Top News:

The Guardian announces US job cuts that will reduce headcount by 30%, due in part to low ad sales and revenue shortfall — Company will reduce headcount by 30% in the U.S. — Executives from The Guardian announced today that there will be cuts at the British news organization's U.S. operation …
Discussion:
Guardian, @sonachele1, @lkwhite, @joepompeo, @petersterne, @mlcalderone, @kelseymsutton, @mattbors, @michaelluo, @hshaban, @edmundheaphy, @maxwellstrachan, @jeremymbarr, @joepompeo, @mlcalderone, @margarita, @mlcalderone, @joepompeo, @nickbaumann, @alexweprin, @hadas_gold, @justinjm1, @biellacoleman and @petersterne

Gallup poll: trust in mass media falls to 32%, eight points lower than in 2015, with only 14% of Republicans trusting it; overall level is lowest since 1972 — The American public's trust in the media in 2016 has fallen to its lowest point since at least 1972, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday.
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, Fortune, Mediaite, FishbowlNY, TVNewser, Code Words, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, Business Insider, @mathewi, AOL, @jimgeraghty, CBS Boston, @laynier, @asgucciardi, @pmarca, @wikileaks, @arifleischer, Gallup, The Daily Caller, Talking New Media, @raju, @brianstelter, @owillis, @djgeoffe, @sarahcuda, @charlesmblow, @jayrosen_nyu, @znakit and CNNMoney


Rio Olympics brought $250M profit to NBC Universal due to 20% increase in ad sales, CEO Steve Burke says, despite ratings 15% lower than London Olympics — While the ratings for the 2016 Summer Olympics didn't quite measure up to NBC's early projections, the Peacock still managed to strut away …
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, Broadcasting & Cable, @poynter, The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, Radio & Television …, Variety and Deadline


Pandora rebrands $5/month Pandora One ad-free subscription service as Pandora Plus, adds unlimited skips and replays, offline mode — Pandora's free service is also getting some new features — As expected, Pandora has launched Pandora Plus, a rebranded and improved version of its $5-a-month Pandora One offering.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Adweek, Business Insider, AppleInsider, The Drum, MacRumors, Business Insider, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, Radio & Television … and @timwestergren


Justice Department report: FBI may impersonate journalists in undercover probes with high-level approval; 2007 case of AP impersonation did not violate policies — The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General found no problem with an FBI policy permitting agents to pose as journalists.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Reuters, The Hill, @csoghoian, @razhael, @elizabeth_joh, @elizabeth_joh, The Verge, NewsCut, Motherboard, emptywheel and NPR

Disney cuts about 250 jobs in consumer products and digital media as it continues its shift to game licensing and away from internal development — LOS ANGELES — Disney cut 5 percent of its consumer products and digital media staff on Wednesday, or about 250 jobs, a spokesman said …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Variety, @kindofstrange, @floydbishop, @blarcade, @brooksbarnesnyt, Polygon, The Wrap, GeekWire and Gamasutra

New editors revamp Politico's Playbook newsletter, with color photos, graphics, and consistent delivery time; subscriptions are up 8% in the past two months — Two months on, the hand-over of Politico's free daily newsletter, Playbook, appears to be going well.
Discussion:
@wakeup2politics, @poynter, @asmith83, @breeshirvell, @james_dasilva, @cbudoffbrown, @apalmerdc, @digiday and @politicopress


BBC says new rules forcing it to reveal presenters' pay are “disappointing” and likely to cause a “massive headache” — Culture secretary says disclosure of those earning more than £150,000 will make corporation more ‘transparent and open’ as she launches draft charter
Discussion:
Telegraph, @mn_today, @mediaguardian, Engadget and @jamie_medhurst


Interview with Garret M. Graff on the reporting process behind his Politico story on Air Force One's flight on 9/11 — Courtesy George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum — Politico Magazine's oral history of Air Force One's nerve-racking flight after the Sept. 11 attacks is more than just a fascinating story.
Discussion:
@benmullin, @simonw, @coryschouten, @daviduberti, @cjr, @thejradams, @j_fuller, @verambergen, @adamwren and @cjr


Fox News co-presidents Bill Shine and Jack Abernethy sign multi-year contracts, signaling that the network won't change its voice in the wake of Ailes' ouster — Fox News already doubled down on its leadership team last month when it announced that Roger Ailes's major deputies were being elevated into top positions at the network.
Discussion:
CNNMoney, @brianstelter, @antillaview, @brianstelter, @nytimes, @nytimesbusiness and @prashantrao


HBO Now will launch on Sony's PlayStation 3 and PS4 game consoles; HBO and Cinemax are also coming to PlayStation Vue at $15 each per month — HBO, Cinemax also to be available on Sony PlayStation Vue over-the-top service for $15 monthly each — HBO Now, the premium cabler's standalone …
Discussion:
Forbes, Home Media Magazine, VentureBeat, Deadline, ComingSoon.net, Consumerist and iDigitalTimes.com


Verizon and Hearst combine Complex Media, RatedRed.com, and Seriously.TV into digital video joint venture Complex Networks, with Rich Antoniello as CEO — Verizon and Hearst have named their digital-video networks joint venture Complex Networks, and they have put Rich Antoniello, formerly CEO of Complex, in charge of the operation.
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, @hearstcorp, @katebracco, VideoInk, Hollywood Reporter, Multichannel News and NetNewsCheck Latest