Top News:
Associated Press:
Gannett says it has received Digital First Media's $1.36B takeover bid and that its board will evaluate the offer — DENVER (AP) — The publisher of USA Today has received a $1.36 billion takeover bid from a media group with a history of taking over struggling newspapers and slashing costs.
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Ken Doctor / Nieman Lab:
37% of Gannett's revenue is from digital, but its print ad revenue plummeted nearly 20% in 2018, and it has a duty to its shareholders to consider DFM's bid — Alden Global Capital, the most reviled newspaper owner in the business, now wants to buy Gannett, the United States' largest daily newspaper company.
Discussion:
USA Today, Bloomberg, @jbenton, @robertmentzer, @niemanlab, @moorehn, @jbenton, @jcstearns, @dkiesow, @martinbarrow, @mgiannotto, @dkiesow, @jbenton and @brianstelter
Cara Lombardo / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Alden Capital's Digital First Media plans to bid for Gannett after quietly acquiring a 7.5% stake, will offer a 23% premium over Friday's closing price — A hedge-fund-backed media group known for buying up struggling local papers and cutting costs is planning to make an offer …
Discussion:
CNN, @brettkelman, Press Gazette, New York Times, @jcstearns, New York Post, @cararlombardo, @tauhidchappell, @marybschneider, @loctastic, @mattsebastian, @mattdpearce, @usatoday, @marshallramsey, @jonathanvswan, The Wrap, @kira_media, @nickreisman, @brianstelter, @bmarimow65, @blmohr, MediaPost, @keachhagey, @jbenton, @tonyapb3, @1cardsfan, @williams_paige, @reidepstein, @ryanmartin, @nicoleauerbach, @seandkennedy, @charlesapple, @johnrobinson, @dankennedy_nu, @willlesterphoto, @jcstearns, @jcstearns, @sulliview, @terry_casey, @melaniesill, @duanemarsteller, @mattsebastian, @robtornoe, @bruce_arthur, @raju, @romenesko and Reuters
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke is shuffling roles among his executive team, as the company prepares to launch its ad-supported streaming service in 2020 — NBCUniversal is set to unveil a major shakeup of its top executive ranks as CEO Steve Burke reorganizes his direct reports …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Awful Announcing, Ad Age, Adweek, The Wrap, @bristei, @tvgrimreaper, @ourand_sbj and @awallenstein
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CNBC:
NBC says it will launch an ad-supported streaming service in Q1 2020, free for pay-TV subscribers; source says the service may cost ~$12/month for everyone else — - NBC's streaming service will be a free, ad-supported product to anyone that subscribes to a pay-TV service.
Discussion:
Deadline, The Verge, Deadline, @sherman4949, MacRumors, The Week, SlashGear, 9to5Mac, @sherman4949, @morganlbrennan and @pkafka, more at Techmeme »
Mark Armstrong / WordPress:
WordPress has launched Newspack, a publishing platform aimed at small and medium-sized news outlets and backed by Google, ConsenSys, Lenfest, Knight, and others — Over the past 15 years, WordPress has grown to become the world's most popular publishing platform for the open web — and it's especially true for news organizations.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, PR Newswire, The Keyword, @wordpressdotcom, TechCrunch, Marketing Land, VentureBeat, @mattcoolidge, @ckrewson, @raju, @fundjournalism, @kinseywilson and @vivian, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Mervosh / New York Times:
In a tweet, Stephen King urged his local paper The Portland Press Herald not to drop book reviews, so the paper asked for 100 new subscribers to help fund them — When the largest daily newspaper in Maine decided it was going to stop publishing regional book reviews, it caused …
Discussion:
Press Herald, Media Nation, Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, @yvonnemintz, @nytimesbooks, @ericawgnr, @ehernandez, @amandamilkovits, @mikeshepherdme, @pressherald, @pressherald, @ilanaslightly, @mccanner, @margaretatwood, @lilykingbooks, @dankennedy_nu, @mainelisad, @eringraceowh, @pamelapaulnyt, @chasingray, @b52malmet, @nickpacilio, @craigtimes, @penamerican, The Wrap and The A.V. Club
Eric Johnson / Recode:
CNN.com Editor-in-Chief Meredith Artley says the network's digital arm is no longer rushing to cover Trump's tweets, opting for less “stenography journalism” — CNN.com Editor in Chief Meredith Artley says slogans like “facts first” aren't enough.
Discussion:
@niemanreports and @mathewi, Thanks:@steverubel
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Source: John Lasseter faced blunt questions from female employees at a townhall at his new employer Skydance Animation's LA headquarters — Incoming Skydance Animation head John Lasseter was grilled for over an hour and a half on Monday by concerned staffers who wanted to know more details …
Discussion:
Fast Company and Hollywood Reporter
Nicole LaPorte / Fast Company:
Netflix is spending big on a Hollywood-focused campaign to win a Best Picture Oscar for Alfonso Cuarón's film Roma, hosting parties, buying ads and promo items — It's no secret that winning awards in Hollywood goes beyond how good a movie or TV show is. There is a sophisticated art to a so-called awards campaign.
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, Observer, @nicolelaporte1 and @fastcompany
Jessica Davies / Digiday:
In 2018, Politico Europe had $23M in revenue, a 50% increase in revenue YoY, with just under half of that coming from subscriptions — Politico Europe is hitting its stride with subscriptions revenue. — The publisher rolled out six paid-for products in 2018, leading to 50 percent growth in revenue compared to 2017.
Discussion:
@gbrotman, @fedecherubini and @florianeder
Ellen Cranley / INSIDER:
A lack of black reporters in an announcement about CBS journalists covering the 2020 election sparked debate on Twitter from writers, politicians, and others — - “Scandal” actress Kerry Washington and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among Twitter users who criticized CBS for seemingly …
Discussion:
@aoc, @bfmitchell, Washington Post, The Wrap, @hotlinejosh, @hotlinejosh, @aoc, @hotlinejosh, Fortune, The Guardian, @thetattooedprof, @cortez4prez2020, @mariatcardona, @bess_buy, @combatcavscout, @saulgarzamedia, @kerrywashington, @hannahdrake628, @coribush, @karaswisher, @markos, @jelani9, @aoc, @kathygriffin, @sifill_ldf, @rolandsmartin, @errollouis, @ciphersankofa, @slaughteram, @rgay, @emarvelous, @asteadwesley, @thisisinsider, @karenattiah, @ericka4cmsboard, @senatormgraham, @rgay, @aoc, The Independent, Yahoo, The Hill and News One
Andrew Albanese / Publishers Weekly:
Vermont-based indie publisher is suing Netflix for allegedly infringing its Choose Your Own Adventure trademark with the release of film Bandersnatch — Netflix has scored big with its interactive feature Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. But on January 11, Vermont-based indie publisher Chooseco LLC …
Discussion:
Bookseller News and Vanity Fair
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