Mediagazer: Ad Council launches a programmatic private marketplace to which media companies can donate inventory for digital PSAs to fight COVID-19 (Jon Lafayette/Broadcasting & Cable)

1:40 PM ET, April 16, 2020

Top News:

Twitter pulls funding for BuzzFeed's AM to DM due to the business impact of COVID-19, forcing BuzzFeed to suspend the show, with staffers' last day on April 28 — Some right-wing media personalities are encouraging Americans to protest stay-at-home orders, arguing it is time to start to re-open the economy.

Discussion: Poynter, Nieman Lab, @oliverdarcy, Newser, abc7NY and Mediaite

David Robb / Deadline:

WGA East files complaint with NLRB, accusing NBCU of union busting by reassigning staffers from unionized Peacock Productions, now defunct, to NBC News Studios — UPDATED with NBCUniversal response, 1:49 PM: The WGA East today accused NBCUniversal of “union busting” in a dispute over the shuttering …

Discussion: VICE, Writers Guild of America … and Multichannel News

Steve Herman / Voice of America:

Trump calls Voice of America's work “disgusting”, threatens to adjourn Congress so he can appoint his candidates to posts, including head of the agency over VOA — WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to adjourn Congress because lawmakers have not approved …

Jason Lynch / Adweek:

AMC rolls out Upfront Connect for online sales, with Screening Room, which airs first looks at upcoming shows, and gives access to its branded content studio — Access is also free to new branded studio The Content Room — Key insights: — The site includes information …

Discussion: MediaPost, Deadline, Ad Age and Broadcasting & Cable

Megan Graham / CNBC:

IAB survey of 200+ US publishers: 98% expect lower 2020 revenue; 88% of news publishers had buyers ask to cancel campaigns and 86% said advertisers paused ads — - Most online publishers in the U.S. polled in a new Internet Advertising Bureau survey say they've had advertisers cancel or pause ad campaigns with them.

Jon Lafayette / Broadcasting & Cable:

Ad Council launches a programmatic private marketplace to which media companies can donate inventory for digital PSAs to fight COVID-19 — Cadreon, Trade Desk, Acxiom, EMX power pro bono programmatic — Working with several ad tech companies, the Ad Council has launched …

Discussion: Ad Age, Adweek, AdExchanger, MediaPost and Campaign

Gene Park / Washington Post:

Jason Schreier, who has covered work conditions in game development, is leaving Kotaku, citing dismay with G/O Media; Gizmodo EIC Kelly Bourdet quit Wednesday — Jason Schreier, a journalist known in the video game industry for covering working conditions inside tight-lipped game development studios …

Discussion: Kotaku, @ashleyfeinberg, @barry, @kellybourdet, @kellybourdet, @kellybourdet, @agoldmund, @jasonschreier, @brettmolina23, @genepark, @jasonschreier, @kellybourdet, @ashleyfeinberg and The Independent

Josh Stearns / SSIR Blog:

New Jersey has allocated $2M in its budget for its local news funding bill, which called for $5M, and released $1M since January — In January, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy released $1 million in a groundbreaking effort to shore up local news across the state.

Discussion: @jcstearns, @rispolimike, @newsbyschmidt and DemocracyFund

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

NBC News tests a version of its Nightly News for kids and teens between 6 and 16, streaming on YouTube today and likely to appear at least twice a week — Lester Holt is about to discuss hard news with a softer touch. — The “NBC Nightly News” anchor will lead an experimental version …

Discussion: @bristei, @donlday, @david_schwab, @nbcnewspr, @rebel19, @loudmouthjulia, @alexweprin and TVNewser

Luke Ottenhof / The Guardian:

A look at Means TV, a worker-owned, leftist entertainment media cooperative supported entirely by its 3,700 subscribers, most of whom pay $10 per month — The entertainment media cooperative considers itself a ‘post-capitalist’ streaming service - and a critical counterweight to rightwing media

Discussion: @dogsectionpress

Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette:

Google News Initiative launches The Journalism Emergency Relief Fund to aid small and medium-sized local news publishers globally — Google has launched a global emergency relief fund for local news publishers to help them during the coronavirus (Covid-19) downturn.

Dade Hayes / Deadline:

WarnerMedia says it reached a multi-year deal to bring HBO Max to Charter subscribers in May; current HBO subscribers will get access for no extra charge — In a significant milestone before it launches HBO Max next month, WarnerMedia has set a deal with Charter Communications …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Business Wire, CNET, The Streamable, Multichannel News, Hollywood Reporter and Variety

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Energy & Commodities Editor, Tokyo — Bloomberg

Politics Reporter, TX — Texas Tribune

Consumer Brands Reporter, GA — AJC

Deputy Editor - Health Care, VA — Politico

Product Editor, CA — CalMatters

Indigenous Affairs Editor, Sydney — Guardian US

China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — Reuters

Bangor Reporter, ME — Bangor Daily News

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More News:

Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
In a memo, Advance Local's CEO Caroline Harrison announces temporary pay cuts, furloughs, and suspension of 401k matches at its newspapers

Discussion: American Press Institute, Columbia Journalism Review, @karenkasler, @carla_astudi, @jdale_shoemaker, @bobbyolivier, @j_schneider, @johnhammontree and al.com

Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
WBUR, the Boston NPR affiliate, raised $1M in just 13 hours after scrapping a planned eight-day pledge drive due to the pandemic

Discussion: @ona, @niemanlab and WBUR

Christopher Baxter / Nieman Reports:
As state capitals gain extraordinary power in the pandemic, newsrooms like Spotlight PA, which provide accountability reporting, deliver a vital public service

Discussion: @cbaxter1, @jamesgeary, @lenfestinst, @aaschapiro and @niemanlab

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
NYT redeploys people to write COVID-19 obituaries, in a series called Those We've Lost to the Coronavirus, a solemn echo of its 9/11 series, Portraits of Grief

Discussion: @writerwong, bookforum.com, @byclaycarey, @gwenfaviles, @vfhive and @mlcalderone

Earlier Picks:

Adi Robertson / The Verge:
NY court rules Mashable embedding an Instagram post does not violate copyright law, as the photographer gave a “valid sublicense” by posting the image publicly

Discussion: @karascannell, @alexiafdn, @cyrilzuma, @moneyries, @philnobilejr, @counternotions, @joanwestenberg, Hollywood Reporter, @burnsthelawyer, @eriqgardner, @tempusrob and @yunghi

Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette:
Guardian Media Group expects £20M revenue shortfall over the next six months, will furlough 100 non-editorial staff, suspend pay rises, and cut execs pay by 20%

Discussion: The Guardian, Jon Slattery, @tomwinnifrith, @felixsalmon, @yaelwrites, @karlbode, @markdistef, @janesports, @jmrivera02, @jimwaterson, @valeriein140, @markdistef, @markdistef, @markdistef, Mediaite and Financial Times

Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Memo: Valence Media lays off staff, cuts pay due to COVID-19 and as part of revamping at Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Vibe; source: media unit lost 100+ jobs

Kali Hays / WWD:
Memo: LA Times is furloughing some non-union, business-side employees up to 16 weeks, and some editorial staff and managers will get pay cuts from 5% to 15%

From Techmeme:

Financial Times:
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says consumer electronics exempt from tariffs may be included in semiconductor tariffs likely coming in “a month or two”

Arjun Kharpal / CNBC:
Sony hikes PlayStation 5 prices in Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, citing a “challenging economic environment”; the PS5 Pro remains the same price

Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer:
A look at “slopsquatting”, a supply chain attack where threat actors make malicious packages on indexes using AI-hallucinated names resembling popular libraries

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