Top News:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
SoundCloud closes $169.5M Series F funding round led by Raine Group and Temasek to stay afloat; former Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor replaces Alex Ljung as CEO — SoundCloud has just closed the necessary funding round to keep the struggling music service afloat.
Discussion:
NPR, 9to5Google, RAIN News, BetaNews, Fortune, Mashable, Engadget, Business Insider, hypebot, The Drum, The Verge and The Week, more at Techmeme »
Paul Mozur / New York Times:
Source: Facebook approved the stealthy release of app similar to Moments in China via a local company that appears to be closely linked to Facebook — SHANGHAI — Facebook and many of its apps have been blocked in China for years. To change that, Mark Zuckerberg has made a big point …
Discussion:
The Verge, Fortune, Business Insider, Engadget, The Daily Caller, Wall Street Journal, Mashable, The Next Web and Axios, more at Techmeme »
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
“This Is Just Like GamerGate”: How The Pro-Trump Media Turned James Damore Into A Hero Overnight — A week ago, James Damore was anonymous. Now, the Google engineer who lost his job after he wrote a viral anti-diversity screed has become an icon of the alt-right …
Discussion:
Recode, Business Insider, @crschmidt, @cwarzel, @juliacarriew, @jeffgiesea, @oliviasolon, @walldo, @michellerafter, @dmccabe, The Daily Caller, Vox and bookforum.com, more at Techmeme »
BuzzFeed:
About 10 activists turn their backs on Trump aide Omarosa Manigault during tense panel at the National Association of Black Journalists conference — “Walking into a room where you get shut down does not open a line of communication so change can happen," said one of the top African-American officials in the White House.
Discussion:
Page Six, NPR, @lexistv, Washington Post, @carrasquillo, @buzzfeednews, Mediaite, Business Insider, @veralynmedia, @profpasha, @wesleylowery, @lpolgreen, Washington Times, The Wrap, AOL, TVSpy, FTVLive and TVNewser
Tara Palmeri / Politico:
Breitbart's campaign against national security adviser H.R. McMaster seems to have done more damage to Steve Bannon — The chief White House strategist is increasingly isolated in the West Wing as new chief of staff John Kelly tries to clamp down on negative news stories.
Chicago Tribune:
Jim Kirk, editor/publisher of Sun-Times, joins Tronc, parent of the Chicago Tribune, less than a month after local investors bought the Sun-Times — Jim Kirk, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Chicago Sun-Times, is joining Chicago Tribune parent Tronc as senior vice president of strategic initiatives.
Discussion:
Chicago Sun Times and Poynter
Michael Calderone / HuffPost:
Lawyer for Yashar Ali demands Fox News host Eric Bolling dismiss his lawsuit against Ali for HuffPost story claiming Bolling sent lewd photos to colleagues — She called Eric Bolling's $50 million defamation claim against Yashar Ali “utterly devoid of merit.”
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, The Hill, Variety, Deadline, New York Times and TVWeek.com
Todd Spangler / Variety:
After 14 years at Viacom, Sarah Iooss is joining Mic as executive VP of revenue to expand branded-content offerings — Sarah Iooss, after 14 years at Viacom, is joining digital-media company Mic as executive VP of revenue. — At Mic, she will oversee the sales team and market-facing products …
Discussion:
Adweek
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Online radio company TuneIn raises $50M in round led by Marker LLC, IVP, and Comcast Ventures; the deal values TuneIn at $500M, a source says — Funding round is led by Marker, IVP and Comcast Ventures — Latest deal is said to value company at about $500 million
Discussion:
NPR
Bloomberg:
Sources: Verizon's new online TV service is delayed due to lack of deals with content owners, executive turnover and internal discussions over service specifics — Company planned to offer live web service by late September — Carrier is still shaping strategy amid turnover on media team
Discussion:
Multichannel News, FierceCable, Engadget and Consumerist
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
Research analyst says “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville was timed with city's removal of confederate statue to use media coverage as recruitment tool — The turnout of white nationalists that sparked violence in Charlottesville, Va., this weekend reflects an alarming level …
Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:
Fox News competitors like The Blaze, Newsmax, and OANN seek to steal Fox viewers as the network goes through a tumultuous period — Glenn Beck's The Blaze, Newsmax TV, One America News Network and others are among the challengers: “There's no Pepsi to FNC's Coke yet.”