Top News:
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
USAGM has hired Frank Wuco, a former talk radio host who has called Obama a Kenyan and Nancy Pelosi a Botox-using Nazi, among other incendiary statements — The U.S. Agency for Global Media has hired Frank Wuco, a controversial former talk radio host who once called President Barack Obama …
Discussion:
@muslimadvocates, @mmasnick, @alanmillernlp, @dlippman, Gizmodo, @schwartzbcnbc, @dlippman, @awarriorscholar, @gavinsblog, @ambdana, @media_evan, The Guardian and Politico
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Spencer Hsu / Washington Post:
USAGM removed seven top execs on Wednesday after suspending their security clearances, citing security concerns over hiring of foreign workers — Members of Congress on Thursday condemned a leadership purge at the parent agency of Voice of America, escalating criticism that a new chief executive appointed …
Discussion:
@karenkornbluh and @vivian
Digiday:
Sources at publications partnering with Apple News+ say Apple did not tell them about changes that force News+ users into its app instead of to publisher sites — Publishers have long fumed that platforms such as Google and Amazon tie their services and products together in ways that are anti-competitive.
Discussion:
@arctictony, @arctictony, Press Gazette, @arctictony, @nevadapress, @maxwillens, @digiday, @arctictony, @arctictony, @larakiara, @larakiara and AppleInsider
Jacob Bernstein / New York Times:
W magazine will now be called W Media after being sold to Bustle Media Group and investors including film and TV producer Jason Blum — The movie and television producer Jason Blum, the racecar driver Lewis Hamilton and the model Kaia Gerber will also be investors.
Discussion:
@eiffeltyler and @kerrymflynn
Press Gazette:
More than 2,000 jobs at UK-based news organizations have been cut during the COVID-19 crisis so far, with a large proportion of editorial staff affected — More than 2,000 jobs at UK-based news organisations have been put at risk during the Covid-19 crisis so far, with more expected to follow.
Financial Times:
As ViacomCBS expands CBS All Access with programming from Viacom and Paramount, it is considering rebranding the streaming service to Paramount+ — ‘Paramount+’ tops shortlist as battle with Disney moves centre stage in attempt to lift shares — ViacomCBS is considering a plan to rebrand …
Discussion:
The Streamable, @mattgarrahan, @sherman4949, @mgsiegler, @annaknicolaou and @tvmojoe
BuzzFeed News:
Facebook's employees and third-party fact-checkers say Facebook has sometimes overruled decisions on divisive content with little transparency — On May 8, Prager University, a nonprofit conservative media outlet, published a video on Facebook that incorrectly claimed “there is no evidence …
Discussion:
@rmac18, @craigsilverman, @prageru, @slpng_giants and @taraemcg
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple to start offering first video content bundle to TV+ subscribers, combining CBS All Access and Showtime for $9.99/mo, starting as early as Monday — - Subscribers will pay $9.99 for Showtime and CBS All Access — Apple also plans push into services bundles for key offerings
Discussion:
MediaPost, MacRumors, Digital TV Europe, Variety, The Streamable, AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, The Wrap, Vox, Gizmodo, VentureBeat, Decider, Cord Cutters News and Business Insider
RELATED:
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple to launch “Apple One”, tiered subscription bundles, which will include Music, TV+, News+, and a new virtual fitness service, as early as October
Sources: Apple to launch “Apple One”, tiered subscription bundles, which will include Music, TV+, News+, and a new virtual fitness service, as early as October
Discussion:
American Press Institute, Multichannel News, What's New in Publishing, @rajuv, Protocol, @genepark, @mgsiegler, @edemkumodzi, @film_girl, @gartenberg, @benbajarin, @lanceulanoff, @markgurman, @pkafka, @asymco, @ballmatthew, @arctictony, @alexhern, @somospostpc, @northmantrader, @kalltvatten, Music Business Worldwide, ScreenRant, ZDNet, The Streamable, The Verge, Fast Company and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Warner Music acquires IMGN, which creates and tracks viral social media content in categories like e-sports, gaming, and ASMR, source says for just under $100M — It's a whole new playing field these days for music labels and publishers, and today one of the big three made an acquisition …
Press Gazette:
UK court rules that Reach must pay damages of £49,000 to a school teacher following defamatory articles in The Sunday Mirror, Mirror Online, and Kent Live — A primary school teacher has been awarded damages of £49,000 over a series of articles published by three Reach titles.
Diana Kuryshko / BBC:
How Nexta, with a small editorial team of four in Warsaw and no website, is using its Telegram channel with 1.5M subscribers to bypass news blackout in Belarus — For days Belarusians have had little information of the unrest filling their streets, with state-run TV making little attempt …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Facing saturation and stiff competition in the US, media giants including Fox News and ViacomCBS are planning to launch new streaming services internationally — Facing saturation and stiff competition in the U.S., media giants are planning to launch new streaming services internationally to accrue more subscribers.
Aaron Mak / Slate:
Google's Ad Exchange is demonetizing pages that merely mention issues of race and LGBTQ rights, classifying them as “dangerous or derogatory content” — On Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, the Atlantic decided to recirculate King's famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” …
Discussion:
@josh_levin, @michellemanafy, @slate, @jon_fischer and @hypervisible, more at Techmeme »