Media, Tech Figures on List of Pardons from Trump
CNBC: President Trump issued dozens of pardons on his last night in the White House, including one to his former campaign chief and ex-White House advisor Steve Bannon. Others who received some of the pardons included Anthony Levandowski, a former engineer for...
Google to Ban Trump for Another Week on YouTube
Bloomberg: YouTube has extended President Trump's temporary suspension for another week, citing the possibility he could incite violence during the transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden. "In light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, the...
Amazon is Cited in Push to Loosen Media Ownership
Deadline: The US Supreme Court has waded into a two-decade long debate over the extent to which the FCC can relax media ownership rules. "Amazon gets to own the Washington Post today. No one thinks that's the end democracy," argued attorney Helgi Walker for the...
Netflix Passes 200 Million Subscribers for First Time
Associated Press: Netflix's video streaming service has surpassed 200 million subscribers for the first time as its expanding line-up of TV series and movies continues to captivate people stuck at home during the ongoing battle against the pandemic. The subscriber...
Disney Cuts Bonuses for Top Execs During Pandemic
Reuters: Disney eliminated performance-based bonuses last year for top executives, including executive chairman Bob Iger, as the media company looks to soften the impact of the Covid-19 fallout. The pandemic dealt a major blow to the company's theme parks and movie...
ViacomCBS to Debut Paramount+ Streamer in March
USA Today: ViacomCBS announced it plans to launch Paramount+, which will combine content from CBS, Viacom and the Paramount film studio, on March 4. Paramount+ will take the place of CBS All Access, which includes live sports and TV shows on CBS channels, programming...
Fox Corp to Cut Jobs Including Election News Leader
Washington Post: The Fox News executive who oversaw its election night "decision desk" is exiting at the end of the month, a move due in part to what Rupert Murdoch and other top network leaders viewed as a mishandling of the network's early and controversial Arizona...
Vice Needs Nearly $1 Billion to Repay Private Equity
The Information: Vice Media CEO Nancy Duboc has narrowed the media company's losses from $100 million to $20 million. Still, in the next couple of years Vice will be under pressure to pay back investors, particularly TPG, the private-equity giant that invested $450...
Disney Former ESPN President Unveils New Venture
Hollywood Reporter: Former ESPN president John Skipper and radio host and former ESPN on-air talent Dan Le Batard are joining forces on a new content venture. The pair are launching Meadowlark Media, which will emphasize a "creator-centric point of view" to content,...
Ricketts to Launch National News Outlet from Omaha
Omaha World-Herald: Billionaire businessman Joe Ricketts is preparing a new venture in the news business, and he's chosen Omaha as his launching pad. Ricketts is hiring staff to launch an online national news outlet called Straight Arrow News that he said will do what...
News Corp Responds to Inquiry of Media in Australia
Business Insider: While "welcoming" the media diversity inquiry, News Corp Australia's submission has a curt tone. "The culture of secrecy arising from these legal provisions that unnecessarily restrict Australia's right to know has permeated attitudes and processes...
Gannett Sees Rebound from Gains in Digital Strategy
USA Today: Gannett on Tuesday announced better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings, showing what it called a "rebound" as the company's digital subscription strategy gains momentum. Gannett is in the midst of transitioning to what CEO Michael...
New York Times Preps Podcast from Founder of Vox
New York Times: The New York Times will be offering the new podcast "The Ezra Klein Show," hosted by Ezra Klein, the cofounder and former editor in chief of Vox. "This is a conversation show," said Klein. "I get to talk with brilliant people about the questions that...
Los Angeles Times Staffers Want Outsider for Editor
TheWrap: After a year of strife inside the Los Angeles Times newsroom, editors and union representatives at the beleaguered newspaper have demanded that a new executive editor be chosen from outside the newsroom. "You can't in good conscience pick someone from that...
Conde Nast Shakes Up Vogue Cover After Backlash
Daily News: Under pressure from backlash over its choice of a casual cover photo of VP-elect Kamala Harris, fashion bible Vogue will run a limited-edition print version of its digital cover, a more formal shot, in honor of the inauguration. In the digital cover,...
