Mediagazer: W magazine will now be called W Media after being sold to Bustle Media Group and investors including film and TV producer Jason Blum (Jacob Bernstein/New York Times)

3:50 PM ET, August 14, 2020

Top News:

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: @mattgarrahan, The Streamable, @tvmojoe, @sherman4949, @mgsiegler and @annaknicolaou

Bloomberg:

ViacomCBS shares rose as much as 5.8% on Friday following a researcher's report that an activist investor may be gathering a significant stake — - Credit Suisse trades hint that shareholder is amassing stake — But any activist would have to win over Shari Redstone

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: MediaPost, Adweek, @eiffeltyler and @kerrymflynn

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, more at Techmeme »

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: CNN, @alanmillernlp, Gizmodo, @muslimadvocates, @awarriorscholar, @mmasnick, @schwartzbcnbc, @gavinsblog, @ambdana, @dlippman, @dlippman, @media_evan, The Guardian and Politico

Spencer Hsu / Washington Post:
USAGM removed seven top execs on Wednesday after suspending their security clearances, citing security concerns over hiring of foreign workers

Discussion: @karenkornbluh and @vivian

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.

Kristen Hare / Poynter:

Santa Cruz Local, a startup that focuses on county-level public policy reporting, has grown amid the pandemic to 500 paying members and 3,800 newsletter subs — Santa Cruz Local nearly doubled paying members since the coronavirus pandemic … “Hey everyone.

Discussion: American Press Institute, @anikaanand00, @phillipadsmith, @needhibhalla, @kristenhare, @karambutan, @ckrewson, @jmpasko96 and @kdeanct

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 …

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 »

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.

Discussion: MediaPost and Insights - Nielsen

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 …

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 — - Company seeks more customer loyalty with twist on Amazon Prime — Bundles to include video, music, news, fitness and more

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

Discussion: MacRumors, Digital TV Europe, MediaPost, Variety, The Streamable, AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, The Wrap, Vox, Gizmodo, VentureBeat, Decider, Cord Cutters News and Business Insider

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

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.

Discussion: bailii.org

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 3:50 PM ET, August 14, 2020.

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Output Producer, CA — AP

China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — Reuters

Senior Assignment Editor, DC — WaPo

Breaking News Editor, Tokyo — Bloomberg

Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — WSJ

Reporter - Ottawa Bureau — Globe & Mail

Local Government Reporter, IA — The Gazette

Research Director, CA — OCBJ

Immigration Enforcement Reporter — Documented

Presque Island Reporter, ME — Bangor Daily News

Contributing Parks Ed. - SW, CA — SFGATE

AI Content Editor, WA — Outlier

Legislative Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Editorial Assistant, Remote US — Launch Potato

Elon Musk Reporter, NY or CA — The Information

Government & Politics Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Business & GA Reporter. VT — VTDigger

Sports Reporter, WA — Everett Herald

Energy Reporter, TX — Houston Chronicle

Senior Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Trade & Climate Correspondent, DC — FT

Reporter, WI — Racine County Eye

Political Newsletter Writer, CO — The Lever

Jackson Reporter, MS — Verite

Music Editor, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Breaking News Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Fearless Reporter/Producer, IA — BPC

Reporter II - Technology, Remote — NPR

Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

City Reporter, WA — Tacoma News Tribune

Executive Editor, OR — Lookout Local

Education & Budget Reporter, CA — Politico

Senior Writer/Editor, FL — Gulfshore Business

Media Editor, Remote — Axios

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Associated Press:
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WashPost PR:
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Richard Nieva / CNET:
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Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:
Newsweek stands by an op-ed by a former Kamala Harris opponent that used arcane arguments to question Harris' eligibility for VP

Discussion: @nancycoopernyc, Newsweek, Vox, @isaacdovere, @blakehounshell, POLITIC, The Atlantic, The Objective, Newsweek, @craigipedia, The Banter, The Nation, @jonathanalter, @graubart, New York Times, @richsignorelli, @anildash, @katestarbird, @katestarbird, @katestarbird, @taniel, @kat__stafford, @jonlemire, @alexkotch, @alexkotch, @alexkotch, @brhodes, @jayrosen_nyu, @donwinslow, @jrubinblogger, @robinkirk, @teri_kanefield, @teri_kanefield, @joycewhitevance, @teri_kanefield, @redtraccoon, @yarotrof, @bungdan, @josh_hammer, @ischafer, @malcolmnance, @mpinoe, @asharangappa_, @goldietaylor, @kyle_feldscher, @jbkjbk1234, @jessicahuseman, @benyt, @jbenton, @jacobfhsmith, @nc_cyberlaw, @zunguzungu, @jimswiftdc, @markjacob16, @mollyjongfast, @normative, @mmcauliff, @craigipedia, @jbendery, @normative, @normative, @melissaryan, @craigipedia, @marthasjones_, @deniseshearin, @angryblacklady, @connieschultz, @kurteichenwald, @reignofapril, @soledadobrien, @jemelehill, The Wrap, @johnwdean, @juliettekayyem, @jbouie, @davidfolkenflik, Newser, Axios, Newsweek, The Mary Sue, Devil's Tower, New York Times, Raw Story and Neeha Curtis

Frank Pallotta / CNN:
AMC will reopen more than 100 theaters on August 20 and expects to open two-thirds of its 600+ US theaters by September 3, when Tenet comes out

Discussion: Numlock News, The Week, Associated Press, @nicoleblades, @alexjamesfitz, @cnnbusiness, @asteadwesley, @media_marshall, @michael_steel, @adamweinstein, Variety, Techdirt, The A.V. Club, The Media Nut, The Playlist, /Film, Vanity Fair and The Verge

From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is working on a smart doorbell system with advanced facial recognition that can wirelessly connect and unlock third-party smart locks

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Donald Trump announces that Sriram Krishnan, until recently a general partner at a16z, will serve as senior policy advisor for AI at the White House OSTP

Financial Times:
Sources: Palantir and Anduril are in talks with OpenAI, SpaceX, and more to form a consortium to bid for US defense contracts and plan to announce it in January

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