Top News:
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
NBCUniversal promotes Bonnie Hammer to lead upcoming streaming service, aligns its content businesses under Mark Lazarus and Jeff Shell — NBCUniversal is set to unveil a major shakeup of its top executive ranks as CEO Steve Burke reorganizes his direct reports and the company prepares …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Adweek, @bristei, @awallenstein, The Wrap, Ad Age, TechCrunch, Awful Announcing, @tvgrimreaper, @ourand_sbj, MediaPost, The Week and TVWeek.com
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CNBC:
NBCUniversal says it will launch an ad-supported streaming service in Q1 2020 that is free for pay-TV subscribers; source: non-subscribers could pay ~$12/month — - NBC's streaming service will be a free, ad-supported product to anyone that subscribes to a pay-TV service.
Discussion:
Deadline, The Verge, Engadget, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, 9to5Mac, NBCUniversal, SlashGear, @pkafka, MacRumors and @morganlbrennan, more at Techmeme »
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.
Discussion:
Business Wire, @bgrueskin, Wall Street Journal, Media Nation, USA Today, @ylichterman, @aeikens, @mylittlebloggie, @davidfolkenflik, @larryryckman, @jamesebriggs, Washington Post, @biancorobert, @ngeidner, @jbenton, @joeconchatv, @brianstelter, @gerryfsmith, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times and CNN
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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:
CNN, USA Today, @niemanlab, @moorehn, @jbenton, @martinbarrow, @jbenton, @jbenton, @robertmentzer, Bloomberg, @jcstearns, @dkiesow, @mgiannotto, @dkiesow 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
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
Discussion:
CNN, Press Gazette, @brettkelman, New York Times, @jcstearns, @brianstelter, @cararlombardo, @tauhidchappell, @marybschneider, @loctastic, @mattsebastian, @usatoday, @blmohr, @mattdpearce, @marshallramsey, @jonathanvswan, @kira_media, @bmarimow65, @nickreisman, New York Post, MediaPost, The Wrap, @keachhagey, @tonyapb3, @jbenton, @1cardsfan, @williams_paige, @reidepstein, @ryanmartin, @nicoleauerbach, @seandkennedy, @charlesapple, @johnrobinson, @dankennedy_nu, @willlesterphoto, @jcstearns, @jcstearns, @sulliview, @terry_casey, @melaniesill, @mattsebastian, @robtornoe, @duanemarsteller, @bruce_arthur, @raju, @romenesko and Reuters
Mark Armstrong / WordPress:
WordPress.com launches 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, TechCrunch, @wordpressdotcom, Marketing Land, PR Newswire, The Keyword, @mattcoolidge, @fundjournalism, @vivian, @kinseywilson, @ckrewson, @raju and VentureBeat, more at Techmeme »
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
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:
Washington Post, @aoc, @bfmitchell, The Wrap, @hotlinejosh, @hotlinejosh, @aoc, @kerrywashington, @thetattooedprof, @mariatcardona, @combatcavscout, @hannahdrake628, @coribush, Fortune, The Guardian, @cortez4prez2020, @saulgarzamedia, @bess_buy, @hotlinejosh, @karaswisher, @markos, @jelani9, @aoc, @kathygriffin, @sifill_ldf, @rolandsmartin, @errollouis, @ciphersankofa, @slaughteram, @rgay, @emarvelous, @asteadwesley, @thisisinsider, @karenattiah, @senatormgraham, @ericka4cmsboard, @rgay, @aoc, The Independent, Yahoo, The Hill and News One
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:
Media Nation, Press Herald, @yvonnemintz, @amandamilkovits, @mikeshepherdme, Mashable, @mccanner, @mainelisad, @eringraceowh, @chasingray, @nickpacilio, @penamerican, @nytimesbooks, @ericawgnr, @ehernandez, @pressherald, @pressherald, @ilanaslightly, @margaretatwood, @lilykingbooks, @dankennedy_nu, @pamelapaulnyt, @b52malmet, @craigtimes, Publishers Weekly, The Wrap, The A.V. Club and Dan Kennedy
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Trump's attack on Bezos and praise of the National Enquirer comes amid news that American Media's Pecker is a cooperating witness in SDNY's Stormy Daniels probe — Even by the tweeting habits of the 45th president of the United States, it was a puzzler. — Until you examined it.
Discussion:
@brianstelter, Mediaite, Variety, @davidenrich, Vanity Fair and GeekWire
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:
Hollywood Reporter and Fast Company
Jon Levine / The Wrap:
MailOnline Editor-in-Chief Noah Kotch has left to “pursue other opportunities”, just seven months after leaving his job running FoxNews.com — The Daily Mail's editor-in-chief Noah Kotch has left the company “to pursue other opportunities,” a spokesperson for the British tabloid told TheWrap on Monday.
Discussion:
Mediaite
Joe Mayes / Bloomberg:
Discovery is applying for broadcast licenses in the Netherlands to keep its pay-TV channels up in EU in case of a no-deal Brexit, will open operational HQ there — - U.S. media giant sets up Dutch operational hub to keep EU feed — Company keeps U.K. permits for channels such as Animal Planet
Tim Cushing / Techdirt:
Appeals court says that a local official violated the First Amendment by banning a user from commenting on a Facebook page she used for official communication — Late last spring, a federal court in New York made it clear Trump's blocking of Twitter users violated those users' First Amendment rights.