Top News:
Joseph Bernstein / BuzzFeed:
Leaked documents suggest that Robert Mercer and his family funded Milo Yiannopoulos following his resignation from Breitbart News — The Mercer family helped Donald Trump become President — and they appear to be funding the controversial Yiannopoulos. — Secretive hedge fund billionaire …
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy, Mashable, @bernstein, @_grendan, @kt_thomps, @swin24, @owillis, @kevinroose, @jadomian, @zengerle, @willsommer, @mattdpearce, @bernstein and @gideonresnick
Jonathan Handel / Hollywood Reporter:
NPR staffers weigh a possible strike vote as early as Friday night, while management takes a hard line in contract talks — Management says talks are “productive,” but the union decries an “odious” contract on offer. — Hollywood avoided potential strikes this year by writers and talent, but NPR may not be so lucky.
Discussion:
we make npr, Variety, The Wrap, @nprmonkeysee, @spacekatgal, @nprmonkeysee, @jmpalmieri, @samsanders, @stressandstars, @sonari, @bob_mondello, @inajaffenpr, @kvox, @hberkes and Poynter
Maureen Farrell / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Roku has hired IPO underwriters, and one source says it may file confidentially in the next few weeks, seeking a valuation of ~$1B — Streaming media player maker said to be seeking a valuation of roughly $1 billion — Roku Inc., which makes streaming media devices and software …
Discussion:
Reuters, Variety and Axios, more at Techmeme »
CBS News:
CBS News and BBC News announce global editorial and newsgathering partnership, sharing video, editorial content, and other resources — CBS News and BBC News announced a new editorial and newsgathering relationship Thursday that will significantly enhance the global reporting capabilities of both organizations.
Discussion:
Variety, @raju, @tvnewslab, @atompkins, @exjon, @stevenportnoy, TVNewser, Deadline, CNBC, USA Today, bbc.co.uk, @marksweney, @hadas_gold, @dzuidijk, @kathspark, @davidgrayrhodes, The Wrap and Broadcasting & Cable
Joseph Lichterman / Nieman Lab:
A new report says Democrats and Republicans follow the news and access media in similar ways, but Democrats believe the news is more accurate than Republicans — Though Republicans and Democrats have differing — and well documented — views of the media, members of both parties still follow …
Discussion:
American Press Institute, Poynter, @ampress, @janeeliz, @niemanlab and Fast Company
Jack Marshall / Wall Street Journal:
Online publishers like LittleThings and Dotdash are eliminating obtrusive ads to to boost overall revenue and improve user experience — LittleThings and Dotdash say they're taking a ‘less is more’ approach with ads across their sites — For online publishers, more advertising typically means more revenue.
Discussion:
@jamarlinmartin, @neilvogel, @whatthebit, @eringriffith, @jarroddicker, @jackmarshall, @mdudas and @jackmarshall
Hadas Gold / Politico:
HuffPost launches a 7-week, 23-city bus tour through Middle America to “learn what it means to be American today,” which sources say could cost $1M — Seeking a new direction, the site launches a 23-city bus tour to ‘listen to America.’ — Having made its name as a home …
Shan Wang / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with Henry Blodget as Business Insider turns 10, on international expansion, subscriptions, video content, and more — “We are working in a medium, along with all of the other digital folks, in which you can tell stories in four different ways: words, pictures, video, audio.
Discussion:
@kirkcheyfitz, @niemanlab and @jbenton
Sami Main / Adweek:
Kevin Hart's LOL comedy network to launch streaming service Aug. 3; free app will offer a show per week with ads, $2.99 version will offer full seasons, no ads — Lyft is a partner for one of the series — Starting next month, fans of Kevin Hart can stream his specials plus hand-selected and produced content from Hart himself.
Discussion:
Tubefilter
Julia Boorstin / CNBC:
At Sun Valley, CBS CEO Les Moonves says the company isn't looking for deals but would consider CNN if it were available — - CBS CEO Les Moonves said the company isn't looking for deals now, but would consider CNN if it became available: “CNN is a very worthy news organization.”
Discussion:
@mattrosoff
Lauren Johnson / Adweek:
Pinterest hires Jon Alferness and Meredith Guerriero, senior execs at Google and Facebook, to develop new ad formats and targeting — Jon Alferness and Meredith Guerriero bring search and programmatic expertise — Pinterest is after Google's talent. The San Francisco-based company …
Discussion:
Fortune, more at Techmeme »
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Slate is launching a new weekly Facebook Live talk show, Conundrums, hosted by Dan Kois and produced entirely in virtual reality — Slate is launching a new weekly Facebook Live show, with a twist: “Conundrums” is being produced entirely in virtual reality, with actors and other celebrities …
Discussion:
Adweek, @jank0, Ad Age, @danathan, @brendan_klink, @jank0 and TechCrunch