Top News:
Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
FCC's Ajit Pai has “serious concerns” about Sinclair Broadcast Group's acquisition of Tribune Media, worried Sinclair has kept control of “divested” TV stations — Ajit Pai said he is concerned about so-called “side-car deals” that would allow Sinclair Broadcast Group …
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Weinstein Co. Closes $289 Million Sale to Lantern Capital — A Texas private equity firm has closed its $289 million acquisition of the Weinstein Co., and will seek to revive the studio that was driven into bankruptcy by Harvey Weinstein's sex assault scandal.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, Dallas Morning News, Vanity Fair, IndieWire and TVWeek.com
Instapaper:
Pinterest to transfer ownership of Instapaper to Instant Paper, Inc., a new company owned and operated by the developers who have run Instapaper since 2013 — Today, we're announcing that Pinterest has entered into an agreement to transfer ownership of Instapaper to Instant Paper, Inc. …
Discussion:
Adweek, VentureBeat, MediaPost, @pkafka, Engadget, The Verge, MacStories, TechCrunch and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
Netflix reports Q2 membership growth of 5.2M, 1M less than forecast, and a profit of $384M, up from $65M last year; stock down 13% after hours — Video site blamed faulty internal forecasting, not business reasons like price increases — Netflix Inc. missed its own forecasts …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Wrap, New York Times, Ad Age, CNBC, Variety, Business Insider, CNNMoney and netflixinvestor.com, more at Techmeme »
Kim Chandler / Associated Press:
The estate of John B. McLemore, subject of the podcast S-Town, files lawsuit against creator Brian Reed and others, claiming they exploited him — The estate of the man at the center of the popular “S-Town” podcast is suing the show's creators, saying they exploited details of his private life for financial gain.
Discussion:
Vulture, Jezebel, @gerryfsmith and al.com
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
The Washington Post is launching a channel on Amazon-owned livestreaming site Twitch, broadcasting two shows initially — The Washington Post is looking to Twitch's livestreaming gamers of all places to reach new video audiences, with a new channel starting this week. — The channel will kick off with two shows.
Discussion:
MediaPost, Adweek, @jordanuhl, @smorgasboredom and @mattkmoore
Charles Preston / Committee to Protect Journalists:
Profile of Zachary Stoner, an independent music journalist and YouTuber in Chicago who covered the city's neglected black communities before being killed in May — I weighed the possibility of being killed for writing this. Seriously. I know that shedding light on or speaking …
Discussion:
@aaschapiro and @jessicajerreat
Julia Jacobs / New York Times:
Facing competition from streaming services like Netflix, Alaska's two Blockbuster stores close, leaving just one store in Bend, Oregon — The Blockbuster video store in Bend, Ore., stands steely and determined, defending itself against the expanding forces of digital streaming services like Netflix and HBO …
Discussion:
IndieWire
Columbia Journalism Review:
Ecuador's new president encourages investigative journalism and pledges to reform the country's repressive Communications Law, but reporters still work in fear — Lenín Moreno, now the president of Ecuador, as a candidate in 2016. Photo: Agencia de Noticias ANDES/Micaela Ayala V/flickr.
Ian Burrell / The Drum:
The BBC's Local News Partnerships scheme generates 3,600 stories a month for its network of local papers, radio, TV stations, independent news sites and the BBC — The BBC has widened its definitions of national news to include such apparently mundane themes as potholes in the road …
Discussion:
paulwiltshireblog
NBC News:
Apple removed QDrops, an app that sent alerts about Qanon conspiracy theory, after months at the top of the App Store; app still available at Google Play Store — One of the App Store's top entertainment apps pushed a conspiracy theory about a child sex ring and a Trump secret police force.
Discussion:
@alex__katz, @lanceulanoff, @oneunderscore__ and Media Matters for America, more at Techmeme »
Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:
Hearst Inc reached a $50M settlement of a lawsuit claiming it violated Michigan privacy law by selling its magazine subscribers' personal info — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hearst Communications Inc on Thursday reached a $50 million settlement of a lawsuit claiming it violated Michigan privacy law …
Discussion:
@travelfish