Top News:
Variety:
Inside AT&T's $4B bet to stand out in the streaming wars through HBO Max, which is to launch on May 27 despite 30 projects shuttering due to the pandemic — A starry group came together for a meeting at Courteney Cox's Malibu beach house on Oct. 5, 2019. Had the paparazzi gotten wind, pandemonium would have surely ensued.
Discussion:
MediaPost, The Streamable, Variety, @xpangler, Always Be Watching, /Film and Observer
David Cohen / Adweek:
LinkedIn Editorial is rebranding to LinkedIn News; the team now has 76 editors across 15 countries and the Daily Rundown is received by 46M users — Rebranding aims to drive editorial recognition and build user trust — LinkedIn is rebranding its editorial team from LinkedIn Editorial …
Discussion:
@markscott82 and @kerrymflynn
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap:
Forbes restructures its pay scale for contributors, ending the $500 guarantee for writers with seven monthly posts and reducing the repeat-reader bonus 80% — Forbes quietly restructured its pay scale for contributors amid the coronavirus pandemic, ending the $500 guarantee for any writer …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News
Matt McKinney / Star Tribune:
Media analyst Owen Van Essen, president of a newspaper industry M&A firm, predicts 200 to 300 small weekly newspapers will not be around by the end of the year — Solid local reporting, regular coverage of business openings and ribbon cuttings, a trusted presence for decades in Washington County …
Discussion:
@ashkan and @kellystrib
Mark J. Rochester / Poynter:
Investigative journalism, long criticized for lacking diversity, has recently made progress, as journalists of color head news operations and win awards — Journalists of color have taken the helm of investigative news operations and claimed some of the most prestigious investigative journalism awards
Discussion:
@mjrochester, @mukhtaryare, @nhannahjones, @dicktofel and @fvaraorta
@kerrymflynn:
Quartz CEO says even with 17K paid subscribers, the company is laying off 80 staff, closing physical offices in four locations as it seeks profitability by 2022 — Quartz CEO Zach Seward's remarks to staff re today's layoffs: “This is no doubt the greatest challenge we have faced as a company.. I have made the very difficult decision to eliminate about 80 roles at Quartz and make other changes in order to improve the health of our business” https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
@davidmackau, @marcatracy and @kerrymflynn
Rachel Uranga / dot.LA:
According to state filings, studios, theaters, production companies, and entertainment venues have laid off or furloughed 14K+ workers in LA County since April — Hollywood, an economic engine that has powered Los Angeles since the dawn of television screens and movie cameras, has been devastated by stay-at-home orders.
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
Discussion:
@amolrajan, Press Gazette, CNN, @crimegiri, @williamsjon, @doctoryasmin, @simoncrerar, @domponsford, @jo_tovey, @rmac18, @farrellpf, @jerometaylor, @catrinnye, @fionakatauskas, @ppantsdown, @culttture, @darrylmason, @jacquelinemaley, @grogsgamut, @greenslader, @dailekelleher, @david_dobbs, @joshbutler, @emilybell, @simoncrerar, @miriamelder, @matthewchampion, @paleofuture, @pilhofer, @alexwickham, @marinahyde, @cstross, @andywigmore, @drfrancesryan, @wblau, @tompeck, @matthewwells, @hasanpatel, @joshgnosis, @shirazmaher, @liamthorpecho, @jonwalker121, @arusbridger, @matinastevis, @andyjey, @louiseridley, @hannahalothman, @janinegibson, @katebevan, @ashkan, @hannahalothman, @maxwelltani, Business Insider and The Hill
Todd Spangler / Variety:
IAB's streaming-only NewFronts will take place June 22-26 and will include Facebook, Snap, and TikTok for the first time; Twitter, NYT, Amazon won't participate — Katy Perry, John Legend Join Houseparty's Celeb-Studded Livestreaming Event This Weekend (EXCLUSIVE)
Discussion:
Ad Age, Adweek, Deadline, MediaPost, PR Newswire and Tubefilter
Kali Hays / WWD:
Lawsuit against New York mag and Joe Hagan filed by former CBS correspondent Lara Logan alleging career damage was dismissed Wednesday by a Texas federal judge — The now Fox News contributor had sought $25 million in retribution over a 2014 story on her retracted Benghazi report for CBS.
Allegra Hobbs / Study Hall:
Civil, which began with the intent to launch dozens of sites supported by a blockchain-based platform and the CVL token, fell short of fixing media funding woes — In the summer of 2017, cryptocurrency seemed like the future. The price of Bitcoin was spiking, doubling from $2,500 in June to $5,000 by the beginning of September.
North Carolina Community Foundation:
The NC Local News Lab Fund has established the NC Local News Workshop with a $180,000 grant to Elon University, led by interim Executive Director Melanie Sill — Home / News / NC Local News Lab Fund establishes NC Local News Workshop at Elon University — The North Carolina Local News Lab Fund …
Discussion:
@eloncomm, @ericaperel, @melaniesill, @melaniesill and @melaniesill
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