Mediagazer: Sources: Apple is hiring a head of programming; company executives met with HBO's former President of Programming Michael Lombardo earlier this year (Tom Dotan/The Information)

10:50 AM ET, May 16, 2017

Top News:

Chicago Tribune parent tronc enters into nonbinding letter of intent to acquire Wrapports Holdings, owner of rival Sun-Times; Sun-Times to operate independently — Tronc, owner of the Chicago Tribune, has entered into a nonbinding letter of intent to buy the Chicago Sun-Times.

Discussion: Chicagoist, Robert Feder, HuffPost, tronc, inc., Chicago Business, @ourmaninchicago, Los Angeles Times, @walldo, @walldo, @michaelroston, @andrewhayespr, @annecw, @mdoukmas, @jeffcercone and @felixsalmon

U.S. Department of Justice:
Justice Department's antitrust division says it is investigating possible acquisition of Chicago Sun-Times by Chicago Tribune owner tronc

Discussion: Chicago Sun Times, Law360, @kurtgessler, Financial Times, The Wrap and Poynter

Pamela McClintock / Hollywood Reporter:

Sources: Disney CEO Bob Iger says hackers claiming to have access to an upcoming movie have demanded a ransom; the company is refusing to pay it — He says the hackers are demanding a ransom, which the company won't pay. — Have real-life pirates taken aim at Disney?

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska is suing the Associated Press for libel over its reporting on his relationship with Trump's former campaign chairman Manafort — A Russian aluminum magnate with ties to President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, is suing The Associated Press …

Discussion: @amy_siskind, @joshgerstein and @csmcdaniel

Tom Dotan / The Information:

Sources: Apple is hiring a head of programming; company executives met with HBO's former President of Programming Michael Lombardo earlier this year — HBO's former programming head Michael Lombardo met with Apple executives earlier this year to discuss Apple's video programming strategy, says a person familiar with the talks.

Discussion: VentureBeat, AppAdvice.com, @amir, @jessicalessin, 9to5Mac, MacRumors and Fortune

Joe Concha / The Hill:

Ousted Fox News host Bill O'Reilly joining Glenn Beck on his radio show for a weekly slot, every Friday — Former Fox News titans Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck will be reuniting for a weekly spot on Beck's radio show. — “We're going to do that every Friday until Beck gets tired of me,” …

Discussion: Mediaite

Valerie Jarrett / ATTN:

Ex-Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett joins political media startup ATTN: in a similar role; she says she'll help connect the company with policymakers — I'm thrilled today to announce my partnership with ATTN: as a senior advisor to their incredibly talented team.

Discussion: @goldman, @hilaryr and mikeallen

Chris Welch / The Verge:

Amazon launches 4K Alexa-powered Fire TVs with voice remote, available for preorder now, starting at $449 for the 43" model, $899 for 65" — Amazon's war with Roku enters its next phase — Like Roku before it, Amazon is working with TV makers to release smart televisions …

Discussion: Multichannel News, Variety and Fortune, more at Techmeme »

Kate Stanhope / Hollywood Reporter:

Bravo to air a six-part drama about former New Yorker editor Tina Brown and Vogue US's Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, examining their rivalry and friendship — ‘All That Glitters’ will examine the friendship and rivalry between the two women. — Two of publishing's biggest names are getting the small screen treatment.

Discussion: @alexweprin, @juliehinds, @morgan_stewart, @alisonwillmore and The Wrap

Ricardo Bilton / Nieman Lab:

Profile of Crinkling News, an Australian weekly paper that aims to improve kids' news literacy, says its readership is ~30K, and is raising funds to stay afloat — Creating a newspaper for kids means “allaying fears while at the same time explaining in the most basic terms what's going on.”

Discussion: @andydw_, @crinklingnewsau, @niemanlab and @niemanreports

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

ESPN says it's ready to strike deals with advertisers based on live viewing figures across TV, mobile, and digital screens — ESPN hopes to score a touchdown in a growing competition: measuring audiences who are watching TV programming in ways other than using a TV.

Vulture:

During the 2016-17 season, 27 returning TV shows suffered a 25% or larger decline in ratings, as viewers switch to streaming services — Almost every year since 2013, Vulture has published a chart illustrating the performance of veteran TV shows during the most recent season.

Discussion: Fortune, @dkthomp, @civiily, @vulture and @alexsburton

Shalini Ramachandran / Wall Street Journal:
As cord-cutting picks up pace, media companies are competing to make it into skinny bundles, with channels like Nickelodeon and TNT finding themselves left out

Discussion: Light Reading and Fortune

Committee to Protect Journalists:

Mexican journalist and CPJ awardee Javier Valdez Cárdenas murdered — The Mexican prosecutor for crimes against freedom of expression in Mexico should swiftly investigate the murder of Javier Valdez Cárdenas and bring all those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Discussion: Snopes.com, Xinhua News Agency, The Daily Caller, Mexico News Daily, insightcrime.org and HuffPost

Corey Hutchins / Columbia Journalism Review:

Colorado passes law making independent voters' voting records during primaries public, which some fear could be used to discredit journalists for political bias — A NEW COLORADO LAW, passed by legislators at the end of the 2017 session, will allow the state's politically unaffiliated voters …

Discussion: @cjr and @coreyhutchins

Archived Page Info:

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Senior Data Journalist, NY — WSJ

Manager - Publishing Editorial, Manila — Reuters

Oil Reporter, Singapore — Bloomberg

Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — AP

Business Reporter, SC — Post & Courier

State Government Reporter, WA — Seattle Times

Climate Crisis Columnist — Prospect UK

Multimedia Journalist, CA — Paramount

Community Engagement Mgr., DC — Freedom Forum

Senior California Politics Reporter, CA — SFGATE

Staff Writer - Business, NY — WIRED

Team Editor - Opinion, ON — Toronto Star

Assistant Correspondent, DC — Kyodo News

Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — Star Tribune

Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — The Verge

Lead Business Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Managing Editor, WA — Everett Herald

Private Credit Reporter, NY — Debtwire

City Correspondent, London — Financial News

Legislative Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Reporter, PA — Tribune-Review

Visual Editor, Remote — Rest of World

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Senior Political Reporter, DC — The Lever

California Playbook Writer, CA — Politico

National Investigative Reporter, NY — HuffPost

Business & Gaming Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Coastal Climate Reporter, SC — Island Packet

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Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

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Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette:
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Mike Fleming / Deadline:
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From Techmeme:

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority:
Source: Google has canceled the development of a second-generation Pixel Tablet, planned for release in 2025, due to concerns that it wouldn't sell very well

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Kent Walker / The Keyword:
Google says the DOJ's “wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision”, would hurt US consumers, and jeopardize the US' global tech leadership

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