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With $150K in funding, the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, a partnership among nine media orgs in NC, will cover the housing crisis in its first year — In its first official local expansion, the Solutions Journalism Network is partnering with the Knight Foundation to launch …
Discussion:
Poynter, Center for Cooperative Media, @centercoopmedia and Editor & Publisher


People magazine's editor in chief, Jess Cagle, is stepping down after five years at its helm and 32 years at Time Inc. — “I've decided it's time to do some other things while I'm still young — or at least alive," he wrote in a staff memo. “It's also time for me to live in Los Angeles full …
Discussion:
WWD, Adweek, Poynter and @markharrisnyc
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People magazine names Dan Wakeford, currently a deputy editor, as its new editor in chief starting April 1 — A changing of the guard is underway at People magazine under its new ownership. — Jess Cagle is stepping down after a five-year run as editor in chief.
Discussion:
CNN, Folio and @media_ink


Google says it removed 2.3B bad ads in 2018, down 28% from 2017 and terminated ~1M bad advertiser accounts, including ~734K publishers and app developers — Around this time of year, Google shares how many “bad ads” it killed the year before. And every year, the number grows. But not this time.
Discussion:
Adweek, support.google.com, TechCrunch, @epro and The Keyword, more at Techmeme »


Rakuten TV, with 7M users, expands to 30 new countries in Europe, and signs deal with Samsung, LG, and others to add Rakuten TV button to their remotes — Rakuten TV, the Japanese e-commerce giant's effort to take on Netflix and Amazon in the world of video streaming, has been a minor player …


Internal emails: First Look Media plans to let go ~4% of staff; Laura Poitras said the move cuts the research team, which has overseen the Snowden archive — Laura Poitras—the Citizenfour director and award-winning filmmaker who helped start The Intercept's parent company First Look Media …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, @maxwelltani, @yashalevine, @dangillmor, @ggreenwald and @maxblumenthal


Report: US esports ad revenue to reach $178M in 2019, up 25%, and $213M in 2020; 30.3M people in US will watch esports at least once a month in 2019, up 18% YoY — Brands are drawn to the younger audiences — As esports keeps creeping towards the mainstream, more brands are jumping in.


Amazon has delisted two books that claimed to hold cures for autism, following a letter from Rep. Schiff criticizing anti-vaccine misinformation on the platform — Amazon has removed the online listings for two books that claim to contain cures for autism, a move that follows recent efforts …
Discussion:
Poynter, NBC News, The Guardian, @tcarmody, @allicatmeowmeow, @boblonsberry, BOOK RIOT, CBS News and CNBC, more at Techmeme »


Email: Amazon to cut royalty rates in the US for Prime Video Direct creators from 6-15 cents/hour viewed to 4-10 cents/hour viewed, beginning April — Amazon is making new changes to a royalty program for content owners that upload videos directly into Prime Video.


Adrienne LaFrance, top editor of TheAtlantic.com since 2017, is named executive editor of The Atlantic; Swati Sharma and Sarah Yager are named managing editors — Swati Sharma and Sarah Yager are promoted to managing editors. — Adrienne LaFrance, who has been the top editor …
Discussion:
CNN, @katiezez, @adriennelaf, @yayitsrob, @elanazak, @swatigauri, @wajahatali and @theatlanticpr


Slovakia charges Marian K., identified as businessman Marian Kocner by Slovak newspapers, with ordering the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak — BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovak police have charged a man with ordering the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, New York Times, BBC and Politico


Gary Barber and Lantern Entertainment have formed new studio Spyglass Media Group, which will own and oversee Weinstein Company assets bought by Lantern in 2018 — Former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Chief Executive Gary Barber has a new job. — The veteran South African-born executive …


Spotify files an anti-trust complaint against Apple with the European Commission, claiming App Store rules limit choice and stifle competition — Spotify is filing a complaint against Apple with the European Commission, accusing the latter company of anticompetitive behaviour in the way it manages …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Spotify, Variety, Recode, New York Times, Wired, @pkafka, Ars Technica, @caitlin__kelly, @issielapowsky, @guardiannews, @viticci, @neilcybart, @jamesliamcook, Hollywood Reporter, @m4tt, @spotifynews and Variety, more at Techmeme »