Top News:
CNN:
NBC and Megyn Kelly have officially parted ways; sources say NBC will pay Kelly the remaining sum of her contract, believed to total about $30M — (CNN)Two years after she signed with the network amid much fanfare, Megyn Kelly and NBC have officially parted ways.
Discussion:
New York Times, Variety, TMZ.com, TVNewser, NBC News, Mashable, UPROXX, @wajahatali, @amyotto8, @bluechoochoo, @brianstelter, @niallstanage, @slpng_giants, @larryoconnor, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @oliverdarcy, @koblin, @levinejonathan, @garylegum, @efmoriarty, The A.V. Club, Mediaite, The Wrap and The Daily Caller
The Information:
Sources: Viacom in talks to acquire Tubi TV, an ad-supported streaming service partly owned by MGM and Lionsgate; one source estimated a cost of around $300M — Nearly every major media company in recent years has launched video streaming services that cost viewers a few dollars a month and don't carry ads …
Discussion:
@cityofthetown
Peter Lawrence Kane / SFWeekly:
The East Bay Express has laid off four core members of its editorial staff and is moving to an all-freelance model; editor Robert Gammon remains — Four people at the 40-year-old alt-weekly lost their jobs. — UPDATE: Robert Gammon, the EBX's editor, has supplied a comment.
Kit Walsh / Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Bird sends dubious DMCA takedown notice to Boing Boing over a post explaining how to legally buy an abandoned Bird scooter and convert it to a personal scooter — Every now and then we have to remind someone that it's not illegal for people to report facts that they dislike.
Discussion:
Boing Boing, @dangillmor, @alexstamos, @nickabouzeid, @jason_koebler, @sil, @adamsinger, @waxpancake, @techdirt, @lenazun, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, The Verge and Techdirt, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
Washington Post launches an Arabic-language opinions page with translations of Global Opinion columns, editorials, and op-eds — New Arabic-language destination will feature translated pieces from writers around the world — The Washington Post Opinions section today announced the launch …
Discussion:
@borzou, @dabeard, MediaPost, Politico, @pressfreedom, @pressfreedom, @hurdonthehill, @repadamschiff, @karenattiah, CNBC, Middle East Eye and Middle East Eye
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
SEC filing: Disney CEO Bob Iger's total compensation in 2018 reached $65.6M, up from $36.2M in 2017, due to increased stock awards — On the heels of Disney's historic deal to buy 21st Century Fox, Disney chairman-CEO Bob Iger saw a big increase in compensation last year thanks to stock awards …
Discussion:
Multichannel News and The Wrap
RELATED:
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
In SEC filing, Fox confirms it won't bid on the 22 regional sports networks Disney must sell
In SEC filing, Fox confirms it won't bid on the 22 regional sports networks Disney must sell
Discussion:
@jbflint, SportsBusiness Daily, @manabyte, Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Awful Announcing, The Wrap and Multichannel News
Washington Post:
Over half of the top 20 YouTube search results for “RBG” this week pointed to conspiracy-theory videos about Ruth Bader Ginsburg's health — Conspiracy theories about the health of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have dominated YouTube this week, illustrating how the world's …
Discussion:
@hshaban, @jzheel, @slpng_giants, @oneunderscore__, @garettsloane, @drewharwell, @marietjeschaake, @tonyajoriley and @hshaban
Brianna Sacks / BuzzFeed News:
Ex-staffers of Freedom Daily say Brian Kolfage, who raised $20M via a GoFundMe campaign for Trump's wall, pushed them to fabricate stories for his website — “He never wanted the truth. It was all just for clicks, and the more inflammatory, the better," a former employee said.
RELATED:
NBC News:
Brian Kolfage's previous fundraising efforts relied on two ultra-conservative websites, Freedom Daily and Right Wing News; Kolfage denies he owned Freedom Daily
Brian Kolfage's previous fundraising efforts relied on two ultra-conservative websites, Freedom Daily and Right Wing News; Kolfage denies he owned Freedom Daily
Discussion:
@oneunderscore__, @natashabertrand, @oneunderscore__, @fpwellman, @ambiej, @oneunderscore__, @mikeisaac, @pattymo, @oneunderscore__ and Mashable
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
NYT announces it's launching a weekday 3-minute news briefing and a news quiz for Alexa-enabled devices, with eventual expansion to Google Assistant and Siri — The New York Times is pushing further into voice products for smart speakers. On Friday, the company announced that it's launching …
Discussion:
@digiphile, New York Times and MediaPost
Matthew Kassel / Columbia Journalism Review:
As President Trump's press bashing continues unabated, local journalists face increased incidents of being spurned and vilified by elected officials — Douglas Burns, a fourth-generation journalist, is co-owner of the Daily Times Herald in Carroll, Iowa, a newspaper that has been in his family since 1929.
Discussion:
@cjr, @rokhanna, @news_collab, @spjlv, @penamerican, The Rural Blog, @rylandky and @ruralj
RELATED:
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
CBS reaches an agreement to keep using Nielsen's Total Audience measurement services, resolving an impasse since their previous contract expired December 31 — CBS Corp and Nielsen said Friday they have reached an agreement for Nielsen national, digital and local audience measurement.
Discussion:
Multichannel News, Adweek, Hollywood Reporter, Broadcasting & Cable, Variety and The Wrap
Joshua Fruhlinger / Thinknum Media:
Job openings at Vox are up 100% since September 2018, but many are freelance or contract positions, possibly to sidestep the union or adapt to seasonal content — Normally an uptick in hiring at a new media company like Vox Media ($VOXMEDIA) is a good sign. It means that the company is reinvesting in talent.
Brent Lang / Variety:
Sources: CBS Films will fold into CBS Entertainment Group this year, with some layoffs in March and a focus on streaming after current films are released — CBS Films will be folded into CBS Entertainment Group over the next twelve months, Variety has learned.