Mediagazer: US pay-TV subscribers will soon start receiving refunds and credits from providers, compensating them for the year's pandemic-related sports cancellations (Bloomberg)

9:00 AM ET, December 3, 2020

Top News:

Sources: Amazon is in exclusive talks to buy Wondery, in a deal valuing the podcast network at $300M+; Wondery's on track to increase revenue to $40M+ this year — Venture-backed podcast company is in talks to be sold with a valuation of more than $300 million

Discussion: @benmullin, Bloomberg, @chrismessina, @raghunotragu, @rafat, @johnmoe, @brianstelter, @pkafka, @lucas_shaw, @thememorypalace, Engadget, Variety, The Hill, TheStreet, Business Insider, The Wrap and Reuters, more at Techmeme »

David Folkenflik / NPR:

Watchdog finds “substantial likelihood of wrongdoing” at VOA parent agency under Michael Pack; sources say they fear Pack will do more damage before he departs — The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a federal watchdog, disclosed Wednesday that it had found “a substantial likelihood …

Discussion: @thesteveholzer, @oneunderscore__, @npr, @davidfolkenflik, @radiofreetom, @ncvates, @debmorello and The Hill

Abhrajyoti Chakraborty / New York Times:

Profile of Anand Patwardhan, a leading documentarian in India, who says he is now forced to hold screenings in secret due to threats from Hindu nationalists — Anand Patwardhan spent decades tracking the rise of Hindu nationalism. And now, under an increasingly repressive government, he holds his screenings in secret.

Discussion: @tomlasseter, @sominisengupta, @beenasarwar, @kenroth and The India Cable

Clare Jim / Reuters:

HK activist Jimmy Lai has been charged with fraud over the lease of the building that houses his Apple Daily paper; its daily operations shouldn't be impacted — HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was denied bail on Thursday on a charge …

Discussion: The Guardian and Al Jazeera

Bloomberg:

US pay-TV subscribers will soon start receiving refunds and credits from providers, compensating them for the year's pandemic-related sports cancellations — - Customers are to get back the value of games that never aired — Credits and ‘courtesy adjustments’ will show up on bills soon

Berber Jin / Business Insider:

Ex-Pando journalist Paul Carr is starting a news site, Techworker; contributors include Google Walkout organizer Claire Stapleton, Pando founder Sarah Lacy — - Former TechCrunch and Pando journalist Paul Carr believes Silicon Valley's top execs are misbehaving and need to be held to account by their employees.

Discussion: @jillianiles, @bizcarson, @clairewaves, @simonowens, @markamesexiled, @paulbradleycarr, @yashalevine, Paul Bradley Carr, @robertjamesii and Talking Biz News

Steve Pond / The Wrap:

Sundance Film Festival replaces its Park City, Utah, event with a virtual festival that will take place from Jan. 28-Feb. 3 on a custom-designed online platform — In an attempt to maintain a sense of community at a time when large gatherings are impossible, the Sundance Film Festival …

Discussion: @jenny8lee, @jasonhirschhorn, The Playlist, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, Collider and Variety

Rachelle Hampton / Slate:

A look at the disconnect between how the Black community sees Charlamagne tha God and how white media portrays him as that community's political voice — On election night, amid the slow trickle of results, Stephen Colbert checked in with a guest familiar to viewers of his deeply uncomfortable 2016 election night show.

Discussion: @freeblackgirl, @deardrewdixon, @sorayamcdonald, @eugene_scott, @groovesdc, @mikagadsden, @asj519, @jamelthecreator, @drewbreez, @heyydnae, @grassguru, @kevinishawalker, @saletan, @asteadwesley and @simonowens

Elahe Izadi / Washington Post:

Trump lawyer Joseph diGenova, who suggested an ex-government official be executed, resigns under pressure from The Gridiron Club, a Washington media social club — The elite Washington journalism social organization asked the Trump campaign lawyer to step down

Discussion: The Hill, Poynter, @mrbromwich, @fxmacro, @elaheizadi, @elaheizadi, @jeremymbarr and Business Insider

Chris Welch / The Verge:

Hulu's Watch Party feature is now expanding to all subscribers, allows up to seven other subscribers to join, and will have a “click to catch up button” — Hulu was first among the big streamers to embrace the co-watch trend during quarantine — Hulu was first among …

Discussion: Variety, more at Techmeme »

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

Politico's Tim Alberta told RNC that Ronna McDaniel was not asked for comment on his Michigan election story because she has been dishonest and untrustworthy — Politico chief political correspondent Tim Alberta packed a lot into his sizzling Nov. 24 feature, “The Inside Story of Michigan's Fake Voter Fraud Scandal.”

Discussion: @deanluk, @johnddavidson, @oliverdarcy, @brucebartlett, @jayrosen_nyu and Fox News

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

Google says News Showcase will soon add free access to select paywalled articles, and it has doubled publisher partners to ~400 since its launch in October — Google News Showcase visitors will soon be able to read select paywalled articles at no extra charge.

