Meredith Goes ‘Badass’ with Magazine E-Commerce
WWD: InStyle Magazine is beginning the new year by delving deeper into retail. After several launches last year, the Meredith-owned title is continuing to collaborate with brands under its Badass franchise — this time with Los Angeles-based denim label Mother. On...
Conde Nast Veteran Resurfaces as Footwear Model
New York Post: From Vogue editor to model: André Leon Talley stars in Ugg‘s new campaign, posing in the brand's signature slippers ($100) and boots ($130) on the porch of his house in White Plains, New York. In one photo, the 72-year-old style star even gets a haircut...
Hearst Launches Instant Digital Magazines in Britain
WNIP: Hearst UK has started offering customers instant digital access to current issues for all new print subscribers across its brands. The initiative has been launched in partnership with eMagazines, the tech platform that offers digital distribution and...
Bustle Digital Hires Bank Seeking Deal to Go Public
Reuters: Bustle Digital Group, the US media platform whose publications include W and Bustle, is said to be exploring a potential merger with blank-check acquisition companies which would take it public. The company is aiming for a valuation of at least $600...
Report: Media Industry Job Cuts Top 30,000 in 2020
New York Post: The media industry was racked by a record 30,711 job cuts in 2020 — a stunning increase of 201 percent from the year earlier when 10,201 jobs were lost. The figures, from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, included data from the news...
Survey: Media Bosses Confident About Year Ahead
Press Gazette: Three-quarters of top media bosses worldwide are confident about their company's prospects for 2021, according to a media trends survey from the Reuters Institute at Oxford University. Most said they are focusing on reader revenue...
Apple CEO Speaks on ‘Shameful Chapter’ in History
CNBC: Tim Cook said that the United States must complete the transition to a Biden administration, and that rioters who participated in an "insurrection" in Washington DC must be held responsible. "Today marks a sad and shameful chapter in our nation's history. Those...
Google CEO Condemns Violence in Washington DC
CNBC: Sundar Pichai said that Google "strongly" condemns the riots that broke out across Washington DC. "Holding free and safe elections and resolving our differences peacefully are foundational to the functioning of democracy. The lawlessness and violence occurring...
Facebook, Twitter, Snap Lock Up Trump’s Accounts
ABC Australia: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat have temporarily locked the accounts of President Trump, as tech giants scramble to crack down on his baseless claims about the presidential election amid riots in the US Capitol. Twitter warned it would...
Fox Corp, Murdochs Under Fire for US Capitol Riots
BGrueskin: "You own this, GOP. WSJ edit page. Fox News. Rupert and Lachlan. This is the logical conclusion of everything you have tolerated, encouraged and enabled for 5 years." USA Today: Tucker Carlson on Fox News sought to stir fear and anger in those who believe...
Disney Streaming Exec to Depart in Latest Shakeup
Los Angeles Times: Ricky Strauss, a top Disney executive who oversaw programming for streaming services, is leaving the company after nine years. Strauss, who has been with Disney since January 2012, most recently was head of programming and content curation for the...
ViacomCBS Struggles in TV Transition to Streaming
Digiday: Affiliate revenue from pay-TV providers binds ViacomCBS to its linear TV business and potentially compromises its streaming business's development. "One of the issues with ViacomCBS is they've got more channels than anyone else. There's resistance internally...
Discovery Invests in British TV-Digital News Startup
Reuters: GB News, a new British 24-hour TV and digital news service, has secured millions of dollars from investors such as Discovery, Legatum and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall to challenge the status quo in UK media. GB News will start hiring immediately for 140...
Comcast Names Cable Veteran Exec as CEO of Sky
World Screen: Jeremy Darroch has decided to step down as group CEO of Sky after 13 years leading the company, with Dana Strong tapped as his successor. Strong most recently served as president of consumer services for Comcast Cable, the largest broadband and TV...
BBC to Tap Goldman Sachs Alum for New Chairman
BBC News: Former Goldman Sachs banker Richard Sharp is set to be named the BBC's next chairman. Sharp spent 23 years working for the banking giant. His new role will see him lead negotiations with the government over the future of the license fee. The license fee is...
