Mediagazer: Weather news companies say they added new topics like indoor humidity and air quality forecasting and started using new tools like drones due to the pandemic (Sara Fischer/Axios)

9:25 PM ET, September 2, 2020

Top News:

Some advertisers seek the ability to back out of TV contracts, cancel ads close to air date, or move spending from TV to digital amid pandemic uncertainty — Concerned about the NFL season and a dearth of new entertainment, marketers want flexibility — Advertisers are pressing …

Discussion: @alexbruell and Front Office Sports

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Chris Wallace to moderate first presidential debate, Steve Scully the second, and NBC's Kristen Welker the third; USA Today's Susan Page to moderate VP debate — Fox News' Chris Wallace, NBC News' Kirsten Welker, and C-SPAN's Steve Scully will each moderate one of three Presidential Debates leading …

Discussion: @stevescully, @brianstelter, @maggienyt, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite, @greta, TVNewser, @cairo67unedited, @brianstelter, @yashar, @bristei, @daveweigel, @mschlapp, @tommyxtopher, @cspan, The Wrap and ABC News

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Weather news companies say they added new topics like indoor humidity and air quality forecasting and started using new tools like drones due to the pandemic — Executives at weather news companies tell Axios that the coronavirus pandemic has forever changed the way they cover the weather.

Boone Ashworth / Wired:

Google updates Your News Update, its Assistant-powered audio news service, with new features including its own “newscaster voice” — The company's latest news product is an ever-replenishing playlist of audio stories—curated, in part, by the wealth of data it has on you.

Discussion: The Keyword, Engadget, TechCrunch, @benwerd, @techcrunch, @wired, 9to5Google and CNET, more at Techmeme »

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:

Sources detail how speculation about Dean Baquet's successor at NYT was upended by BLM protests and COVID-19; Sulzberger say he's “in no hurry” to make a change — Even a virtual newsroom can be a hotbed for gossip, with long-running speculation about Dean Baquet's successor …

Discussion: @joepompeo, @mitrakalita, @mattgertz, @brianstelter, @froomkin, @mlcalderone, @gerryfsmith and @joepompeo

David Folkenflik / NPR:

VOA staff say Michael Pack is seeking political influence over coverage, in one instance violating the firewall that assures journalistic independence — Toggle more options — At the Voice of America, staffers say the Trump appointee leading their parent agency is threatening …

Discussion: Washington Post, @brianstelter, @cliffschecter, @npr, @shawnpowers, @sulliview, @davidfolkenflik, @jbenton and @amy_siskind

Mark Landler / New York Times:

The BBC, far more trusted than the rest of the British media, faces commercial and cultural headwinds as two Fox-like competitors with 24-hour news develop — Boris Johnson came into office aiming to defund the BBC and let in rivals. The coronavirus has delayed that …

Discussion: @rasmus_kleis

Associated Press:

California passes a bill exempting some workers from AB5 law, easing limits on freelance writers and editors; bill becomes law immediately if governor signs it — SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Monday OK'd exemptions to about two-dozen more professions …

Discussion: LAist and courthousenews.com

Ariana Pekary / Columbia Journalism Review:

Ratings-driven programming decisions are the largest obstacle to reliable news and information on cable and broadcast TV — When I was hired as a producer at MSNBC almost seven years ago, I did not own a television. I considered myself an accidental TV producer, having crossed the line …

Discussion: @cjr and @arianapekary

Naman Ramachandran / Variety:

Indian media conglomerate Zee launches a premium VOD service called Zee Plex, as cinemas remain closed and a spate of Indian films go direct-to-OTT — The platform makes it likely that more top film titles will bypass cinemas and release directly online, at a time when Indian cinemas remain shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New York Times:

Facebook warns it will block Australian users and news organizations from sharing news stories on Facebook and Instagram if the ACCC's proposal passes — The move, a response to pressure to pay publishers when their stories are posted on the social network, could add to internet silos springing up around the world.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission:
ACCC calls Facebook's “threat” to prevent sharing of news on its services in Australia ill-timed and misconceived

Discussion: Press Gazette, Columbia Journalism Review, @thesuniljain, @thekenyeung, @mattdoran91, @911corlebra777, The Conversation, Breitbart, New York Post, Bloomberg, Gizmodo and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Joshua Franklin / Reuters:

Sources: PE firm TPG is exploring a sale of Astound that could value the owner of the US network of regional cable TV and internet providers at more than $8B — (Reuters) - Private equity firm TPG is exploring a sale of Astound that could value the owner of a U.S. network of regional cable TV …

Discussion: Light Reading and Axios

Institute for Nonprofit News:

The Institute for Nonprofit News announces that many of its 250 members will feed stories to Spotlight News for an election dashboard in its news aggregator app — Spotlight News and the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) announced today that many of INN's 250 member newsrooms will be aggregating …

Discussion: Spotlight Media Labs and @myspotlightnews

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 9:25 PM ET, September 2, 2020.

View the current page or another snapshot:

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

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Nick Summers / Engadget:
Twitch makes Prime Video Watch Parties, previously confined to top US Twitch creators, available to every creator and viewer on the platform globally

Discussion: TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:
With NewsNation, Nexstar plans to air a politically neutral newscast, hiring staff to scrutinize stories for biased language and to monitor fairness of coverage

Discussion: @ibishblog, @dave_schilling, @egavactip, @ewerickson, @charrisazrep, @jaycaruso, @sgstorey, @kimmasters, @kimmasters, @maghielse, @ckrewson, @jbarro, @blakehounshell, @kerithburke, @hshaban, @clancyreports and @jayrosen_nyu

Alex Barker / Financial Times:
Google says it will raise the price for ads 2% in UK and 5% in Turkey and Austria to cover the cost of digital services taxes in Europe, starting in November

Discussion: The Verge, Light Reading, @m_kemmerling, @gchelwa, @fairtaxmark, @matthewstoller, @prleblond, The Guardian, AppleInsider, Search Engine Land and MediaPost, more at Techmeme »

Earlier Picks:

Maria Armental / Wall Street Journal:
Patreon says it has raised $90M at a $1.2B+ pre-money valuation, nearly twice the $660M valuation it had after a funding round last year

Discussion: @jackconte, Patreon Blog, Tubefilter, The Wrap, @saarsaar, @thepropermood, @caseynewton, @jessicalessin, Variety and The Information, more at Techmeme »

NBC News:
Facebook says, after an FBI tip, it took down several pages and accounts pushing a fake left-wing news outlet made by people linked to Russian troll group IRA

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

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

The Linux Foundation:
A survey of 501 organizations globally estimates organizations contribute $7.7B annually to open source software and 86% of contribution value is employee labor

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page