Mediagazer: Report finds advertisers to spend about $35.1M on podcasts this year, up about 2% YoY, but lack of audience measurement remains an issue (Steven Perlberg/Wall Street Journal)

9:00 AM ET, February 19, 2016

Top News:

New Chinese rule bans foreign companies from publishing online without state approval and licensing, requires mainland servers, starting March 10 — China requires approval for foreign firms to publish online … BEIJING (AP) — A new Chinese regulation announced this week …

Discussion: Quartz, Tech in Asia, South China Morning Post and American Press Institute

Axegrinder / Press Gazette:

Huffington Post Editor-in-Chief Stephen Hull suggests unpaid articles are more authentic than paid-for stories, which is “something to be proud of” — Stephen Hull and the blockheads: Backlash against HuffPo ed's claim unpaid articles are ‘more authentic’

Discussion: New Statesman and @jimspencesport

James Rainey / Variety:

Source: Nicole Seligman to step down as president of Sony Entertainment and Sony Corp. of America next month — Nicole Seligman Stepping Down as President of Sony Entertainment — Nicole Seligman, president of both Sony Entertainment and Sony Corp. of America, is stepping down from the twin posts …

Discussion: Re/code, Variety, Hollywood Reporter and Los Angeles Times

Steven Perlberg / Wall Street Journal:

Report finds advertisers to spend about $35.1M on podcasts this year, up about 2% YoY, but lack of audience measurement remains an issue — Podcasts Face Advertising Hurdles — Industry contends with marketers' doubts about measurement, scale — Since the hit podcast “Serial” …

Discussion: Galleys, @jazer, @noahchestnut, AdExchanger, @jakek, RAIN News and @niemanlab

Alexios Mantzarlis / Poynter:

There are 96 fact-checking projects in 37 countries, new census finds — The latest census of fact-checking and promise-tracking initiatives shows 96 such projects currently operating in 37 countries (highlighted in green below). This is a 50 percent increase compared to the 2015 census.

Discussion: Duke Reporters' Lab, USA Today, @reporterslab, @brianstelter, @billadairduke and @butchward

Madeline Welsh / Nieman Lab:

Guardian compares covering dog show on Periscope and Facebook Live, finds more initial engagement on Periscope, more eventual reach on Facebook Live — What The Guardian learned from comparing Facebook Live and Periscope for event coverage — It was a dramatic night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Discussion: American Press Institute, @gdnmobilelab and UK Blog on The Huffington Post

Shan Wang / Nieman Lab:

Jose Antonio Vargas is launching #EmergingUS outside the L.A. Times, aiming to crowdfund $1M — “Five years ago, I took the biggest risk of my life. Last year, I made a film called White People. In 2016, I want to talk about us,” the voice of journalist and activist Jose Antonio Vargas announced …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Beacon, @robertore62, @rubinafillion, @joseiswriting, @eliseneal, @ianmnelson95, @ramsammy, @jbenton, Poynter and LA Observed

Shalini Ramachandran / Wall Street Journal:

Sources: after launching a year ago, Sling TV now has more than 600K subscribers; Chief Executive Roger Lynch says “vast majority” are not pay-TV subscribers — Dish Network's Sling TV Has More Than 600,000 Subscribers — Hasn't been breaking out the subscribers publicly for Sling TV since launch a year ago

Discussion: Digital Trends

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Dish Network earned $747M on $15.1B in revenues, lost 81K pay TV subscribers in 2015

Discussion: Multichannel News, Business Wire, Home Media Magazine, Denver Business Journal, Motley Fool, TechCrunch, Variety, USA Today, Reuters, Reuters and DSLreports

Colin Lecher / The Verge:

FCC votes 3-2 to proceed with plan to give customers more choice over cable TV set-top boxes; proposal now moves into comment period — The FCC just took the first big step toward changing the cable box business — In a three-to-two vote, the FCC has decided to move ahead with a proposal …

Dawn Chmielewski / Re/code:

Vevo CEO Erik Huggers says company is working on a paid music video subscription service, could launch this year — Vevo Is Working on a Paid Music Video Subscription Service (Video) — The Internet's dominant music video service is working on a subscription offering.

Elspeth Reeve / New Republic:

How Tumblr's teen comedy geniuses find fame, build audiences, outsmart ad networks, strike it rich, then lose it all, without adults ever noticing — The Secret Lives of Tumblr Teens

Discussion: @raphaelbw, @hunterschwarz, @mollylambert, @bshoup, Boing Boing, @c_s_green, @ldavidson02, @elspethreeve, @dylanmatt, @imbadatlife, @nickbaumann, @laurenkozak, New York Magazine and Hit & Run

George Slefo / Ad Age:

Sources: Google's AMP initiative to speed mobile pages to launch Wednesday, with Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, and Washington Post among those participating — Official Launch Date for Google AMP Confirmed — Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages Is Launching Feb. 24, Ad Age Has Learned

Discussion: AdExchanger, Search Engine Land and American Press Institute

Drip:

Drip, which provided subscription services and communities for musicians and fans, announces it will close on March 18 — A Letter from the Founders of Drip — We have a tough message to share today: We've decided to conclude the Drip platform on March 18.

