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 …
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, al.com and @gerryfsmith
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:
Adweek, MediaPost, @jordanuhl, @smorgasboredom and @mattkmoore
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, MediaPost, TechCrunch, MacStories, 9to5Mac and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Sam Forsdick / Press Gazette:
Finland's largest daily newspaper erected ~300 billboards along Trump and Putin's route to Helsinki summit highlighting importance of free press — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were greeted with almost 300 billboards and posters that bring attention to their “turbulent relations with the press” …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Observer, Ad Age, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Adweek, Fast Company, @pourmecoffee, Fortune and @garethharding
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
With “Who Is America?”, Sacha Baron Cohen pits bad faith against bad faith political actors of the Trump era that traditional outlets have struggled to cover — Cohen — a consummate troll himself — is a perfect foil to the current political climate of grift and trolling.
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
Jennifer Kang / Splinter:
Sam Husseini, Institute for Public Accuracy communications director and journalist for The Nation, forcibly removed from Trump-Putin press conference — A writer working for The Nation was forcibly dragged out of President Trump and Russian President Putin's joint news conference on Monday.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, @erikwemple, Heavy.com, Yahoo and CNBC
Liz Moyer / CNBC:
Sources: Comcast unlikely to make another bid for 21st Century Fox's movie and TV assets, focusing instead on a bid for UK's Sky TV — - Comcast was in a bidding war with Disney over movie and television assets owned by Twenty-First Century Fox. — Sources tell CNBC's David Faber …
Discussion:
New York Post, Politico, Reuters and CNET
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:
Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Vanity Fair and IndieWire
Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:
CNBC announces expansion of its Middle East operations with a new studio set to open in October at Nasdaq Dubai — CNBC announced Monday the expansion of its Middle East operations with a new studio set to open in October at Nasdaq Dubai. — The new studio will be at MarketSite …
Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
Sources: HBO employees were not alarmed by AT&T CEO John Stankey's comments, with many agreeing that the network needs to scale — Within HBO, many view the reaction to new overlord John Stankey's occasionally ham-fisted comments as overblown. “They need this to work,” says one producer …
Christine Emba / Washington Post:
The removal of Daniella Greenbaum's article from Business Insider doesn't mean mobs are threatening free speech; cultural sensitivity is just common courtesy — Which beleaguered free-speech champion is being silenced today? — As it happens, it's writer Daniella Greenbaum, a former columnist for the website Business Insider.
Discussion:
@eriksherman and @hiattf
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