Meredith Staffers Talk of Diversity Issues at Time Inc
Mr Magazine: "It hasn't always been easy to continue to reinforce with all of our management and our corporate groups in our previous life as Time Inc," said Monique Manso, publisher of People en Español. "It hasn't always been easy to continue to educate them on the...
Forbes Plans Platform for Newsletters by Journalists
Axios: Forbes is launching a newsletter platform that will allow journalists to launch their own paid newsletters and split the revenue with the 103-year-old publisher. Forbes will hire 20 to 30 writers with big followings to help get the platform up and running. It...
Ebony, Jet to Relaunch in Digital, Maybe Not in Print
WWD: Ebony and Jet publisher's new CEO, Michele Ghee, plans to relaunch both websites on March 1. As for print, Ghee is yet to decide if it will be part of Ebony and Jet's future, stating that for now digital is the main focus. Jet ceased print operations in 2014 and...
Vox to Launch Morning News Podcast of ‘Quick Hits’
Vox: The new Vox Quick Hits isn't a traditional podcast, but rather a playlist where listeners can hear a mix of short episodes from Vox podcasts, plus some brand-new series. Quick Hits will offer "concise yet deep explanations you need on everything from Biden's...
Bustle Digital to Eye Acquisitions of Lifestyle Brands
WWD: "We're really going to be building up our health and wellness content across brands," said Bustle Digital Group content boss Emma Rosenblum, "as well as tapping a bit more into food and the culinary world. Our goal is to add more lifestyle brands to the portfolio...
Group Nine Among Digital Media with Urge to Merge
New York Post: Digital-media companies that survived the pandemic are now rushing to join forces as they scramble to battle the tech giants for ad dollars. Enter Group Nine Media, whose websites include Thrillist, TheDodo, NowThis, Seeker and PopSugar, and which is...
Apple Plots Launch of Podcast Subscription Service
The Information: Apple is said to be discussing launching a new subscription service that would charge people to listen to podcasts. Such a service could pose a threat to Spotify, SiriusXM, Amazon and other big companies that have in the past couple of years swallowed...
Google, Facebook Pull US Into Fight Over News Pay
France24: The United States has urged Australia to abandon its plan to force Google and Facebook to pay media outlets for their news content, saying there could be "long-lasting negative consequences" for consumers and companies. CNBC: Google has disputed claims from...
Amazon CEO Regains Title as World’s Richest Person
Forbes: Jeff Bezos ended a bumper car week against Elon Musk by once again becoming the world’s richest person, with an estimated net worth of $181.5 billion (despite his fortune falling $1.4 billion on Friday). The two men traded places nearly every day this past...
Netflix Races to Keep Steamy Videos Off Adult Sites
Sun: Netflix is battling to keep racy scenes from the hit drama "Bridgerton" off adult content websites. The streaming service is at war with adult domains after steamy clips appeared featuring actors Brits Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page. The pirated scenes from...
AT&T Nabs New Streaming Subscribers at HBO Max
Broadcasting & Cable: AT&T's HBO Max, which got off to a sputtering start, drew the largest share of new streaming subscribers in the fourth quarter, according to Kantar's Entertainment on Demand Service. Kantar estimates that the number of SVOD subscriptions...
Fox Corp’s Murdoch to Take Role at News Channel
Daily Beast: Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and president Jay Wallace are fighting for their jobs as their boss Rupert Murdoch has swooped in to take a more hands-on role at the network in recent days. New York Times: Why did Fox News insist an agreement with the family...
Lupa’s Murdoch Slams US Media for Misinformation
Financial Times: James Murdoch has castigated the US media for the "toxic politics" threatening American democracy, saying proprietors are as culpable as politicians who "know the truth but choose instead to propagate lies." The remarks by Rupert Murdoch's youngest...
Sinclair Debuts ‘National Desk’ Morning Newscast
Broadcasting & Cable: Sinclair Broadcast Group launched its new weekday morning news show "The National Desk" on Monday. The newscast airs on 68 Sinclair station and streams on Sinclair's Stirr streaming platform. Jan Jeffcoat will anchor "The National Desk,"...
News Corp Names Experience Officer at Dow Jones
Talking Biz News: Daniel Bernard has been named experience officer for Dow Jones. In this newly created role, Daniel will oversee the product, user experience and technology functions across the company's businesses. He and the team will be responsible for shaping the...