Mediagazer: Conservative outlet The Dispatch says it has ~10K paying subscribers and $1M+ in annual revenue, plans to join Google's Play Me The News program for Google Home (Anthony Ha/TechCrunch)

5:30 PM ET, March 17, 2020

Top News:

China requires American NYT, WSJ, and WaPo reporters whose press passes expire in 2020 to return them, bans them from working as journalists in China, HK, Macau — The announcement comes weeks after President Trump limited the number of Chinese citizens who could work in the United States …

fmprc.gov.cn:

China Takes Countermeasures Against Restrictive Measures on Chinese Media Agencies in the US — In recent years, the US government has placed unwarranted restrictions on Chinese media agencies and personnel in the US, purposely made things difficult for their normal reporting assignments …

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, @kriscoratti, The Wrap, The Guardian, TechCrunch, Mediaite, Fox News, NPR, @thewanreport, @ajitxsingh, @donmoyn, Politico, The Week, @gadyepstein, @ewong, @sam_vinograd, @ryanl_hass, @melissakchan and @ceciliakang

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

Conservative outlet The Dispatch says it has ~10K paying subscribers and $1M+ in annual revenue, plans to join Google's Play Me The News program for Google Home — Is there an audience for a center-right news publication focused on original reporting and analysis?

Discussion: Nieman Lab

Dorrine Mendoza / Lenfest Institute for Journalism:

Facebook, Lenfest, Local Media Association partner to offer a total of $1M in grants of up to $5K for local newsrooms in US, Canada for costs linked to COVID-19 — Today, the Facebook Journalism Project is partnering with the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the Local Media Association …

Discussion: Variety, Facebook Announces $1 Million …, @lenfestinst, @leahktodd, @cthompsonmorton, @juliemmoos, @ckrewson, @melaniesill and @nppa, more at Techmeme »

Poynter:
Facebook partners with the International Fact-Checking Network to offer $1M in grants of up to $50K to support fact-checkers working on COVID-19 misinformation

Discussion: @ampress, @poynter and Axios

Julia Alexander / The Verge:

AMC Theaters, the largest theater chain in the US, to close for 6-12 weeks, following in the footsteps of Regal, Landmark, Alamo Drafthouse, and others — Following the worst box office weekend in 20 years — AMC Theaters, the largest theater chain in the United States, will shut its doors nationwide for between six to 12 weeks.

Discussion: Business Wire, Variety, TechCrunch, ComingSoon.net and Eater

Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:
Universal Pictures to make digital rentals of some new movies now in theaters available for $20 from March 20, and upcoming Trolls World Tour on its release day

Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
North American box office plunged to around $55.3M this weekend, its worst weekend since sales of $54.5M from September 15 to 17 in 2000

Discussion: The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter, /Film, Jacob's Letter, Jezebel, The Daily Beast, Hollywood Reporter, @ecareyo, @variety, @ewagmeister, @ecnalhanid, Mumbrella, Fortune, The Verge, The Guardian, CNN, The Playlist, MediaPost, Wired and Vanity Fair

Washington Post:

Fox News hosts have quickly shifted their tone on the COVID-19 pandemic from media conspiracy to crisis, after Trump declared it a national emergency on Friday — For weeks, some of Fox News's most popular hosts downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, characterizing it as a conspiracy …

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

UK news audiences grow significantly due to COVID-19 for the BBC, Channel 4, and ITV with BBC News recording its biggest weekly audience since 2015 — The BBC News Channel has recorded its biggest weekly audience since 2015 as a result of its coronavirus coverage, while Channel 4 News' audience has “effectively doubled” in ten days.

Steve Herman / Voice of America:

WHCA enforces social distancing in the White House briefing room, limiting the number of correspondents to 25, and TV networks have agreed to pool their cameras — The White House took enhanced precautions Monday against an invisible threat — the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Discussion: @rtcacapitolhill, The Hill and Fox News

Stefanie Murray / Nieman Lab:

A look at some of the collaborative efforts by independent newsrooms in states like Oregon, North Carolina, and New Jersey to cover the COVID-19 pandemic — Having access to accurate information can mean the difference between life and death during a crisis.

Discussion: American Press Institute, @thenewsan, @edercampuzano, @jtierney6, @johnupton, @niemanlab, @niemanfdn and Oregonian

Max Willens / Digiday:

Some Spider Studios, a publisher that owns parenting sites Scary Mommy and The Dad, acquires media startup Fatherly — Some Spider Studios, a profitable social-focused publisher that owns parenting sites Scary Mommy and The Dad and employs close to 100 people, has acquired Fatherly …

Discussion: Adweek

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:

Genvid, the interactive streaming platform that enables users to monetize livestreams via sponsorships, raises additional $6M, unveils five games using its tech — Genvid Technologies has expanded its latest round of funding with additional funding from strategic investors NTT Docomo Ventures, Samsung Ventures, and Huya.

