Top News:


Amid its Time Warner merger, AT&T confirms it paid Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen for “insights” on administration in 2017 — AT&T confirmed Tuesday evening that it paid President Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen in 2017 for “insights into understanding the new administration.”


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 …


Facebook bans foreign spending on ads about Ireland's May 25 abortion referendum, enables Irish users to see all ads any advertiser is running — Facebook has announced it has stopped accepting ads paid for by foreign entities that are related to a referendum vote in Ireland later this month …
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The Guardian, New York Times, Business Insider, WIRED UK, The Irish Times, @lornabogue, BBC and CNNMoney, more at Techmeme »
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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:
The Wrap, Variety and Radio & Television …


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:
@kathyenglish


Univision has been in decline for years, with a shark-obsessed boss, millions wasted on consultants, and an executive who insisted on publishing softcore porn — This is the story of how corporate raiding, complacency, excess, and incompetence are gutting a media company that matters to tens of millions of people.


Sources: James Murdoch, mentioned as possibly taking a senior position at Disney after it buys 21st Century Fox, plans to strike out on his own if deal closes — 21st Century Fox CEO had been mentioned as possibly taking senior position at Disney; plans possible venture-capital fund
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Reuters, Recode, Techdirt, Multichannel News, New York Times, @keachhagey, @jbflint, @jbflint, Mediawire, Reuters and /Film, more at Techmeme »


A breakdown of pay packages of media execs in 2017 including Moonves, who was compensated $69.3M, Bewkes, who received $49M, and Zaslav, who got $42.2M — It's good to be the king, Mel Brooks famously joked in “History of the World: Part 1.” — When it comes to the entertainment business, he was especially right.
Discussion:
@brentalang and Ad Age


Lonely Planet CEO Daniel Houghton is leaving for another role; source says parent company NC2 is pursuing a sale five years after purchasing it from the BBC — Lonely Planet has weathered the death of the guidebook better than any of its peers, and its new leader will need to figure …
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Publishers Lunch and Bookseller News


Sources: the Qatari government has sought to acquire a major stake in Newsmax, the conservative media company run by President Donald Trump's friend Chris Ruddy — The Persian Gulf state, owner of Al Jazeera, has sought to invest in the conservative news outlet with ties to Trump.
Discussion:
Slate


Vodafone to buy some of cable giant Liberty Global's European assets, including operations in Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Czech Republic, for €18.4B — Deal includes operations in Germany, Hungary, Romania and Czech Republic, would create one of the continent's biggest telecommunications carriers
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The Guardian, Multichannel News, Vodafone, Bloomberg, Fortune, Sky News, Financial Times, BBC, Broadband TV News, LegalWeek.com, Broadband TV News and City A.M., more at Techmeme »


The NBA and Intel announce plans to jointly evaluate tech startups for investment and collaboration, seeking to “create a new immersive media world” — LeBron James added another iconic moment to his brilliant career Saturday night with a one-handed, buzzer-beating bank shot while drifting away from the basket.
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TechCrunch and VentureBeat, more at Techmeme »