Mediagazer: Examining “community information districts”, in which residents would agree to fees to support local journalism, similar to service districts for fire safety (Christine Schmidt/Nieman Lab)

5:10 AM ET, March 7, 2018

Top News:

Peter Kafka / Recode:

Technology news aggregator Techmeme, sister site of Mediagazer, is launching a daily podcast called the Techmeme Ride Home — Because everyone has a podcast. (That's a good thing!) — Techmeme is an influential site that provides concise, headline-length summaries of the day's tech news.

Discussion: Techmeme News, @gaberivera, @gaberivera, @anthonyha, @brianmcc, CNET, @spencerchen, Scripting News, Apple Podcasts, @pkafka, Fast Company, TechCrunch, Adweek, @jyarow and @selviano, more at Techmeme »

Felix Salmon / Wired:

Serial's success, followed by Gimlet Media's proven effort to commercialize the format at scale, and then NYT's The Daily paved the way for daily news podcasts — How publishers are racing to own the money-printing machine that is the daily news podcast. — I USED TO think that podcasts …

Discussion: @art19co, @ezraklein, @kelseyproud, @marcoarment, @juiceboxca, @noahchestnut, @scottriggs, @scottmcgrew, @cyberjournalist and Fast Company

Gwilym Mumford / The Guardian:

The 2018 Oscars experienced a 16% decline YoY in ratings, with 26.5M US viewers watching the four-hour broadcast; Trump mocked the figures on Twitter — Broadcast for 2018 Academy Awards attracted 26.5m viewers, a 16% drop on last year's ceremony … US president Donald Trump has mocked …

Women's Media Center:

Women's Media Center report: women of color represent 7.95% of US print newsroom staff, 12.6% of local TV news staff, and 6.2% of local radio staff — “It seems like there is a cap on people of color in newsrooms” — WASHINGTON — Fifty years after the Kerner Commission criticized …

Discussion: @womensmediacntr and @sulliview

Andrew Beaujon / Washingtonian:

Axios founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen chastised “the media” for coverage of former Trump staffer Sam Nunberg while Axios fed the same flames — “Awful scandal porn” shouted an Axios headline Tuesday. The unit of content, by Axios principles Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen …

Discussion: CNNMoney, Washington Post, @hadas_gold, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Mediaite, @ckrewson, @benmullin, @washingtonian, Vanity Fair, Fox News, @digiphile, @erikwemple, @brianstelter, Splinter, Brian Stelter, @kfile, Poynter, Mediaite, Newser and Mother Jones

Bloomberg:

Weinstein Co. buyer Maria Contreras-Sweet said her group is pulling out of its deal to buy the studio after an examination raised questions about its viability — Weinstein Co. buyer Maria Contreras-Sweet said her group is pulling out of its deal to buy the failing film and TV studio …

Discussion: CNNMoney, New York Times, Deadline, The Wrap, Financial Times, @peterlattman, The A.V. Club, @thr, The Wrap, Glamour, TVWeek.com, Fortune and Variety

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:

Fox is aiming to reduce TV ad time to 2 minutes per hour by 2020, its ad sales chief Joe Marchese claimed at a private industry event in LA last week — Network announced the target at an event it hosted to discuss TV advertising's challenges — Fox Networks Group's ad sales chief …

Discussion: FierceCable, @briankusc, Business Insider, @daniel_knauf, TVWeek.com and The Wrap

Shonda Novak / Austin American-Statesman:

The Austin American-Statesman is being sold to GateHouse Media for $47.5M, ending 41+ years of ownership by Cox Enterprises; deal expected to close April 2 — The Austin American-Statesman is being sold to New York-based publishing company GateHouse Media, executives said Tuesday …

Discussion: @blake_mitchell, @gregrajan, @caitlinrcruz, Gatehouse Media, @zwcomeau, @jayrosen_nyu, @seanfdriscoll and @jodyseaborn

Dani Deahl / The Verge:

Apple confirms it will stop taking submissions for iTunes LPs, with bundled items like videos or bonus tracks, as of this month; existing LPs will be available — Existing iTunes LPs will still be available going forward — Apple has confirmed to The Verge that it will stop taking new iTunes LP submissions as of this month.

