Reuters Outfits Workers with Flak Jackets, Helmets
Press Gazette: Reuters plans to offer gas masks, helmets and other protective gear to its reporters covering the US presidential election. "Our concern about the safety of journalists in the US is unprecedentedly high," says Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen J...
Drudge Report Sees Traffic Plunge as LInks Go Left
New York Post: The Drudge Report posted a 45 percent decline in web traffic in September as the site alienated its core readers by turning against President Trump ahead of the election. Drudge Report had 1,291,000 unique visitors in September, down from 2,340,000 a...
Apple Unveils Subscription Bundles of Music, Video
CNBC: Apple will launch its Apple One subscription bundles on Friday, letting people pay for the company's premium services with one monthly payment. The Individual tier costs $14.95 a month and includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and 500GB of iCloud...
Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon Enjoy Big Profit Gains
Associated Press: Five technology giants have reported strong earnings but mixed outlooks, a sign of varying fortunes as they work to rebound from a pandemic-related economic slowdown earlier this year. Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, Apple and Twitter each exceeded...
Netflix Ups Prices in US as Content Spending Grows
Los Angeles Times: Netflix says it is raising the prices of its US standard and premium subscription plans, as the streamer continues to invest in content to differentiate itself from rivals. The cost of its standard plan that allows for streaming on two screens will...
Amazon Nabs Longtime Broadcast Star ‘Judge Judy’
Associated Press: Everyone's going to streaming, including Judge Judy. The broadcast television staple's next act will be with IMDb TV, Amazon's free digital service. Judith Sheindlin's long-running syndicated courtroom show "Judge Judy" will end production in...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Rescues New Show from Quibi
Variety: Lil Yachty's dramedy series "Public Figures" has moved to HBO Max for development. The series was set up at Quibi last year, but moved over to HBO Max in the wake of Quibi shutting down. Rapper-influencer Yachty still attached to star in the show, which is...
ViacomCBS’s ‘Schitt’s Creek’ No 1 on Streaming List
Deadline: "Schitt's Creek" has climbed up the Nielsen streaming charts, unseating Ryan Murphy's "Ratched," with 968 million minutes of viewing from September 28-October 4. The comedy series from Pop swept the comedy categories at the Emmy Awards back in...
Comcast to Continue Layoffs in Tough Year at NBCU
New York Post: NBCUniversal has been going through a rough period of steep cost cuts and layoffs, related to both the pandemic and the realignment of its TV-content-producing operations. The company is not out of the woods yet, as layoffs continue to trickle through...
Fox Corp Girds for a Trump Defeat at News Channel
Washington Post: Rupert Murdoch has always considered Fox News’s original underdog status to be its strength. He is ready to welcome a new inhabitant at the White House. "Fox thrives when it is in the opposition. A Biden win would be great for Fox's...
Roundup: US Media Plan for a Messy Election Night
Financial Times: The Associated Press has actively prepared to contradict the president on election night. Associated Press: Fox News hired the makers of the "Fortnite" video game to design whiz-bang graphics. WWD: "This is the first time I've ever met a lot of people...
Axel Springer’s Insider Buys Stake in Morning Brew
Axios: Insider, the parent company to Business Insider, has closed an all-cash deal to buy a majority stake in Morning Brew, a media startup that focuses on business newsletters and podcasts. Morning Brew's co-founders, both under 30, raised very little capital...
Hearst Taps Music Pro to Develop Magazine Playlist
Daily Front Row: Harper's Bazaar is getting its own playlist. Dev Hynes, also known as Blood Orange, is joining the masthead as the first music director. The role will be assigned to a different musician every month, with the task of defining a playlist that speaks to...
Meredith Seeks Brand Extensions for Life Magazine
License Global: Meredith has named Evolution USA as its licensing and brand management agency for the Life brand and the Life Picture Collection. Evolution will seek new licensing and brand expansion opportunities for Life and its photo archive in a variety of product...
The Economist Joins Media Endorsements of Biden
MediaPost: The Economist has endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. This is the ninth time the London-based Economist has endorsed a US presidential candidate. The first time was in 1980, with a recommendation to vote for Ronald Reagan. It endorsed...
