcast Awards, held Thursday night in a virtual online awards show. "Office Ladies," a podcast hosted by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey about NBC's "The Office," took home the...
Bloomberg Eyes Film, TV Projects with Help of WME
Hollywood Reporter: WME has signed business news agency Bloomberg Media for representation. WME will look to convert the global media brand's journalism and news franchises into film and TV projects for third-party platforms like subscription streaming services. Those...
Tribune Frets as Alden Vows to Rescue Newspapers
Financial Times: Alden Global Capital head Heath Freeman has been called "the Grim Reaper" and a "destroyer of newspapers." But he believes he is saving publications: "We've pretty much bought all of our newspapers out of bankruptcy or near that fate,” he said in an...
New York Times White House Subscription Returns
The Hill: President Biden's White House has renewed subscriptions to the New York Times and the Washington Post after former President Trump canceled them out of anger over how he was portrayed. A White House source said physical copies of both papers arrived on...
Conde Nast Workers Hold a Walkout at New Yorker
WWD: Members of The New Yorker's union, part of the NewsGuild of New York, staged a 24-hour virtual work stoppage Thursday over demands for fair wages and an equitable salary structure. The union represents around 100 editorial staffers at the magazine, including copy...
Meredith Names New Editor at Allrecipes Magazine
PR Newswire: Nichole Aksamit has been named editor in chief of Allrecipes, the bi-monthly magazine of the multi-platform food media brand for home cooks, effective immediately. Previously executive editor of Allrecipes, Aksamit will oversee the print editorial for the...
Bonnier Flip-Flops on Auction of Boating Magazines
New York Post: Bonnier, the Swedish media giant that early last year unveiled plans to sail away from most of the magazines it owns in the US, has suddenly reversed course and plans to hang onto its boating titles that include Yachting and Sailing World. At least...
Forbes to Hire More Journalists for Newsletter Effort
Business Insider: Forbes plans to hire 20 to 30 staff writers for its new Journalist Entrepreneurs program, which will launch subject-specific newsletters. They will split subscription revenue with Forbes 50-50, but won't own the intellectual property, since they are...
Survey: Traditional Media Trust Declines to New Low
Axios: For the first time ever, fewer than half of all Americans have trust in traditional media, according to data from Edelman's annual trust barometer. Trust in social media has hit an all-time low of 27%. Some 56% of Americans agree with the statement that...
Biden Calls Out News Media in Inauguration Speech
Poynter: White President Biden's inaugural speech touched on numerous topics, those who observe the media couldn't help but hear his subtle and not-so-subtle remarks about the media. Specifically, Biden called out the media who helped perpetuate the lies of Donald...
Amazon Offers to Help Biden with Rollout of Vaccine
Reuters: Amazon has offered to help with the US efforts involving the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a letter addressed to President Biden. The world's largest online retailer has an agreement with a healthcare provider to administer vaccines at its facilities and...
Facebook, Twitter to Face Big Changes, Experts Say
CNBC: Experts predict the banning of President Trump from social media platforms will force Facebook, Twitter and others to change. "These social media companies need to be dealt with as publishers," said former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya. "And I think at...
Netflix CEO Celebrates Subscriber Win with Denny’s
CNBC: Reed Hastings marked Netflix's 200 million subscriber milestone the same way he has celebrated company milestones in the past — by eating a steak from Denny's all by himself. In 2017, Hastings celebrated Netflix passing 100 million subscribers the same way. This...
Disney Chief Tweets Praise of New Presidential Team
Deadline: Bob Iger praised the incoming presidential team in a tweet late Wednesday. "Today was a great day in our nation, as President Biden & Vice President Harris assumed their roles with dignity, humility, a strong adherence to values & to the weighty...
Fox Corp News Host Nabs Last-Minute Trump Appeal
CNN: Fox News host Jeanine Pirro successfully lobbied former President Trump in an eleventh-hour effort to pardon her ex-husband in the final hours of Trump's presidency. Pirro was upset that her ex-husband, Albert J. Pirro Jr., wasn't on Trump's final pardon list...
iHeartMedia Radio Star Sticks to Conspiracy Theories
Mediaite: Rush Limbaugh churned out a series of conspiracy theories Wednesday regarding the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during a rant claiming that the new president did not legitimately win the 2020 election. The conservative radio host started by...
Report: US Consumers Scoff at Ad-Supported Media
MediaPost: The good news is that consumer time spent with media surged during 2020. The bad news is their share of time spent with media supported primarily by advertising dollars fell to its all-time low, according to a new report from PQ Media. The forecast shows...
Tribune in Hot Water Over Newspaper’s Unpaid Rent
Chicago Tribune: As the Chicago Tribune prepares to move from Prudential Plaza, the owner of the downtown office complex has sued the newspaper's parent company for $4.8 million in unpaid rent. Property owner Sterling Bay filed the lawsuit against Tribune Publishing...
Gannett to Beef Up Trump News Coverage in Florida
Poynter: With President Trump's departure from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida comes a new phase his news coverage — especially for the Palm Beach Post. "For much of South Florida, he has become a major story since he started running for...
News Corp Boosts Barron’s, MarketWatch in Europe
Press Gazette: Dow Jones has been building up its financial newsbrands MarketWatch and Barron's in the UK and Europe – where it hopes to make them as well-known as they are in the US. "We thought these two brands have probably been punching below their weight, so we...
Meredith Names New Chief Communications Officer
PR Newswire: Erica Jensen has been named SVP and chief communications officer at Meredith, effective January 29. Jensen succeeds Art Slusark, who retired in November 2020. Jensen will advise CEO Tom Harty and Meredith's senior leadership team on communications...
Hearst Enters Pact for Magazine Branded Mattresses
License Global: Home furnishings firm Idle Group has launched its first-ever mattress collaboration with Hearst Magazines, beginning with Country Living. "Nothing beats a good night's sleep in the country," said Country Living editor Rachel Hardage Barrett. "You can...
Conde Nast Under Fire for Salary Gap at New Yorker
Business Insider: The New Yorker's employee union released a pay study revealing major pay disparities. Employees are underpaid across the company, but women of color are paid the least, it concluded. Some also face a "loyalty penalty" — proofreaders with 20 years of...
Penske Selling Hollywood Life to Editor Bonnie Fuller
Showbiz 411: Bonnie Fuller will buy out Penske Media's stake in the website Hollywood Life and assume full ownership and operations for the business, effective January 31. Fuller has been credited with helping create the modern celebrity news category when she...
G/O Media Trumpets Stability, Hiring Spree for 2021
PR Newswire: G/O Media "remains stable and looks to grow rapidly in 2021. The company is currently on a hiring spree, bringing in fresh, creative new talent across editorial, technology and sales, while continuing to embrace and sustain in-house diversity and...
Washington Post Staffers Gossip About a New Editor
Business Insider: As Washington Post staffers anticipate editor Marty Baron's retirement this year, alum Kevin Merida is back on some people's minds as they view him as a leading candidate to take the top job and become the newspaper's first Black editor. The next...
Los Angeles Times Adds Coverage on Kamala Harris
Los Angeles Times: The Los Angeles Times is introducing "Covering Kamala Harris," a beat dedicated to her historic rise to the White House. She is the first vice president who is Black, South Asian American, female and the direct descendant of immigrants. This news...