Top News:
Edmund Lee / New York Times:
Sources: News Corp is making a bid for Simon & Schuster; at least one offer for the publisher is for more than $1.7B, far above the minimum ViacomCBS had set — A sale of the venerable publisher of Stephen King and Hillary Clinton could fetch $1.7 billion and rev up consolidation in book publishing.
Discussion:
Financial Times, Publishers Weekly, @naomiaklein, @dreamoforgonon, @haymarketbooks, @runwithskizzers, Bookseller News, @rwindrem, @ryanlcooper, @constancegrady, @nytimes, @sarahw, @mariskreizman, @agentemurph, @jeffjarvis, @d_libris, @raju, @lynnjohnstonlit, @tomtaylormade and @alexweprin
Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTube is introducing audio-only ads for users who listen to music or podcasts in the background and letting advertisers buy ads targeted by mood — YouTube claims to be the world's biggest jukebox — and now it wants to wring more ad dollars from the platform's music fans.
Discussion:
musically.com, MediaPost, The Keyword, Think with Google, AdExchanger, Ad Age, TechCrunch and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »
Quartz:
After its management bought the outlet from Uzabase, Quartz says it had a record week of signups, adding ~1,200 paying members, for a total of 25,000+ globally — Quartz enjoyed its best week ever for membership last week, adding nearly 1,200 new members. The wave of signups came …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News and Talking Biz News
ProPublica:
ProPublica selects six journalists for the inaugural edition of its Distinguished Fellows program, which will fund their salaries and benefits for three years — ProPublica announced on Monday six local reporters who have been selected as the inaugural members of the ProPublica Distinguished Fellows program.
Discussion:
@wendi_c_thomas, @propublica, MLK50, @journalismproj, @mollyparkersi, @louisekiernan, @kenwardjr, @jsmithrichards, @tracyweber, @kylehopkinsak and @davidhulen
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
How Real Clear Politics took a sharp right turn after donations from funds used by wealthy conservatives soared and it made business ties with The Federalist — Real Clear Politics has been catering to campaign obsessives since 2000. It pitches itself as a “trusted, go-to source” for unbiased polling.
Discussion:
@jwpetersnyt, @daveweigel, @tvietor08, @nickconfessore, The Media Nut, @davidfolkenflik, @billkristol, @jacobrubashkin, @ssolyom and @ggreeneva
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap:
Conan O'Brien says he is ending his late-night TBS show in June 2021, then launching a weekly variety series on HBO Max — Conan O'Brien will end his late-night series “Conan” on TBS next year, but he's not leaving the WarnerMedia family. He will then launch a new weekly variety series on HBO Max.
Discussion:
Variety, CNN, Mediaite, Adweek, @scottwamplerbmd, The Hill, Bloomberg, New York Post, IndieWire, Hollywood Reporter, @lucas_shaw, TVLine, @james_dasilva, @sherman4949, @frankpallotta, GameSpot, @ditzkoff, @garymlevin, @ditzkoff, @geoffmintz, @pkafka, @alexweprin, Deadline and Fox News
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Digital advertising service Outbrain launches newsletter curation app Listory, which includes 1,000+ newsletters and has a free tier and an ad-free, $5/mo. tier — Listory, a newsletter curation app created within the content recommendation company Outbrain, is launching this week, executives tell Axios.
Discussion:
@petecashmore, @prsarahevans, @moorehn, @jaycodon, @robleathern, @ysamjo, @sarafischer, @chrisharihar, @fuckboisoflit and @ysamjo
Clio Chang / Columbia Journalism Review:
Profile of Substack, whose founders insist it is a platform, not a media company, and say there is less need for moderation as readers opt in to newsletters — Did a newsletter company create a more equitable media system—or replicate the flaws of the old one?
Discussion:
@benthompson, @asymmetricinfo, Deez Links, @mikeisaac, @can, bookforum.com, @benthompson, @alexisohanian, @teamziller, @dandrezner, @prestonjbyrne, Culture Pig, @bartongellman, @bdomenech, @lollardfish, @nicalexiac, @conor64, @alexkotch, @shortformernie, @gbbranstetter, @lpbradley, @nathansnewman, @cjr, @zidanism, @ryanlcooper, @lizpelly, @niemanlab, @maxwellstrachan, @biblioracle, @arabellesicardi, @speakpatrice, @cjr, @athertonkd, @ykomska, @nbashaw, @emmaroller, @ourobororoboruo, @thrasherxy, @hongriver, @nathantankus, @dtortorici, @kerrymflynn, @benthompson, @benthompson, @aexm, @benyt, @jbenton, American Press Institute, @wiredculture and @wired, more at Techmeme »
Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
Reuters to roll out a hybrid events model in 2021, combining region-based networking with its virtual events, which saw attendance grow 1,400% from Jan. to Oct. — This article is part of the Future of Work briefing, a weekly email with stories, interviews, trends and links about how work, workplaces and workforces are changing.
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @ericdanetz and Talking Biz News
Daisuke Wakabayashi / New York Times:
Study: Fox News share of views in a “Partisan Right” group of YouTube channels fell from 17% before the election to 13% after; Newsmax grew from under 1% to 5% — Disinformation about election fraud is thriving on YouTube, and right-wing outlets that most aggressively push false information …
Discussion:
@wajahatali, @caseynewton and @oliverdarcy
New York Times:
Bookstores look to Obama's “A Promised Land” to buoy flagging sales; Crown has printed 3.4M copies for the US and Canada and 2.5M for international readers — “A Promised Land” is a potential lifeline for booksellers whose sales have plummeted during the pandemic.
Discussion:
@nytmedia, @nytimesbooks, @camillard, @brianstelter, @frasermatthew and Forbes
Bijan Stephen / The Verge:
Twitch is testing “multiplayer ads” that are chosen by the streamer and seen by everyone in the audience; creators can run polls after, earning them Bits — The ads will be chosen by the streamer, and everyone in the audience will see the same thing
Discussion:
PC Gamer and @leshann, more at Techmeme »
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