Top News:
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:
Memo: Condé Nast will lay off about 100 US employees, with a similar number temporarily furloughed and a small number of staff getting reduced work schedules — Similar number to be temporarily furloughed as advertising slowdown takes a bite — Condé Nast …
Discussion:
@parismartineau, The Wrap, Talking Biz News, Mediaite, Adweek, @laurengoode, @mekosoff, @grahamstarr, @jessiwrites, @kerrymflynn, @loudmouthjulia, @mathewi, @maxwelltani, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee and @jeffreyt1
Max Willens / Digiday:
Sources: Apple is asking the publishers participating in Apple News+ for permission to produce audio versions of stories, with Apple handling production costs — Apple News+ is pivoting to audio. — Over the past several months, Apple has been asking the publishers participating …
Brian Stelter / CNN:
A Fox Corp memo extends the company's work from home directive through June 15, as Fox News stars echo Trump's call to “reopen the country” — New York (CNN Business)A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. You can sign up for free right here.
Discussion:
@brianstelter, @poniewozik, The Wrap and MediaPost
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
BuzzFeed to end news operations in the UK and Australia and furlough ten in UK and four in Australia; sources: those furloughed are “highly unlikely” to return — Website says it will focus on news that ‘hits big’ in US after advertising revenue dried up
Bloomberg:
Sources: Luminary Media raised $30M+ at a level below last year's $200M valuation, bringing its total raised to $160M, and is seeking more funding — - Startup raises more than $30 million in round, looks for more — Luminary Media, the money-losing podcasting startup …
Discussion:
@lucas_shaw, @barondavis, @lucas_shaw, @pkafka, @mikerugnetta and @thekendallbaker
Katie Kilkenny / Hollywood Reporter:
People magazine's digital team announces its intention to form a union with the NewsGuild, joining its print division, which unionized in the 1970s — Ninety-six percent of the brand's digital group employees nationwide who are eligible have signed cards indicating their interest in organizing.
Discussion:
@thr, @katiekilkenny7, @sgillette7, @mcorriston, @ninedaves, @wear_a_helmet and @katiekilkenny7
Adam Gabbatt / The Guardian:
Save our Sun, a campaign backed by Baltimore-based philanthropists, is hoping to buy The Baltimore Sun and turn it into a non-profit to avoid further cuts — The Baltimore Sun has just won the Pulitzer prize for local reporting, despite years of job cuts and as the coronavirus pandemic appears set …
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Fox News has launched a new series called COVID Contrarian on Fox Nation with notorious coronavirus skeptic and one-time NYT reporter Alex Berenson — Public-health experts have taken issue with the former reporter's militantly contrarian takes on the pandemic, but he's found a home in the right-wing media ecosystem.
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy, @alexberenson, @pblest, @mollyjongfast, @mollyjongfast, @noahshachtman, @justinbaragona and @thedailybeast
Bijan Stephen / The Verge:
Reports: live-streaming grew 45% between March and April, and 99% YoY; Twitch saw the highest growth, as hours watched rose 50% from March to April and 101% YoY — Every platform grew, but Twitch is still the biggest — We finally have numbers to back up the wild view counts we've seen …
Discussion:
@joeljohnson
Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
Morning Consult, the market research startup founded in 2014, raises $31M Series A from James Murdoch's Lupa Systems and others, at a valuation of $306M — - Murdoch's Lupa Systems backs market research firm with funding — Company raised $31 million valuing it at $306 million
Discussion:
The Media Nut
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Some European Netflix users say video quality throttling is still in place, angering those who pay more for higher-quality plans — Facebook to Pay $52 Million to Settle Lawsuit Over Moderators' Exposure to Graphic, Disturbing Content — Almost two months ago, Netflix …
Discussion:
The Streamable, more at Techmeme »
Paul Kiel / ProPublica:
ProPublica, WaPo, Bloomberg, NYT, and Dow Jones have sued the Small Business Administration over its refusal to release details about who received PPP loans — The Small Business Administration, which is administering the lending program, has said it will disclose the names of companies that got loans — just not yet.