Mediagazer: Instagram rolls out premium badges on Instagram Live, giving fans a way to support creators and stand out in the comments (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

2:20 PM ET, October 20, 2020

Top News:

Alana Wise / NPR:

Debate commission announces new rule where only the candidate with the floor will have an open mic during new two minute sessions of uninterrupted speaking time — The Commission on Presidential Debates announced changes to the debate rules ahead of Thursday's final presidential debate.

Discussion: New York Times, @nbcnews, Mediaite, The Wrap, New York Times, Vanity Fair, @nprpolitics, @asteadwesley, Fortune, CNN, Fox News, Forbes and The Guardian

Ted Johnson / Deadline:

Trump campaign wants Thursday's debate to focus on foreign policy, protests possible rule changes like muting candidate's mics by an “unnamed person” — Donald Trump and Joe Biden are scheduled to meet again on Thursday for the second and presumably last debate …

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The news media is biased in Trump's favor because the only way to cover his lies and misconduct is to create a different, lower standard than other presidents

Discussion: Washington Post, @jonathanchait, @bernybelvedere, @jayrosen_nyu, @johnjharwood, @nprinskeep, @john_sipher, @jessewegman, The Guardian, Mediaite, TVLine, New York Post, Reuters, WAVY-TV, Fox News and @mehdirhasan

Mike Madarasz / Digiday:

Jim Cooper named editor-in-chief of Digiday, which he joined in June as managing editor — Quality over quantity is a core value at Digiday Media. We're relentlessly focused on making sure that comes through in everything that we do and oftentimes, that starts with our editorial coverage and design.

Discussion: Talking Biz News, @joshsternberg, @nickfriese, @jcoopernyc and @jasonlynch

Todd Spangler / Variety:

ViacomCBS promotes Pluto TV CEO Tom Ryan to president and CEO of ViacomCBS Streaming, overseeing the future Paramount+ and Pluto TV — ViacomCBS has restructured its streaming operations with a global lens: Tom Ryan, currently CEO of Pluto TV, will assume the role of president and CEO …

Discussion: Adweek, Hollywood Reporter, MediaPost, Deadline, The Streamable, Light Reading, MarketWatch, The Desk, WORLD SCREEN, Business Wire and Cord Cutters News

Steven Perlberg / Digiday:

The Atlantic has new NY offices and had record subscriptions but is stuck in a long CEO selection process and has been posting losses since its staff expansion — During a rambling press conference last month, U.S. president Donald Trump blasted the Atlantic as “a second-rate magazine,” …

Discussion: @perlberg, @scottnover, @bgrueskin and @raju

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

Survey: Republicans who most trust Fox News as a TV news source are far more likely to approve of Trump compared to those who don't — From the outset of his presidency — or, really, his 2016 campaign — President Trump's approach to politics has been to get those who agree with him to agree with him more and more and more.

Discussion: @pbump, @radiofreetom, @flossobama, @karoli, @jeffjarvis, @getwired, @jeffjarvis and @octonion

David Plotz:

Ex-Atlas Obscura CEO David Plotz is launching City Cast, a national network of daily local podcasts, this winter; Graham Holdings owns the for-profit outlet — Our worlds have shrunk in the pandemic. I used to spend hours every week Amtraking up and down the East Coast.

Discussion: Hot Pod News, @jessgrose, @harrysiegel, @mathewpassy, @davidplotz, @davidplotz, @npraudie and @dankois

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Pandora has completed its acquisition of Stitcher and has now launched Stitcher's podcasts across all tiers of its service — SiriusXM today completed its previously announced $325 million acquisition of podcast platform Stitcher from E.W. Scripps, and has now launched Stitcher's podcasts …

Discussion: The Desk, RAIN News and Hollywood Reporter

Todd Spangler / Variety:

WarnerMedia debuts WarnerMedia Ride, a free video service for smartphones and tablets connected to in-car WiFi via AT&T's unlimited data connected-car plans — Are we there yet? — WarnerMedia is bringing its premium video programming to bored kids and other road-weary passengers …

Discussion: The Streamable, Light Reading, CNET and Cord Cutters News

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Subscription podcast company Quake launches today for $4.99/month, with $2.5M in seed funding and shows hosted by Laura Ingraham, Soledad O'Brien, and others — Quake, a subscription podcast company founded by media veterans, launched on Tuesday with $2.5 million in seed funding, executives tell Axios.

