Mediagazer: Pandora has completed its acquisition of Stitcher and has now launched Stitcher's podcasts across all tiers of its service (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

6:55 PM ET, October 20, 2020

Top News:

Lauren Feiner / CNBC:

Netflix reports Q3 revenue of $6.44B, up 22.7% YoY, vs $6.38B est., and 2.2M paid net adds in Q3 vs 6.8M in Q3'19 and 10.1M in Q2'20; stock down ~5% after hours — - It's the first report since longtime Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos was promoted to co-CEO.

Discussion: Netflix, Variety, The Streamable, Los Angeles Times, The Streamable, Axios, TechCrunch, Light Reading, @edmundlee, @xpangler, Bloomberg, @lucas_shaw, @lamonicabuzz, @samro, @andrewthrasher, The Verge and @pkafka, more at Techmeme »

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, New York Times, Vanity Fair, @asteadwesley, @sdp, @nprpolitics, Mediaite, Slate, Fortune, The Wrap, CNN, Fox News, CNN, Forbes and The Guardian

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

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”

Beatrice Verhoeven / The Wrap:

Variety EIC Claudia Eller returns after a 5-month leave and will hold that role through summer 2022; Cynthia Littleton, her successor, to be co-editor-in-chief — Variety Editor in Chief Claudia Eller will resume her role on Oct. 26 following an almost five-month leave …

Discussion: Variety, MediaPost, @kerrymflynn and @kerrymflynn

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

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, @nickfriese, @joshsternberg, @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, The Desk, WORLD SCREEN, Light Reading, MarketWatch, Deadline, The Streamable, Business Wire, MediaPost and Cord Cutters News

Thornton McEnery / New York Post:

Sources: Mike Bloomberg discussed a SPAC deal with Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Tontine Holdings to take Bloomberg LP public; Bloomberg spokesman denies talks — Michael Bloomberg has been in talks to take his media empire public through an entity controlled by billionaire Bill Ackman, The Post has learned.

Discussion: Talking Biz News, @hblodget, @theonlyhonest, @johnsfoley, @shanegoldmacher and @cgasparino

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, @harrysiegel, @mathewpassy, @davidplotz, @davidplotz, @npraudie, @dankois and @jessgrose

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 and RAIN News

Jasper Craven / Battle Borne:

After it shut down last week, a look back at NYT's At War, which launched in 2009 as a successor to Baghdad Bureau blog, as pubs scale back coverage of US wars — When The New York Times established “At War” as a blog in 2009, it represented a radical new approach to reporting on conflict, and what comes after it.

Discussion: @peternickeas, @halbritz, @valerieinsinna, @carolinecbaxter, @jimgolby, @cjchivers and @wesleysmorgan

John Eggerton / Multichannel News:

With affiliate fees falling, C-SPAN is allowing ads on its YouTube channel, podcasts, and website, and is considering launching ad-supported virtual channels — Multichannel News is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Discussion: @pdad, The Desk and The Streamable

Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:

Quibi is now available to stream natively on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV devices, but not on Roku or gaming consoles — After debuting exclusively on iPhone and Android, Quibi has slowly expanded to more platforms. In May, the company added AirPlay and then Cast support …

Discussion: Cord Cutters News and 9to5Google

Josef Adalian / Vulture:

Peanuts holidays specials won't air on a free network for the first time ever as Apple buys rights to them, but they'll be free on Apple TV+ for a limited time — Want to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown this Halloween? Or A Charlie Brown Christmas? There's an app for that— specifically Apple TV+.

Discussion: @krnv, Adweek, @businessinsider, @skee_dubs, @bmoatx, @ladyfyrez, @ddupreejr, @samuelaadams, @snoopy, @ihnatko, The A.V. Club, @ihnatko, @chaddukes, @appletv, Polygon, WAVY-TV, Variety and TVLine

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 6:55 PM ET, October 20, 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:

Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Snap reports Q2 revenue rose 52% YoY to $679M, vs $555.9 est., DAUs were up ~18% YoY to 249M, average number of daily Snaps up 25% YoY; Snap up 23%+ after hours

Discussion: Ad Age, Adweek, TechCrunch, The Information, Reuters, Hollywood Reporter, @ashkan, Business Wire, @levynews, @mattrosoff, @kateconger and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Hamilton Nolan / Columbia Journalism Review:
Elite news outlets like WaPo are the most vulnerable orgs when powerful people no longer care how they get covered, a shift that threatens democracy

Discussion: @blackamazon, @peterhimler, @hragv, @hamiltonnolan and @cjr

Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide:
Vivendi, parent of Universal Music Group, says it aims to take UMG public in 2022; a Tencent-led group has acquired 10% stake in UMG and an option for 10% more

Discussion: Variety, The Wrap and Reuters

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

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

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

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, Adweek, @chrismessina and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

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

Discussion: @sarafischer and @sarthakgh

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

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

Earlier Picks:

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: Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Wrap, TechCrunch and Sportico.com

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

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

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: Forbes, Political Currents, @leonidobusch, @carnage4life and @jonfavs

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: BuzzFeed News, Fox News, @jason_koebler, @jason_koebler, @karaswisher, CNN, New York Post, Discourse Blog, Refinery29, @ashleyfeinberg, Snopes.com, @sdp, New York Times, Discourse Blog, Best Evidence, The Desk, Columbia Journalism Review, Newser, Deez Links, Washingtonian, Washington Post, @mollyemccluskey, Poynter, The A.V. Club, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Rolling Stone, @s_m_i, @sykescharlie, @nehashastry, Fast Company, Mediaite, Ad Age, The Wrap, @poniewozik, @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, The Cut, Gizmodo, PAPER, Variety, New York Times, TVLine, Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, The Hill, TVNewser, TMZ.com, Deadline, 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, @lucas_shaw, @snoodit, The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Adweek, C21Media, Bloomberg, Deadline and Variety

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: New York Times, Montana Free Press, @daveyalba, @andrewyang, @realstanvg, @seanilling, @eidietrich, @anneapplebaum, @bymikebaker, @daveyalba, RTDNA Recent Articles, MediaPost, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @thisiscamaron, @jacknicas, @vivian, @nickconfessore, @jacknicas, @rottenindenmark, @louisathelast, @nandoodles, @mathewi, @janetadamy, @annehelen, @daveyalba, Poynter, @jason_kint, @ddale8, Table For One, @johnbattelle, @markmaxwelltv, The Rural Blog, @damemagazine, @jonathanalter, @bypatrickgeorge, @jjohnsonlaw, @nils_gilman, @arjunbasu, @sandofsky, @mollyjongfast, @banikarim, @davidsirota, @dcherring, @eotaxprof, Scene and Heard, @alison__berg, @ehernandez, @mckaycoppins, @fawfulfan, @mattyglesias, @bryanboy, @slpng_giants, @nickconfessore, @glenbmulcahy, @nicoleperlroth, @photospice, @terryteachout1, @aaronworthing, @vindugoel, @raju, @therobwalton, @kemc, @tvietor08 and @menakadoshi

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

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