Tmera Hepburn / Cord Cutters News:

Acorn TV, AMC's film and TV streaming service with a focus on British content, extends its free trial from 7 days to 30 days for a limited time — The streaming service Acorn TV is giving new members a 30-day free trial, up from its usual 7-day free trial so you can start binge-watching new shows while you're cooped up inside.

Discussion: ComingSoon.net

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 5:30 PM ET, March 17, 2020.

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Deputy Ed. - Gen. Assignment Desk, DC — WaPo

EU Technology Reporter, Brussels — Bloomberg

Breaking News Reporter, NY — Guardian US

Harrisburg Reporter, PA — PCBC

Senior Editor - Styles, NY — NYT

Part-time Editor, Remote — Techmeme

Home & Travel Reporter, Ireland — Newsweek

Assistant Digital Editor, MA — Boston Globe

Senior Editor - Visuals (Temporary), DC — NPR

Copy Editor, Remote US — ProPublica

Markets Reporter, NY/CA — Sherwood Media

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Food Reporter, CA — SF Standard

Staff Writer, NV — Las Vegas Weekly

Pharma Editor, Remote — Endpoints

Higher Ed. Reporter, Remote CA — EdSource

Politics Reporter, Brussels — Politico

Investigations & Enterprise Ed., WI — Cap Times

Social Strategy Editor, NY — WSJ

Senior Narrative Editor, CA — Cloud Chamber

Editor-in-Chief, NY (flexible) — The 74

Housing Reporter, OK — The Frontier

Writer/AI Content Reviewer, CA — Outlier

Writer/Editor, Remote — Mediaite

Multi Media Reporter, NC — Cardinal & Pine

Afternoon/Night Editor, NH — Keene Sentinel

Education Lab Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Senior Editor, Remote US — PCWorld

State Worker Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Executive Editor, NM — Searchlight

News Assistant, NY — Quanta Magazine

Local Editor, NJ (Remote) — Patch

News Writer, CA — Hollywood Reporter

News Editor/Reporter, KS — Blade-Empire

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More News:

Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide:
Tencent Q4: ~$1.03B in total online music revenue, of which $160M from music subscribers, up 60.1% YoY; paying music subscribers up 47.8% YoY to 39.9M

Discussion: Seeking Alpha, MarketWatch, Billboard and Reuters

Jamie Lang / Variety:
European media firms are navigating the loss of live sports during COVID-19 lockdown with replays of old games, free content, reduced prices of sports packages

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
How reporters at the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio are struggling with deep staff cuts while reporting on COVID-19's spread in the state

Discussion: @jeremylittau, @davidfolkenflik, @kimmasters, @gchristcle, @benpershing, @alanmillernlp, @annabruchez, @sulliview, @mmlederman1 and @blmckean

Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube say they're working with each other and healthcare agencies to tackle misinfo about COVID-19

Earlier Picks:

Michael Schneider / Variety:
A look at Camel Rock Studios, a New Mexico film studio owned by a Native American tribe, as it capitalizes on the state's filming boom from Netflix and others

YouTube Creator Blog:
YouTube says it will be relying more on automated systems as content moderators stay home, and creators may see fewer strikes against videos but more removals

Discussion: Vox, The Keyword, Business Insider, @susanwojcicki, @mhbergen, The Verge, @ytcreators, @youtubeinsider, Adweek, Marketing Land, Variety, Engadget and 9to5Google

BBC:
BBC says it will delay its plan to charge over-75s for license fees, originally set for June 1, until August 1 due to coronavirus

Discussion: @dianajohnsonmp, @kevinbrennanmp, @bbcwalesnews, @nicholashellen, @paullewismoney, @mrjohnnicolson, @angelarayner, @jimwaterson, @dehennadavison, The Independent, Telegraph and CityAM

From Techmeme:

Gaby Del Valle / The Verge:
The US Senate reauthorizes FISA's Section 702; some communication service providers had threatened to stop cooperating with the US government in case of a lapse

Daniel Wiessner / Reuters:
Google scraps a 2019 policy requiring US suppliers and staffing firms to pay their employees $15 an hour and provide health insurance and other benefits

Isabelle Bousquette / Wall Street Journal:
PCs that can run large AI models may drive an enterprise PC replacement cycle, but some CIOs say they'll wait for the category to mature and prices to come down

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