Top News:
Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
After Trump's latest threat against the media, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says the White House is accessible and “very committed to a free press” — On Wednesday morning, Trump suggested pulling the credentials of reporters who cover him. — White House press secretary …
Discussion:
@realdonaldtrump, @whca, Deadline, The Guardian, @kyranryan, @kylegriffin1, BostonGlobe.com, @aprildryan and Yahoo
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Jon Street / Mediaite:
Conservative media icon Matt Drudge said he feared the President's “crusade on ‘fake news’” would lead to “all reporters” requiring licenses to work — Conservative firebrand Matt Drudge says he fears that President Donald Trump's frequent attacks …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple plans to let users buy subscriptions to some third-party video services in its TV app, rather than individual apps, starting next year — - Strategy in development looks a lot like rival Amazon.com's — Apple Inc.'s plan to reinvent cable TV is starting to look a lot like the strategy of its rival Amazon.com Inc.
Discussion:
MacRumors, FierceCable, Engadget, 9to5Mac, The Verge and MAC blog, more at Techmeme »
Kevin Merida / ESPN Front Row:
ESPN is discontinuing its Public Editor position, following a recommendation from the company's editorial board, citing the rise of social media — EDITOR'S NOTE: Kevin Merida, ESPN Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief for The Undefeated, also serves as Chair of ESPN's Editorial Board.
Discussion:
HuffPost, @willsommer, Deadspin, @jeremymbarr, iMediaEthics and @kathyenglish
Janko Rottgers / Variety:
Roku reports Q1 revenue of $136.6M, beating expectations and up from $100M a year ago, as services outpace hardware revenue; active accounts up 47% YoY to 20.8M — Meet the new Roku: The company best known for its streaming devices made more money with ads and licensing fees than with hardware sales …
Discussion:
Roku, Multichannel News, Business Insider, @jank0, Business Insider and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
21st Century Fox has struck a deal to acquire seven TV stations from Sinclair Broadcast Group for $910M, in key NFL markets, like Denver, Miami, and Seattle — The news of the purchase of stations in key NFL markets, such as Denver, Miami and Seattle, comes after Fox's $52.4 billion December mega-deal …
Discussion:
TVSpy, TVNewser, Radio & Television …, The Wrap, The Wrap and TVWeek.com
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
NBCUniversal releases internal report on Matt Lauer probe, says “Today” managers had no prior knowledge of inappropriate conduct — NBCUniversal said managers at its venerable “Today” show and at NBC News had no knowledge of inappropriate behavior by star anchor Matt Lauer prior …
Discussion:
Politico, Deadline, TVNewser, The Wrap, Ad Age, The A.V. Club, Broadcasting & Cable, The New York Observer, The Daily Beast, NewsBusters, @lionelmedia, @shakestweetz, @deggans, NPR and @raminsetoodeh
CNNMoney:
Democratic lawmakers press AT&T for details about payments to Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, in light of Time Warner merger and net neutrality repeal — AT&T confirms it paid Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's company — The public is just now learning about AT&T's payments to President Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
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Linda Vester / Washington Post:
Ex-NBC reporter Linda Vester says she is not filing a lawsuit against NBC News or Tom Brokaw, and was shocked at letter of support from NBC's female employees — Linda Vester is a former NBC and Fox News journalist. — I am the woman who came forward last month to accuse NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw of sexual misconduct.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, New York Times, Fox News, @marksimoneny, @davidfolkenflik, UPROXX and TV Tattle
Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
The New York Times is partnering with FX and Hulu on a new TV show, “The Weekly”, based on its popular podcast The Daily — FX and Hulu will air a weekly television series by The New York Times. — The show's name, “The Weekly,” links it to the Times' popular podcast “The Daily.”
Discussion:
Crain's New York Business, The Wrap, Adweek, Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, The Ringer, @ericthurm, @thewayoftheid, @sherships, @parul_sehgal, @cliffordlevy, @jakesilverstein, @poniewozik, @nwquah, @koblin, @brianstelter, @jessicalessin, @edmundlee, @jeremymbarr, Hollywood Reporter and @jeremymbarr
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed:
Despite Amazon's efforts, paid reviewers who organize via Reddit, Slack, Discord, and Facebook are still flooding the site with fake reviews — A vast web of Amazon review fraud lives online, and it's designed to evade the company's efforts to thwart it. — One morning in late January …
Discussion:
the Econsultancy blog
CNNMoney:
Internal emails show that executives at conservative Salem Media Group pressured radio hosts to be more pro-Trump amid 2016's election — Executives at Salem Media Group, a conservative media company that syndicates some of the country's most recognized talk radio hosts and operates a batch …
Discussion:
Mediaite, @oliverdarcy and @oliverdarcy
The Guardian:
Olivera Lakic, an investigative reporter in Montenegro, has been shot and injured in an attack, prompting calls for the EU and US to protect journalists — Olivera Laki wounded outside her home in the country's second attack on a journalist in a month — An investigative reporter …
Discussion:
@rferl, PEN America, @stefsimanowitz, @harlemdesir, Committee to Protect … and Politico