Discussion: @sarafischer and @sarthakgh

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Stir, which helps creators split revenue from online collaborations on platforms like YouTube and Patreon, raises $4M in seed funding and launches a public beta — Stir, a service that lets creators on new online platforms manage their businesses, has raised $4 million in seed funding, executives tell Axios.

Discussion: @jarroddicker, @apompliano, @stevenkwlim, Joseph Perri Albanese, Tubefilter, @hunterwalk, @ryanvailbrown, @blakeir and @homebrew

Dave McNary / Variety:

AMC Theatres says it may have to file for Chapter 11 in SEC filing about an agreement to sell up to $15M in shares — The beleaguered AMC Theatres chain has warned it may have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy if it cannot obtain additional sources of liquidity.

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More News:

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Instagram rolls out premium badges on Instagram Live, giving fans a way to support creators and stand out in the comments

Discussion: Adweek, @chrismessina and Engadget

Sara Fischer / Axios:
VENN, the free TV network focusing on video games and esports, raises $26M Series A and partners with investor Nexstar to distribute its content on linear TV

Discussion: TechCrunch, The Wrap, Variety and Sportico.com

Julia Alexander / The Verge:
Moonbug, which has 235M subs for its YouTube channels for kids, says Cocomelon became one of Netflix's three most-watched shows in the US after its June debut

Discussion: @loudmouthjulia, @richlightshed and @emohorgan

Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
Twitter blocking NY Post's story, driven by unfair blaming of tech for the media's 2016 mistakes, undermined its role as a facilitator of information sharing

Discussion: @leonidobusch and @carnage4life

Patrick Brzeski / Hollywood Reporter:
China overtakes North America as biggest Box Office globally in 2020, reaching $1.988B on Sunday, surpassing North America's total of $1.937B

Discussion: Variety, Forbes, The Wrap, Business Insider and TechCrunch

Kerry Flynn / CNN:
About 205 staffers at pubs owned by Bustle Digital Group, which includes Bustle, Romper, and Mic, announce plans to form a union with WGAE

Discussion: @kerrymflynn, @kaitlynwylde, @pkafka, @bdgunion, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn and @kerrymflynn

Earlier Picks:

Laura Wagner / VICE:
The New Yorker suspends reporter Jeffrey Toobin, sources say after he masturbated during a Zoom call; Toobin says he did not realize his video was on

Discussion: @jason_koebler, Mediaite, Fast Company, @jason_koebler, The Wrap, @karaswisher, Fox News, Washington Post, Best Evidence, Newser, @ashleyfeinberg, New York Times, The A.V. Club, Deez Links, CNN, @sykescharlie, The Desk, Columbia Journalism Review, @poniewozik, Washingtonian, @mollyemccluskey, Poynter, @s_m_i, Ad Age, @nehashastry, @espiers, @jackmirkinson, @grace_panetta, @fmanjoo, @gmpaiella, @caseyjohnston, @msteib, @pinboard, @pinboard, @barry, @motherboard, @karenhunter, @drewmagary, @motherboard, @weareyourfek, @jonostrower, @markharrisnyc, @mathewi, @thestalwart, @fmanjoo, @hshaban, @gaberivera, @davidlarter, @gregpinelo, @jackmirkinson, @leshorn, @liz_franczak, @ashleyfeinberg, @josephfcox, @ashleyfeinberg, The Guardian, New York Post, Rolling Stone, The Cut, Gizmodo, PAPER, Variety, New York Times, TVLine, Los Angeles Times, TVNewser, The Hill, HuffPost, Deadline, TMZ.com, The Week and Hollywood Reporter

