Mediagazer: The Athletic COO says readership numbers fell in recent days and revenue growth is expected to slow but it still has a “clear line of sight to profitability” (Patricia Nilsson/Financial Times)

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Fox News anchors, from its supposedly hard-hitting news division, failed to challenge Trump as he repeatedly misled viewers during the coronavirus town hall — New York (CNN Business)Anchors at Fox News failed to meaningfully challenge President Trump as he repeatedly misled …

Discussion: Washington Post, Media Nation, Poynter, Hollywood Reporter, @oliverdarcy, @dougkass, @juddapatow, @ericboehlert, Columbia Journalism Review, @sulliview, @speechboy71, @oliverdarcy, The Wrap, Mediaite and New York Times

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Analyst estimates Facebook and Google could lose $44B+ in 2020 global ad revenue due to COVID-19; Facebook says its ad business has weakened in affected places — Ad spending is falling off a cliff amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and Facebook and Google, the two heavyweights in digital advertising …

Discussion: Ad Age, @dcnorg, @bobbycblanchard, @pkafka, @loudmouthjulia, @pkafka, The Verge and Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »

Patricia Nilsson / Financial Times:

The Athletic COO says readership numbers fell in recent days and revenue growth is expected to slow but it still has a “clear line of sight to profitability” — US website valued at $500m drops paywall after loss of big events challenges its purpose

Discussion: @muradahmed and @dcnorg

Joyce Gannon / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Pittsburgh-area newspapers cut staff, suspend or combine print editions, and launch fundraising appeals, as a 175-year old weekly permanently closes — The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a harsh toll on news media in the Pittsburgh region including layoffs, suspension of print editions and, in at least one case, permanent closure.

Discussion: @timcast, @elysetoribio, @pittsburghpg, @joyce_gannon, @brianstelter, @charliedee71 and Fox News

Elaine Low / Variety:

Discovery withdraws its previous outlook for FY 2020 and will borrow $500M to “increase its cash position and maximize flexibility” during the pandemic — Discovery will borrow $500 million under its credit facility to boost its cash position the latest media company to scramble to deal the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Discussion: ir.corporate.discovery.com, @benmullin and The Wrap

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

UK clears DMGT's purchase of the i newspaper; DMGT bought the i from JPI Media for £49.6M in November — The Government has cleared Mail and Metro owner Daily Mail and General Trust's buyout of the i newspaper after being told there were no plurality or competition concerns about the deal.

Anjuli Patil / CBC News:

Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper chain SaltWire Network says it is temporarily laying off 40% of its staff and shutting down all its weekly publications — All SaltWire weeklies temporarily shutting down amid loss of ads due to COVID-19 — Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper chain …

Discussion: CBC News, Twelve Thirty Six, @johngushue, @robertmmahoney, @mathewi and @jbenton

Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:

Memo: BuzzFeed announces graduated salary cuts in April and May, with staffers in the lowest bracket facing 5% cuts and executives taking 14% to 25% cuts — Some staffers, including executives, will see a nearly 25-percent pay cut. And one source said CEO Jonah Peretti will not take a salary as the crisis continues.

Discussion: @maxwelltani, @elanazak, @emilyctamkin, @maxwelltani, @scottbix, @mattdpearce, @mattdpearce and @stevekovach

Brian Heater / TechCrunch:

Google brings its Podcasts app to iOS and unveils a redesign of Android app, with users' listening habits syncable across platforms via Google Podcasts for Web — Just in time for our collective house arrests, Google has unveiled a redesigned version of Podcasts.

more at Techmeme »

Jim Waterson / The Guardian:

Some major towns in the UK lose their only print newspaper, leaving self-isolating older people without trusted news sources, as JPI Media suspends 12 titles — Many self-isolating older people left without trusted news source as presses stop rolling — Major towns including Milton Keynes …

Discussion: Press Gazette, @craigsilverman, @pressgazette, @jimwaterson, @owen_g, @pressgazette and Press Gazette

BBC:

BBC News has suspended plans, announced in January, to cut 450 jobs as it faces the demands of covering the coronavirus pandemic — BBC News has suspended plans to cut 450 jobs as it faces the demands of covering the coronavirus pandemic. — The job losses were announced in January …

Discussion: Press Gazette, @gazettepaul, @franklangfitt, @andycomfort and @jimwaterson

Michael McCarthy / Front Office Sports:

Newsrooms adjust to the absence of sports with suspended or diminished sports sections, reporters redeployed to new beats, and creative story ideas — - Washington Post redeploying some sports reporters to Coronavirus coverage, while Boston Globe goes to the well for story ideas.

Discussion: @mmccarthyrev, @mmccarthyrev and @frntofficesport

J. Edward Moreno / The Hill:

KUOW, a public radio station in WA, says it'll no longer air White House COVID-19 briefings due to misleading info and difficulty of fact checking in real-time — A public radio station in Washington state, KUOW, will no longer be airing White House press briefings on the coronavirus …

Discussion: Mediaite and Deadline

Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:

With some lawmakers testing positive for COVID-19, congressional reporters risk exposure to cover Congress passing one of the most expensive bills in US history — “The job is by definition high-risk for transmission of COVID-19. We bunch up around each other... and pile into press galleries," said one reporter.

Discussion: @maxwelltani, @maxwelltani, @maxwelltani and @politicsreid

ProPublica:

In the last two weeks, several US conservative radio hosts were telling millions of listeners that the coronavirus furor is a politically motivated overreaction — More than 160 million Americans have been urged to stay home in what the World Health Organization has declared a global pandemic.

Discussion: @doctoryasmin, @jackgillum, @jackgillum, @wendellpierce and Vox

Jem Aswad / Variety:

Spotify unveils two initiatives to support the music community: matching donations up to $10M and plans to let artists fundraise directly from Spotify listeners — Spotify today announced a pair of initiatives to support the creative community in the wake of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic …

Discussion: Adweek, Spotify and TechCrunch