Sony TV Begins Race to Find New Host of ‘Jeopardy’
Los Angeles Times: Sony Pictures Television has embarked on a formal search to find a successor to Alex Trebek as host of "Jeopardy." Sony is not only hiring a host but the face of a beloved pop-culture franchise. "The host of 'Jeopardy' is one of the leading...
Reuters to Kick Off Search for a New Editor in Chief
Reuters: Stephen J. Adler, editor-in-chief of Reuters for the past decade, said he plans to retire from the international news provider on April 1. A search for his successor will begin over the next few days, Reuters president Michael Friedenberg said in a memo to...
Meredith Sells Travel + Leisure in $100 Million Deal
New York Post: Wyndham Destinations, an Orlando, Fla.-based timeshare resort company, has acquired Travel + Leisure from Meredith in a $100 million deal. The resort company owns 230 timeshare resorts and runs 18 travel clubs. Meredith will continue to operate the...
Penske’s Sportico in Content Deal with Bloomberg
Talking Biz News: Sports business news site Sportico has struck a deal with Bloomberg News to provide its content to the financial news service's readers. Sportico was launched in 2020 by Penske Media and is led by former Bloomberg News sports business reporter Scott...
Poynter Slashes Staff Pay at Newspaper in Florida
Poynter: The Tampa Bay Times said it will outsource its printing and cut pay for full-time staffers by 10% for the next six months. Last April, faced with plummeting advertising revenues because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Times temporarily eliminated five days...
News Corp, New York Times Differ on ‘Trump Mob’
Fast Company: News media outlets are wrestling with what to call Trumpists who invaded the Capitol — Protesters? Rioters? Maybe even terrorists? It depends on who is doing the reporting. The Wall Street Journal chose to call them "rioters." The Los Angeles Times, the...
Gannett Reminds Staffers to Avoid Political Stance
@benyt: Gannett sent a memo to remind USA Today staffers and other employees not to "take a political position" on social media after the events in Washington, DC on Wednesday. "Refrain from celebrating or mourning a particular candidate on your social channels....
McClatchy Joins Newspapers Calling to Oust Trump
Miami Herald: "This president is incapacitated. This president is a deranged and dangerous man. He must be removed." Washington Post: "His continued tenure in office poses a grave threat to US democracy. He should be removed." New York Times: "The president needs to...
G/O Media Hopeful of Ad Revival After Trump Exits
Digiday: Some news publishers think the arrival of a more brand-safe president will bring more advertisers back to news as a category. "We do anticipate a more aggressive ad spending marketplace,” said Brian Kelly, chief revenue officer of G/O...
Apple Appoints Former Newspaper Editor to Board
Mac Rumors: Apple announced that Monica Lozano, president and CEO of College Futures Foundation, has been elected to the company's board of directors. Lozano previously spent 30 years in media as editor and publisher of La Opinión, the largest Spanish-language...
Facebook to Reinstate Political Ad Ban in Georgia
CNBC: Facebook said it plans to reinstate its ban on political ads in Georgia following the state's Senate runoff elections on Tuesday. The company has blocked political ads from running in the US after polls closed on Nov. 3, following the 2020 presidential election,...
Google’s YouTube U-Turns After Gripe by Murdoch
iNews: Rupert Murdoch personally intervened in a dispute with YouTube after his UK station TalkRadio was banned from the platform without explanation. Murdoch's News UK accused YouTube of setting a "dangerous precedent" when it removed the channel Tuesday. It was...
AT&T Downplays Talent Drain Risk at WarnerMedia
Hollywood Reporter: "We got a long history of working with the talent, and we'll continue to work with them," said AT&T CFO John Stephens, when asked about WarnerMedia's controversial 2021 film release strategy. Talent knows that "this is a unique situation" and...
Disney Surpasses Media Rivals in TV-Show Piracy
World Screen: "The Mandalorian," a Disney+ exclusive, has ranked as 2020's most-pirated TV show on the internet through BitTorrent, according to TorrentFreak, beating out HBO's "Game of Thrones," which dominated the chart for years. Amazon Prime Video's "The Boys"...
ViacomCBS Resets After Delay of Grammy Awards
CBS News: The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards have been postponed due to the "deteriorating Covid situation in Los Angeles." The awards show, originally set to take place on January 31, will now be broadcast March 14 on CBS. "Nothing is more important than the health and...