First Look’s Intercept Loses Founder in Censor Flap
Mediaite: The Intercept fired back at Glenn Greenwald in a scathing statement after he left the outlet he co-founded, accusing its editors of attempting to censor an article he had written about Joe Biden. "The narrative he presents is teeming with distortions and...
Bongino Site Founder Baffled by Fame on Facebook
New York Times: Right-wing commentator Dan Bongino, whose Facebook page performs better than those of major news organizations, is perplexed by his social media success. "I don’t know what it is,” he says. "The strategy didn't change at all. I think people just like...
Daily Wire Founder Aims to Sell Home for $3 Million
Variety: Ben Shapiro's home in LA's San Fernando Valley neighborhood has popped up for sale, asking just under $2.9 million. Shapiro plans to relocate his Daily Wire media operation from Los Angeles to Nashville. The home includes a sophisticated security system with...
Study: Coronavirus Downturn Hits Newspapers Hard
TheHill: Newspapers were hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic in the second quarter of 2020, with advertising revenues plummeting in comparison to the previous year while revenue was up for a number of television news networks and...
Report: Covid Speeds Up Shift to Hybrid Newsrooms
WNIP: Newsrooms appear to be keen on continuing with at least some combination of the new ways. "An accelerated shift to hybrid newsrooms – with some staff in the office, some working from home, and some on the go – is likely to be a lasting legacy of the coronavirus...
Apple Develops Own Search Engine to Rival Google
Financial Times: Apple is stepping up efforts to develop its own search technology as US antitrust authorities threaten multibillion-dollar payments that Google makes to secure prime placement of its engine on the iPhone. The move adds to growing evidence that it is...
Alphabet, Facebook, Twitter CEOs Snub Bias Claims
Associated Press: Under fire from President Trump and his allies, the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google rebuffed accusations of anti-conservative bias at a Senate hearing and promised to aggressively defend their platforms from being used to sow chaos in next...
Google Staffer Revealed as Anti-Trump ‘Anonymous’
The Information: The anonymous senior Trump official behind the 2018 New York Times op-ed and subsequent expose criticizing the president is Miles Taylor, who joined Google as its head of national security relations in 2019. On Wednesday, Taylor revealed his...
Disney Streamer to Let Users Share on Social Media
Variety: Better late than never: Disney Plus just added the ability for subscribers to share links to specific titles — like its hit series "The Mandalorian" — with friends and family members on social media and via messaging...
ViacomCBS Appoints New Operating Chief for CBS
Hollywood Reporter: ViacomCBS has named Bryon Rubin COO of the CBS Entertainment Group, the company's operating division that includes the CBS network, CBS Studios, the CBS Television Stations and CBS Television Distribution. Rubin is currently CFO of the...
Fox Corp to Use New Wagering Tech on US Election
Variety: Fox Bet users could guess a likely outcome in the first thing President Trump will mention in a tweet on Election Day. Such games can keep fans engaged because they have the chance to win money based on the accuracy of their...
News Corp Bashes Twitter’s Block of New York Post
New York Post: "Twitter is still demanding the Post delete six posts linking to our reporting before restoring our account — even though any user can now freely share those stories. There’s no rhyme or reason to this, just vindictive partisanship from outlets that...
Oprah Winfrey’s Voting Talk on Zoom Attracts Biden
Deadline: Joe Biden made a surprise appearance on Oprah Winfrey's Zoom conversations aimed at empowering Black women to vote. "I want to know what is sitting well with your soul right now? What is strengthening you?" Winfrey asked...
Allen Media to Acquire Two TV Networks from MGM
Deadline: Byron Allen's Allen Media Group has acquired MGM's over-the-air broadcast television networks This TV and Light TV. The price wasn’t disclosed. The networks, a mix of MGM’s film and television content, are available through over-the-air, cable and online for...
DAZN Sports Streamer Reactivates Global Expansion
Deadline: Sports streaming service DAZN is expanding to 200 countries and territories on Dec. 1. Launched in 2016 and backed by billionaire Len Blavatnik, DAZN has thus far reached the US, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Italy and...