Mediagazer: Q&A with editors at the Sacramento Bee and the Bay Area News Group on the outcome of their agreement to pool statehouse and Bay Area sports coverage (Better News)

3:15 AM ET, December 6, 2018

Top News:

Rani Molla / Recode:

Ampere Analysis: Comcast, WarnerMedia, Fox, and Disney shows make up nearly 20% of Netflix's content library while originals account for 8% — The streaming media pioneer could lose about a fifth of its content hours. — Following Netflix's lead, nearly every major video company is moving into the streaming media business.

Edmund Lee / New York Times:
Sources: Netflix paid $100M to license Friends in the US from AT&T's WarnerMedia through 2019, up from $30M/year, ahead of AT&T's 2019 streaming service launch

Discussion: Recode, Washington Post, CNN, @jonfriedman, The A.V. Club, @jasondashbailey, @shiraovide, @jacobfeldman4, @dkthomp, Broadcasting & Cable, The Ringer, Slate, The Week, Fast Company, Ad Age, Adweek, Observer, Business Insider and Decider

Better News:

Q&A with editors at the Sacramento Bee and the Bay Area News Group on the outcome of their agreement to pool statehouse and Bay Area sports coverage — Here's an idea to steal and adapt: The Bay Area News Group and McClatchy's Sacramento Bee, two Northern California news organizations, are sharing stories, photos and video.

Discussion: @terabithia4 and @utknightcenter

Stephanie Nebehay / Reuters:

UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet says an international investigation is needed to determine who killed Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi — GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that an international investigation was needed …

Discussion: Press Gazette and Mediaite

New York Post:

Sources: Liberty Media is looking to increase its ~5% stake in iHeartMedia to 35% after the latter returns to public markets from bankruptcy in February 2019 — Radio giant iHeartMedia just took a major step toward emerging from bankruptcy — and falling into the clutches of John Malone.

Discussion: Music Ally and Music Business Worldwide

Asia Fields / The Seattle Times:

The Tacoma News Tribune to lay off 67 employees starting in February as it outsources its printing and says no newsroom staff will be cut — Layoffs will begin in February and last through September. They follow the company's recent decision to outsource its printing business.

Hollywood Reporter:

In Dec 2017, June Seley Kimmel tweeted that Les Moonves had sexually harassed her; the CBS board was aware of her account before New Yorker story emerged — June Seley Kimmel, who has recounted her experience with the ousted CBS mogul to company lawyers, recalls her traumatic 1985 encounter.

Discussion: @kimmasters, The Wrap and TVWeek.com

New York Times:
CBS draft report says former CEO Leslie Moonves destroyed evidence and misled investigators to preserve his reputation and save his $120M severance deal

Julia Alexander / The Verge:

YouTube creators say they're owed hundreds of thousands of dollars by Defy Media, with questions arising about where the company's $70M in funding went — Ryland Adams is one of YouTube's most prominent creators, best known for his collaborative work with boyfriend Shane Dawson …

Discussion: @russellbrandom and @loudmouthjulia

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:

Source: Vox Media's 2018 revenues are projected to increase 15%-18% YoY, with the company planning to charge for certain content across its sites — Vice, Vox, and BuzzFeed, among other companies that once heralded the dawn of a new media age, are now grappling with decidedly old-media problems.

Discussion: Business Insider, @dylanmatt, @choire, @sophiekleeman, AdExchanger, @laurenrabaino, @jonathanvswan, @akm1410, @williams_paige, @rafat and CNN

Janine di Giovanni / Harper's:

A war reporter reflects on the trauma and sacrifices demanded by a male-dominated field; film, Bearing Witness, captures the struggles better than A Private War — Life during wartime is more complicated than easily digestible, Hollywood heroism — When young women come to me and say …

Jane Coaston / Vox:

Weekly Standard staffers say parent company MediaDC has tried to sabotage the publication over its anti-Trump stance, mine it for assets for Washington Examiner — “This is not about dwindling subscribers. This is about strip-mining TWS for its assets." — The future of the conservative magazine …

Discussion: Hit & Run and Politico

Oliver Darcy / CNN:
Sources: The Weekly Standard's future is uncertain, after months of searching for a buyer; parent company MediaDC has requested a meeting with staff next week

Nat Levy / GeekWire:

Amazon and Comcast partner to bring Prime Video to Comcast Xfinity X1 set-top boxes, rolling out over the next week — Amazon and Comcast are teaming up to bring the tech giant's video streaming service into the Xfinity cable universe. — Amazon Prime Video will launch on the Comcast Xfinity X1 boxes …

Discussion: The Verge, Variety, Multichannel News and CNET, more at Techmeme »

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:

Rep. Chris Stewart defended Trump's response to the Khashoggi murder on CNN on Tuesday, saying journalists “disappear all over the country” — Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) on Tuesday defended President Trump's response to the killing of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi …

Discussion: @lawrence_wright, TheBlaze, The Wrap and The Week

Sam Dolnick / New York Times:

How a New York Times story by Sam Dolnick about an octogenarian drug mule inspired “The Mule”, a new Clint Eastwood movie — When I started reporting on an octogenarian drug mule, I had no idea it would inspire a Hollywood film. — Times Insider delivers behind-the-scenes insights …