Discussion: Metro.co.uk, MacRumors, TechCrunch, MacStories, Mashable, Fast Company, Engadget, VentureBeat, 9to5Mac and AppAdvice.com, more at Techmeme »

Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette:

The Independent says BBC Media Editor Amol Rajan must have “misremembered” anecdote about traffic-boosting headline, mentioned during speech about press at uni — The Independent has said BBC media editor Amol Rajan “must have misremembered” an anecdote claiming he made a column …

Amol Rajan / BBC:
Transcript of BBC Media Editor Amol Rajan's lecture at the University of Kent in England, on the myths surrounding journalism

Discussion: @jane__bradley, @neilnunes1, @simonjamesjupp and @sophiasgaler

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:

Subscription-based sports media site The Athletic has raised $20M Series C led by Evolution Media, plans to double staff from 120 to 200-350 employees in 2018 — The two-year-old startup plans to double staffing and expand across the U.S. and into international markets

Discussion: @rafat, @bill_shea19, @dcsportsbog, @chadgraff, @_brian_hamilton, @benmullin and Awful Announcing

Amol Rajan / BBC:

Ex-investigator for Sunday Times says he used illegal techniques to target Labour officials from 1995-2010; paper denies it commissioned anyone to act illegally — An ex-private investigator who was used by The Sunday Times has spoken about the criminal activity he was involved in to obtain information for the paper.

Discussion: @yorkierosie, @jacquihames, @johnprescott, Evolve Politics, @byline_media, @byline_media and @dadgey

Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:

Examining “community information districts”, in which residents would agree to fees to support local journalism, similar to service districts for fire safety — It's how many communities fund libraries, build airports, or pay for hospitals. Could it also pay for local news?

Discussion: @norcalreporter, @infodistricts, @centercoopmedia, @derrickhozw, @brizzyc, @thensim0nsaid, @thensim0nsaid and @andrew_dunn

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More News:

Financial Times:
Analysts say Facebook's recent licensing deals with music labels, including Universal and Sony/ATV, could signal plans to move more deeply into music business

more at Techmeme »

Alex Kantrowitz / BuzzFeed:
Lawmakers and experts worry Facebook will suffer the same problems with disinformation and “dark” ads during 2018 US midterms as it did during 2016 election

Discussion: @morroweric, @kantrowitz, @kantrowitz, @lisatozzi and @codybrown, more at Techmeme »

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Penske Media, owner of Variety and Deadline, has acquired SheKnows Media, including SheKnows.com, Stylecaster, and events business BlogHer

Susan Heavey / Reuters:
Office of Special Counsel: Kellyanne Conway violated federal law in 2017 interviews with CNN and Fox News by using WH position to weigh in on a political race

Discussion: The New York Observer, Oversight Democrats, Variety, The Wrap and CNBC

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Funny Or Die is retiring its website and migrating over to Vox Media's platform; both are exploring potential collaborations on long-form entertainment

Discussion: Tubefilter, @mtmoe1, Splitsider, @jackallisonlol, @zkahn, @reckless, @clockwerks, @bankoff and @melissabell

Earlier Picks:

Dan Primack / Axios:
HQ Trivia says it has raised $15M at a $100M post-money valuation, led by Founders Fund, to grow out its engineering team

Discussion: Tubefilter, Variety, Recode, TechCrunch, @axios and @teddyschleifer, more at Techmeme »

Silvia Foster-Frau / MySanAntonio.com:
Co-founder of conspiracy theory website Side Thorn arrested with partner for harassing father of Sutherland Springs victim, told him shooting didn't happen

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Week, @macklamoureux, @prehstrcforest, @erinscafe, @johnamato, @evenbev, @brianstelter and @lenpoz

New York Times:
Right-wing journalist Peter Schweizer plans to release a documentary on tech companies' role in filtering the news, casting them as censorious and oppressive

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
In a letter to AG Sessions, members of Congress ask Trump administration to require Qatar-based Al Jazeera to register as a foreign agent under US law

Discussion: Tikun Olam, @repjoshg, Bloomberg, The Daily Caller, @uptownberber and @vpafernandez

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
A look at the attempted revival of Rolling Stone under Jay Penske; sources say he approached Ryan Lizza about a job at the publication, after talks with staff

Discussion: @sisario, Politico, @pkafka and @joepompeo

From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is working on a smart doorbell system with advanced facial recognition that can wirelessly connect and unlock third-party smart locks

Wall Street Journal:
Gina Raimondo says holding back China in the chips race is a “fool's errand”, and investment, more than export controls, will keep US ahead of Beijing

Kevin Roose / New York Times:
A look at Amazon's revamped drone delivery program near Phoenix, Arizona, where the company's new MK-30 drones deliver dozens of packages a day to customers

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