Discussion: @om, @valenti, @philipsherburne, @aten, @zackshave, @simoncarless, @drip, @skullcat, @valenti, Pitchfork and FACT Magazine

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 9:00 AM ET, February 19, 2016.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Deputy Ed. - Gen. Assignment Desk, DC — WaPo

EU Technology Reporter, Brussels — Bloomberg

Breaking News Reporter, NY — Guardian US

Harrisburg Reporter, PA — PCBC

Senior Editor - Styles, NY — NYT

Part-time Editor, Remote — Techmeme

Home & Travel Reporter, Ireland — Newsweek

Assistant Digital Editor, MA — Boston Globe

Senior Editor - Visuals (Temporary), DC — NPR

South Reporter, GA/Remote — ProPublica

Private Capital Reporter, London — FT

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Articles Editor, CA — SF Standard

Pharma Reporter, Remote US — Endpoints

Metro Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Higher Ed. Reporter, Remote CA — EdSource

Politics Reporter, Brussels — Politico

Investigations & Enterprise Ed., WI — Cap Times

Social Strategy Editor, NY — WSJ

Business Reporter, TX — Fort Worth Report

Senior Narrative Editor, CA — Cloud Chamber

News Correspondent, MS — Magnolia Tribune

Accountability Reporter, NC — Charlotte Observer

Editor-in-Chief, NY (flexible) — The 74

Housing Reporter, OK — The Frontier

Writer/AI Content Reviewer, CA — Outlier

Writer/Editor, Remote — Mediaite

Political Reporter, TX — Courier Newsroom

Afternoon/Night Editor, NH — Keene Sentinel

Education Lab Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Staff Writer, MA/Remote — Tech Advisor

State Worker Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Executive Editor, NM — Searchlight

Reporter, NC — NC Newsline

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Chava Gourarie / Columbia Journalism Review:
Behind the Another Round, Unorthodox, and Good Muslim Bad Muslim podcasts that serve underrepresented communities

Tom Dotan / The Information:
Yahoo shuts down Originals TV programming division, lays off its chief, Ian Moffitt

Discussion: @cityofthetown and Business Insider

Todd Spangler / Variety:
HBO signs exclusive deal with Nippon TV's Hulu Japan to license Games of Thrones, Sopranos, Girls, more

Discussion: @lucas_shaw and Home Media Magazine

Ricardo Bilton / Digiday:
BBC is using anonymous location-based chat app Yik Yak to engage with readers in special coverage of mental heath issues

Discussion: @schmalie

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
BBC banned from leading news bulletins on opinion polls during EU referendum campaign

Discussion: Guardian

Earlier Picks:

Adrienne Lafrance / The Atlantic:
Reporter who covers tech and science for The Atlantic analyzes a year's worth of her work and finds just over 22% of unique names are female

Discussion: @nisamalli and @mstem

Ben Popper / The Verge:
Netflix updated its recommendation algorithms to highlight titles based on global viewing habits earlier this year, ditching regional approach

Discussion: Tubefilter

Ricardo Bilton / Digiday:
Ozy partners with Wired, The New York Times, MIT, and TED for co-branded newsletters that include content from partner publications

Barry Petchesky / Deadspin:
SBNation blames breakdown in editorial process for its briefly available profile of ex-police officer and convicted rapist Daniel Holtzclaw

Discussion: New York Times, Talking Points Memo, @jayrosen_nyu, @deephunk, iMediaEthics, @lexalexander, Daily Oklahoman, @petersterne, The Source, @maggiekb1, Washington Post and The Huffington Post

From Techmeme:

Alphabet:
Alphabet Q1: revenue up 15% YoY to $80.5B, net income up 57% to $23.7B, Google Cloud revenue up 28% to $9.6B, and headcount down 5%; GOOG jumps 11%+ after hours

Microsoft:
Microsoft Q3: revenue up 17% YoY to $61.9B, net income up 20% to $21.9B, Office Commercial revenue up 13%, LinkedIn revenue up 10%; MSFT jumps 4%+ after hours

Reuters:
Sources: ByteDance prefers a TikTok shutdown in the US rather than a sale if legal options fail, deeming TikTok's algorithm as core to overall ByteDance systems

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page