Mediagazer: Chicago Tribune EIC and publisher Bruce Dold is being replaced by Colin McMahon, effective immediately; managing editor Peter Kendall is also leaving (Chicago Tribune)

Top News:

Barbara Allen / Poynter:

Layoffs are under way at newspapers owned by Gannett; one employee has tracked at least 24 newsroom staffers affected, with 40 pressroom positions cut — Layoffs continued Thursday at Gannett newspapers, which recently merged with GateHouse to form the nation's largest newspaper chain.

Discussion: Nieman Lab, @pbnewsguild, @wwbrown19, @buxmontnews and @gregorykorte

Business Wire:
New Gannett reports revenue of $699M and net loss of $95M, print ad revenue of $241M and digital ad rev of $90.1M; Gannett expects $60M in annual savings

Discussion: @apantazi, MarketWatch, @maryannbatlle, @bysarajane, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn, @peterlattman and @cristymsilva

Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:

Top media outlets normalized Trump's often incoherent press briefing Wednesday on the coronavirus, downplaying his campaign-style insults and slinging of blame — Here is some of what Donald Trump had to say Wednesday evening at a briefing intended to inform and reassure the American public about a public-health emergency:

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, @vermontgmg, The Hill, The Hill, @froomkin, @froomkin, @froomkin, @brianbeutler and @b52malmet

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Discovery names Hulu's Lisa Holme head of direct-to-consumer content strategy, in charge of commissioning and acquiring US content — Lisa Holme, a Hulu veteran who had been leading its international expansion strategy, has joined Discovery in a newly created role to oversee content …

Discussion: Deadline and Multichannel News

Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:

Discovery to grow Dplay, its on-demand European streaming service, to 18 countries in 2020; Joyn, its ad-supported German streaming service, has 7M users — US media group focusing on content overlooked by heavyweights such as Disney and AT&T — Every week, tens of thousands of tourists flock …

Discussion: @discoveryinctv

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Discovery reports Q4 earnings of $476M, up 77% YoY, on revenue of $2.87B, up 2% YoY; ad revenue grew 1% and distribution 5% thanks in part to carriage on MVPDs

Discussion: Variety, Discovery Communications, The Wrap, Broadcasting & Cable, @thr and The Streamable

LaToya Drake / The Keyword:

Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge opens applications today for projects focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion in journalism — Most communities in North America are diverse. They are comprised of people of various ethnicities, income levels, and countries of origin.

Discussion: Digiday, @markyk and @googlenewsinit

Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:

YouTube TV is dropping Fox Regional Sports Networks and YES Network on February 29, calling the move “a reflection of the rising cost of sports content” — Just before the start on baseball season, YouTube TV is about to lose 21 Fox Regional Sports Networks and YES Network beginning February 29th.

Discussion: MediaPost, Variety, Awful Announcing, @randinaughton, Radio & Television …, Cord Cutters News, @onaircoop, The Streamable and Broadcasting & Cable

Sahil Patel / Wall Street Journal:

NBCU launches NBC Spot On, a streaming ads business for its local TV stations group, as advertisers shift budgets from local spot TV ads to streaming TV — The company plans to hire up to 20 staffers for a new local ads business tasked with tackling the surging local TV streaming ads category

Discussion: PR Newswire and FierceVideo

New York Times:

Several high-profile Instagram accounts switch to private to avoid scrutiny when posting sponsored content for Bloomberg's campaign — The Bloomberg campaign is putting out more memes on private Instagram accounts — and running faster than Facebook can keep up.

Discussion: @hshaban, The Guardian, Know Your Meme Editorials, Ars Technica, @mrbrown, @megh_wright, @hshaban, @emilybell and @taylorlorenz, more at Techmeme »

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

UK regulator IPSO dismisses five complaints from the ruler of Emirate of Sharjah about nine stories in the Sun, Mail, and Metro newspapers on his son's death — The ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah has lost complaints about coverage of his son's death in the Sun, Mail and Metro newspapers …

Discussion: @ipsonews

James Hale / Tubefilter:

YouTube says it is testing a way for creators to sell ads directly to brands “with whom they already have a relationship” — In the perhaps not-too-distant future, YouTube will let creators sell ad space on their own videos. — “We're experimenting with a new way for creators …

Discussion: The Verge, @profcarroll, @taylorlorenz and @digiphile

Digiday:

Interview with Time President Keith Grossman on revenue sources, the loss of display advertising, broadening brand identity, and planning long-term strategies — Keith Grossman, seven months into the job as president of Time, doesn't mice words when it comes to Time's recent history.

Discussion: @keithgrossman, @daciampaglia and @simonowens

Li Yuan / New York Times:

In China, people openly criticize state media as Beijing sends hundreds of journalists to Wuhan and other regions to publish stories of sacrifice — Beijing is pushing tales of perseverance, but many young people are openly questioning the Communist Party's message.