Top News:
Jim VandeHei / Axios:
Axios says it qualified for a PPP loan “just shy of $5M” as it is both a media company and a small business with a national presence — Axios is among the small businesses that qualified for a PPP loan to protect existing jobs and help weather the coronavirus crisis.
Discussion:
The Hill, @brandyljensen, @bmorrissey, @owillis, @armandondk, @elise_jordan, @shaig, @justinglawe, @lalpert1, @juddlegum, @harrysiegel, @megancarpentier, @brianstelter and @dicktofel
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Paul Roberts / The Seattle Times:
The Seattle Times Co. says it has received a $9.9M Payroll Protection Program loan — The Seattle Times Co. has received a $9.9 million federal coronavirus-aid loan that will give the newspaper temporary relief in the face of a sharp drop in advertising revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Discussion:
@ericacbarnett, @politicsreid, @kerrymflynn, @lewiskamb and @curtwoodward
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
Study of Fox News programming from February to early March finds those watching Sean Hannity over Tucker Carlson were less likely to adhere to social distancing — Sophisticated new research links Hannity's coronavirus misinformation to “a greater number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.”
Discussion:
Becker Friedman Institute, NPR, @zeynep, @gelliottmorris, Chicago Tribune, The Independent, @davidmweissman, @jjmacnab, @conor64, @mollyjongfast, @drvox, Talking Points Memo, @zackbeauchamp, @proffionasm, @mehdirhasan, @zackbeauchamp, @slpng_giants, @zeynep, The Verge, @samseder, @davidjuurlink, @arunningriot, @karaswisher, @atrupar, @voxdotcom, @coqui6190 and @holden
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
Wired staff announce plans to unionize with the NewsGuild of New York, as Condé Nast plans deep cuts amid the economic downturn — Magazine staff have laid the groundwork to unionize for more than a year, but as the coronavirus shut down parts of the economy, organizers realized they had to make a decision.
Erik Hayden / Hollywood Reporter:
Internal Fox Corp. memo: CEO Lachlan Murdoch will forgo pay through September and around 700 employees will see tiered salary cuts of 15% to 50% — Tiered salary cuts of 15 percent to 50 percent will impact other executives at the media giant. — Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch will forgo …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, Bloomberg, Mediaite, @kevinwhitelaw1, @kimmasters, @brianstelter, @mathewi, @jbflint, @erik_hayden and @aidnmclaughlin
Todd Spangler / Variety:
AT&T misses estimates, loses 138K AT&T Now customers and 897K premium TV subscribers in Q1, reports revenues of $42.78B and pulls its annual forecast — AT&T missed revenue and earnings estimates for the first quarter of 2020, with a 4.6% top-line decline driven by lower revenue …
Discussion:
AT&T, TechCrunch, @richlightshed, Deadline, @macwbishop, MediaPost, CNBC, Light Reading, Protocol, @brianstelter, The Playlist, @edmundlee, ZDNet, The Streamable, @alexweprin and @xpangler
RELATED:
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
In an internal email, Jeff Zucker told CNN staff that a vast majority of them will not return to its offices in any significant way “before early September” — STAY AT HOME — CNN won't send staffers back into its offices until at least September.
Discussion:
Deadline, TVNewser, The Hill, The Wrap, Mediaite, @graclynne14, @hshaban, @maxjrosenthal, @megancgraham, @maxwelltani, @ecmclaughlin and @yashar
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Netflix announces plans to offer $1B in junk bonds to fund operations and potential acquisitions; as of the end of March, Netflix reported $14.17B in debt — Netflix is going back to the debt markets yet again, announcing plans to offer $1 billion in junk bonds to fund operations and potential acquisitions.
Discussion:
Deadline, The Streamable, Fox News and @clarknova1, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' compensation reached $38.6M in 2019, up about 7% YoY, and chief content officer Ted Sarandos received a package worth $34.7M, up 17%
Discussion:
The Wrap and Broadcasting & Cable
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
Netflix reports Q1 revenue of $5.77B, up 27.6% YoY, vs $5.76B est., global paid net subscriber additions of 15.77M, now totaling 182.86M accounts, up 22.8% YoY
Discussion:
Netflix, /Film, Financial Times, USA Today, New York Times, Fortune, Vanity Fair, Protocol, Variety, The Wrap, @adrianweckler, The Week, Metro.co.uk, Multichannel News, Financial Times, Observer, @xpangler, @richlightshed, @lanceulanoff, @raheemkassam, @katie_robertson, @dylanbyers, @xpangler, @carttca, @shiraovide, @jamestitcomb, @lucas_shaw, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @richlightshed, Yahoo Finance, Washington Post, Axios and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Ben Schreckinger / Politico:
Trump is attacking Voice of America in an effort to push for confirmation of Bannon ally Michael Pack to head the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA — Voice of America director Amanda Bennett seems, at first glance, to be the perfect target for a Donald Trump attack on the mainstream media …
Discussion:
@alxthomp, Conservative Action Project and Don Graham
Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
Tribune Publishing requires most non-union employees earning between $40,000 and $67,000 a year to take three weeks of furloughs in the next three months — Tribune Publishing is requiring most non-union employees earning between $40,000 and $67,000 a year to take three weeks of furloughs in the next three months.
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @campbellsl, @skylerswisher, @ablichtenstein, @poynter and Adweek
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Disney co-founder's granddaughter Abigail Disney criticises the company for protecting exec bonuses and dividends of $1.5B+ while cutting pay of 100K+ workers — Abigail Disney hits out at executive payouts while staff weather coronavirus impact — An heir to the Walt Disney fortune …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify launches Artist Fundraising Pick, letting artists fundraise for themselves, their crews, or verified music relief initiatives — Last month, Spotify announced that as part of its coronavirus relief efforts it would soon add new fundraising features for artists on its platform.
Discussion:
Adweek, Spotify for Artists, CNET, @jack and Variety
Laura Wagner / VICE:
Freelance camera operators and other video technicians for Sinclair's regional sports networks criticize the network's offer of $2,500 loans as inadequate — Across the country, workers for Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest operator of regional sports networks in the United States …
Discussion:
@dpeaflcio, @derektmead, @mishaespn, @iatse748, @mlange221 and @mlange221
CNN:
After weeks of hyping hydroxychloroquine as a potentially game-changing COVID-19 treatment, Fox News followed Trump in quietly abandoning the drug — Fox News has fallen out of love with hydroxychloroquine. After weeks of unrelenting coverage hyping the antimalarial drug …
Discussion:
@plumandmustard, Media Matters for America, The Week and News & Guts Media
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