Mediagazer: WPP has hired AT&T's Kirk McDonald as chief executive of North America for its GroupM ad-buying unit; McDonald had been interim head of Xandr (Alexandra Bruell/Wall Street Journal)

1:55 AM ET, August 19, 2020

Top News:

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Brent Lang / Variety:

NBCU vice chairman Ron Meyer steps down after disclosing that he was being extorted over his affair with a woman who threatened to also “falsely implicate” NBCU — Ron Meyer is stepping down as vice chairman of NBCUniversal after disclosing that he reached a private settlement …

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Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:

WPP has hired AT&T's Kirk McDonald as chief executive of North America for its GroupM ad-buying unit; McDonald had been interim head of Xandr — Executive move is the latest exit from Warner Media's advertising-technology unit Xandr — WPP PLC has hired AT&T Inc.'s Kirk McDonald …

Discussion: Variety, Adweek, Ad Age, MediaPost, @beet_tv, AdExchanger, @aripap, @tkawaja and Business Insider

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

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Aaron Gordon / The Mail:

Motherboard launches an email newsletter about the US Postal Service and a printed zine on the subject delivered monthly by mail, to run through end of November — For years, Motherboard has cared deeply about election security. We were the first to talk to Guccifer 2.0 …

Discussion: @lainnafader, @sahilkapur, @timmarchman, @_danielsinclair, @plitter, @a_w_gordon, @ylichterman, @nixops, @dlberes, @derektmead, @richarddeitsch, @timmarchman, @a_w_gordon and @josephfcox

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: ViacomCBS is in talks to sell CNET for ~$500M to Red Ventures, which runs consumer sites Bankrate and Reviews.com, as it looks to shed noncore assets — Discussions value CNET at about $500 million; media company has been looking to shed noncore assets after last year's merger

Discussion: Variety, AdExchanger, @joshsternberg, @shortformernie, @austindlight, @gpingersoll, @benmullin, @pkafka, @aaronwall, @thekenyeung, The Wrap, Radio & Television … and Talking Biz News, more at Techmeme »

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Group Nine's NowThis is launching NowThis Kids aimed at children aged 6 to 11, starting with a YouTube channel, podcast, and newsletter — NowThis, the millennial-focused video brand from Group Nine Media, is launching a new brand aimed at children of millennials called “NowThis Kids,” executives tell Axios.

Discussion: The Wrap, @naomiwadler, @sarafischer, MediaPost and @mralexalba

Charlie Warzel / New York Times:

The White House flood of EOs and pronouncements is meant to be exhausting for media and consumers, requiring careful news coverage and mindful readers — Trump is “flooding the zone.” It's a form of modern censorship. — Opinion writer at large. — In the Trump era, news doesn't break, it invades.

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Alex Shephard / New Republic:
By embracing conservative talking points about government agencies, media missed the story about the decimation of USPS long before Trump was elected

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, @newrepublic, @newrepublic, New York Times, @newrepublic, @coracurrier, Written Up and Slate

Variety:

As the flow of new content dries up, studios are capitalizing on demand from streamers by licensing films for shorter, one to three month runs — When HBO Max debuted in late May, it made a surprise announcement: The eight original “Harry Potter” films — among the biggest-ever movie franchises …

Nicholas Quah / Nieman Lab:

Vice's VP of audio discusses Vice's audio expansion with 11 hires and the upcoming launch of four podcasts, including the flagship Vice News Reports — Welcome to Hot Pod, a newsletter about podcasts. This is issue 270, dated August 18, 2020. — Hmm... Spotify appears to be hiring …

Discussion: @vicecomms

Laura Wagner / VICE:

A proposed Vox Media settlement of three lawsuits would split $2.5M among 450+ bloggers who managed or wrote for SB Nation; $1.5M would go to legal fees — Hundreds of unpaid and lowly paid bloggers who worked for SB Nation will split $2.5 million. — Laura Wagner

Discussion: @alexwatl, @timmarchman, @seth_rosenthal, Awful Announcing and @jackie_peanuts

Megan Janetsky / Poynter:

The pandemic is throwing international reporting into a crisis, mostly affecting freelancers' work and turning large swaths of the world into news deserts — I was in rural Guatemala following the lives of former migrants when the pandemic hit like a sledgehammer.

Discussion: @penamerica, @pauseinlight, @dylanbaddour, bookforum.com, @poynter, @jatingandhi, @vgstunt, @poynter, @janebsinger, @ligaze, @kerrymflynn, @dartcenter, @meganjanetsky and @poynter

Brian Bumbery / Apple:

Apple renames Beats 1, its streaming radio station, Apple Music 1 and launches two new radio stations: Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country — Apple Music 1 and two new stations, Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country, feature exclusive original shows from the world's top music hosts and artists

Discussion: The Verge, Variety, Engadget, @richlightshed, @ashleyrcarman, @vyyyper, TidBITS, @stevemoser, @etcanada, @thewomenofcoun, @nixcraft, CNBC, @jake_k, UPROXX, TechCrunch, Music Business Worldwide and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »

Amber Neely / AppleInsider:
Apple launches its first Apple TV+ bundle, allowing users to add CBS All Access and Showtime for an additional $9.99 a month

Discussion: TidBITS, @ballmatthew, Apple, Variety, The Verge, Engadget, Adweek, Cord Cutters News and The Streamable

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Deputy Ed. - Gen. Assignment Desk, DC — WaPo

EU Technology Reporter, Brussels — Bloomberg

Breaking News Reporter, NY — Guardian US

Harrisburg Reporter, PA — PCBC

Senior Editor - Styles, NY — NYT

Part-time Editor, Remote — Techmeme

Home & Travel Reporter, Ireland — Newsweek

Assistant Digital Editor, MA — Boston Globe

Senior Editor - Visuals (Temporary), DC — NPR

Copy Editor, Remote US — ProPublica

Markets Reporter, NY/CA — Sherwood Media

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Food Reporter, CA — SF Standard

Staff Writer, NV — Las Vegas Weekly

Pharma Editor, Remote — Endpoints

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Politics Reporter, Brussels — Politico

Investigations & Enterprise Ed., WI — Cap Times

Social Strategy Editor, NY — WSJ

Senior Narrative Editor, CA — Cloud Chamber

Editor-in-Chief, NY (flexible) — The 74

Housing Reporter, OK — The Frontier

Writer/AI Content Reviewer, CA — Outlier

Writer/Editor, Remote — Mediaite

Multi Media Reporter, NC — Cardinal & Pine

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