@sacbeeguild:
In a letter, Sacramento Bee News Guild asks McClatchy's new CEO to reconsider a proposal to tie journalists' annual performance reviews and raises to page views

Rick Porter / Hollywood Reporter:
Channing Dungey, most recently VP of original series at Netflix, will succeed Peter Roth as chairperson of Warner Bros. Television Group

Discussion: New York Times, The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, @lucas_shaw, @snoodit, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Adweek, C21Media, Bloomberg, Deadline, Variety and WORLD SCREEN

Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Sources: NY Post's article about Hunter Biden was written mostly by Bruce Golding, who did not allow his byline to be used amid doubts in the tabloid's newsroom

Discussion: Politico, The Guardian, Axios, Forbes, Washington Post, The Wrap, Redneck, Tangle, @politifact, @yashar, bookforum.com, Political Currents, @thekjohnston, Mediaite, Columbia Journalism Review, The Daily Beast, Seriously Risky Business, @benyt, Media Matters for America, @ilvestoomas, @clairecmc, @kylegriffin1, @jonfavs, Slate, @mattgertz, @amy_siskind, @colbyhall, @oliverdarcy, @harrysiegel, @kyledcheney, @nprinskeep, @alexmleo, @brhodes, @jonfavs, Vanity Fair, Newser, @frankrichny, @bgrueskin, @petersterne, @bgrueskin, @petersterne, @nycsouthpaw, @juliancastro, @oneunderscore__, @steveschmidtses, @peterwsinger, @yashar, @timobrien, @petersterne, @caseynewton, @donmoyn, @eshap, @fordm, @greenfield64, @kylegriffin1, @fawfulfan, @hemantmehta, @timodc, @samesmail, Reason, @dnvolz, @glennkesslerwp, @stephgracela, @ericpaine, @maxboot, @katie_robertson, @cmclymer, @benyt, Boing Boing, The Jackal, Poynter, New York Magazine, The Week, Mediaite and Four Freedoms, more at Techmeme »

New York Times:
A look at a pay-for-play network of ~1,300 sites and some papers that fills a local news void in the US with propaganda ordered by GOP and corporate PR groups

Discussion: @daveyalba, @seanilling, RTDNA Recent Articles, @jacknicas, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, MediaPost, @jacknicas, @vivian, @nickconfessore, @rottenindenmark, Wall Street Journal, @louisathelast, @nandoodles, @mathewi, @janetadamy, @daveyalba, @annehelen, Poynter, Axios, Table For One, The Rural Blog, @jason_kint, @ddale8, @johnbattelle, @markmaxwelltv, Scene and Heard, @damemagazine, @jonathanalter, @bypatrickgeorge, @jjohnsonlaw, @nils_gilman, @arjunbasu, @sandofsky, @mollyjongfast, @banikarim, @davidsirota, @dcherring, @eotaxprof, Media Nation, @alison__berg, @ehernandez, @mckaycoppins, @fawfulfan, @mattyglesias, @bryanboy, @slpng_giants, @nickconfessore, @glenbmulcahy, @nicoleperlroth, @photospice, @terryteachout1, @aaronworthing, @vindugoel, @raju, @therobwalton, @kemc, @tvietor08, @menakadoshi, @maxkennerly, @ericboehlert and @daveyalba

From Techmeme:

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Anthropic raised another $4B from Amazon, will make AWS its primary training partner, and is working with Annapurna Labs to develop new Trainium accelerators

Tim Hardwick / MacRumors:
A UK CMA report finds that Apple's policies hold back innovation in mobile browsers and recommends investigating Apple and Google's mobile ecosystem activities

The Information:
Sources: OpenAI considered developing a browser, discussed deals to power AI features on Samsung devices and search on sites and apps from Condé Nast and others

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