Mediagazer: The five women who sued NY1 for age and gender discrimination in 2019 say they have had to endure retaliation that has created an even more toxic environment (Diana Falzone/VICE)

6:20 PM ET, May 8, 2020

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Kerry Flynn / CNN:

Forced to cancel moneymaking in-person events, some media companies have switched with success to virtual events that have driven audience growth and revenue — New York (CNN Business)Fans of Bon Appétit's Test Kitchen chefs were invited to the “Best Weekend Ever” event in New York City last fall.

Discussion: @libraryreads99, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn and @kerrymflynn

Diana Falzone / VICE:

The five women who sued NY1 for age and gender discrimination in 2019 say they have had to endure retaliation that has created an even more toxic environment — Last June, five female anchors and reporters at the New York cable news channel NY1 sued their employer, alleging systemic gender and age discrimination.

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Todd Spangler / Variety:

Music streaming company LiveXLive acquires Courtside Group, owner of podcast network PodcastOne, for ~$18M; Podcast One generates 2B+ episode downloads annually — Music livestreamer LiveXLive is diversifying its business with the acquisition of PodcastOne, a podcast network that hosts shows …

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Abby Ohlheiser / MIT Technology Review:

A look at the symbiotic ties of anti-vaxxers and COVID-19 conspiracy theorists with mainstream YouTubers, as the platform tries to regulate misinformation — Covid-19 conspiracy theorists are still getting millions of views on YouTube, even as the platform cracks down on health misinformation.

Snopes.com:

Snopes receives $289K from the PPP loan program, which will provide about two and a half months of security — Like many news organizations that accepted this funding, we believe we are the exact type of business the program was intended to help. — Dear Readers,

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Kathryn Hopkins / WWD:

ENTtech Media halts Paper Magazine's print edition, lays of four staff, and implements pay cuts ranging from 20% to 30% for the highest paid employees — Paper owner EnTech Media has halted print issues, temporarily cut pay and laid off a few staffers. — Paper Magazine …

Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:

Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund took a 5.7% stake, worth ~$500M, in Live Nation in April, its first investment in American entertainment since Khashoggi's murder — As oil prices plunge, the kingdom's Public Investment Fund has made an offer for Warner Music Group, after nabbing a $500 million Live Nation stake to diversify.

Discussion: @ahmed, @onaircoop, @tarekfad and Music Business Worldwide

Savannah Jacobson / Columbia Journalism Review:

Natasha Daly, a National Geographic reporter and editor, hopes to encourage healthy skepticism as she fact checks return-of-the-wild stories amid the lockdown — These days, people are desperate for good news. Cheerful stories about animals reclaiming their territory—elephants roaming free in China …

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Victor Pickard / The Nation:

Converting post offices into places to produce community media, with public broadband, would strengthen the original USPS purpose of delivering news and ideas — The postal service is a core democratic infrastructure—and it's time we remember that and fund it appropriately.

Discussion: @vwpickard, @jasonfalter, @repmarkpocan, @thenation, @katrinanation, @vwpickard, @annenbergpenn and @mikewassenaar

Dade Hayes / Deadline:

MGM takes a stake in podcast company Audio Up, which will produce and distribute up to five podcasts per year for MGM and give it first looks for adaptations — EXCLUSIVE: With podcasting continuing to surge as a form of media and entertainment, and audio properties increasingly of interest …

CNN:

In June 2015, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany harshly panned Trump, calling his comments on Mexican immigrants “racist”, then defended him by July — (CNN)New White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was a harsh critic of then-candidate Donald Trump before she became …

Discussion: @kfile, @kfile, The Hill, Deadline, Mediaite, @mjmckean, @joenbc, @jeremykonyndyk, The Week, @katierogers, @juddapatow, @tarasetmayer, The Wrap, Washington Post, Mediaite, Washington Post and WGN-TV

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:

MoffettNathanson: pay TV subscriptions fell a record 1.8M in Q1, with 63% of US households subscribing, down to '95 level, as virtual and satellite TV implode — “There are now as many non-subscribing households (46 million) as there were pay TV subscribers in 1988," noted MoffettNathanson analysts.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Variety, @pkafka, MediaPost, @kimmasters, The Media Nut, The Streamable and Variety

Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:

Rupert Murdoch will give up all of his News Corp cash bonus for this fiscal year, and CEO Robert Thomson will give up 75% of his cash bonus — The mogul will give up all of his cash bonus at his publishing company. — Media mogul Rupert Murdoch will give up 100 percent of his cash bonus …

Discussion: @kimmasters, Reuters, @dylanbyers and Hollywood Reporter

News Corp:
News Corp reported $2.27B in revenue for the quarter ending March 31, down 8% YoY, with a net loss of $1B vs. net income of $23M in the prior year

Discussion: @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn and @gerryfsmith

Business Wire:

ViacomCBS Q1: $508M net earnings on $6.6B revenue; $471M in streaming and digital video revenue, up 51% YoY; 13.5M streaming subscribers, 24M+ MAUs on Pluto TV — - Sequential Improvement in Operating Income and Adjusted OIBDA, Diluted EPS and Adjusted Diluted EPS, as well as Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, TechCrunch, @alexweprin, @alexweprin and CordCutters

Dade Hayes / Deadline:
YouTube and ViacomCBS expand carriage deal, add 14 new networks, including BET, MTV, and Comedy Central, to YouTube TV this summer

Discussion: CNN, @lukewatsonnyc, @viacomcbs, The Streamable, Always Be Watching, Variety, The Verge, TechCrunch and Deadline