Discussion: What's New in Publishing, MediaNama, The Keyword, @glenngabe, @chrismessina, The Verge, Engadget and 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 9:00 AM ET, December 3, 2020.

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Consumer Tech Reporter, CA — Bloomberg

Associate Editor, Remote US — TechCrunch

Curation Editor (Contract), NY — Apple News

Business Editor, CA — TheWrap

Executive Ed. - Tech & Electronics, AZ — AspenCore

Economy & Industry Reporter, TX — Texas Tribune

ESPN FC Associate Editor, CA/CT — ESPN

Political Enterprise Editor, DC — Guardian US

Housing & Real Estate Reporter, ME — BDN

Associate Reporter - Yahoo Finance — Yahoo

Senior Editor, Remote — Raw Story

News Reporter, MA — Berkshire Eagle

Freelance Contributor, FL — Miami New Times

Senior Reporter, CA — Pensions & Investments

Managing Editor - State, CT — CTInsider

Sr. VP & Chief Content Officer, OR — OPB

Writer - Streaming (Temporary), GA — CNN

Data Graphics Reporter, CA — SF Standard

Data Reporter, TX — Houston Business Journal

Town Reporter, CT — The Day

Weekend Audience Editor, VA — Politico

Managing Editor, FL — HRDC

Business Reporter, WA — Seattle Times

Associate Editor, NY — Beer Marketer's Insights

Freelance Reporter, NC — PBS Charlotte

Crypto/Markets Reporter - Europe — The Block

Education & Family Reporter, OR — Lookout Local

Red Sox Reporter, MA — Boston Globe

Cockburn Editor, DC — The Spectator

Investigative Reporter, NC — Charlotte Observer

Writer - Women's Soccer, Remote US — The Athletic

Senior IP Correspondent, London — MLex

Computational Journalist, NY — ProPublica

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More News:

Group Nine Media:
Thrillist launches a vertical, The New Gameplan, with content about food, drinks, sports, fan traditions, and home entertaining during a socially distanced era

Discussion: MediaPost

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
YouTube upgrades Premieres, which gives scheduled videos a landing page, with trailers, themes, and live stream pre-shows that later redirect to the main event

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Matthew Cunningham-Cook / The Intercept:
The Intercept publishes a statement of principles for its freelancers, facilitated by the Freelance Solidarity Project of the National Writers Union

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu, @wudanyan, @hamiltonnolan, @ashponders, @rmc031, @eoinhiggins_, @fsp_nwu, @coracurrier, @alexbkane, @aribrostoff, @fsp_nwu, @jbwashing, Columbia Journalism Review and bookforum.com

Etan Vlessing / Hollywood Reporter:
WarnerMedia names Jennifer Biry as CFO, replacing Pascal Desroches, who will be moving into the role of CFO at AT&T

Discussion: The Wrap, WORLD SCREEN and Variety

Michelle Gao / CNBC:
Discovery to launch its streaming service, Discovery+, in Jan. 2021, with a $4.99 per month ad-supported tier and a $6.99 per month ad-free tier

Julia Alexander / The Verge:
TikTok appears to be experimenting with allowing three-minute videos, up from its current 60-second limit

Discussion: Business Insider, @mattnavarra, Engadget, @kalhanr, @muscleman_bot, @bdsams, @jbillinson, @caseynewton, @broderick, @sub8u, @sakuralovestea, @omarmouallem, @lanceulanoff and New York Post, more at Techmeme »

Earlier Picks:

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Hodinkee, a site featuring news and reviews about watches, raises $40M from LVMH Luxury Ventures, TCG, Tom Brady, and others, source says at a $100M+ valuation

Discussion: @benmullin, @kenli729, @hemeon, @kevinrose, @neilcybart, @rafat, @seangriffey, @jackmarshall, @bmorrissey, @wsjmag, @benmullin and @mylestanzer

Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Spotify says Anchor powered 80% of its new podcasts, or 1M+ shows, in 2020; overall, Anchor powers 70% of Spotify's total podcast catalog of over 1.9M shows

Discussion: New York Post, musically.com, @backlon, @mattnavarra, @alexwolfco, @simonowens, @ashleyrcarman, Spotify for Podcasters, @tinacanthony, Spotify and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Trump threatened in a tweet on Tuesday to veto the annual defense bill, which authorizes nearly $1T in military spending, unless Congress repeals Section 230

Discussion: @evan_greer, @connorobriennh, The Week, @birnbaum_e, @repmikelevin, The Smoke Eater, NPR, CNBC, ABC News, Reason, New York Times, @scottjshapiro, Slate, The Media Nut, Politico, @evan_greer, @tonyromm, The Verge and Business Insider

Amanda Meade / The Guardian:
ABC accuses Morrison government of using News Corp to attack its journalism after the Australian received government questions for ABC before it received them

Discussion: @margokingston1, @earleyedition and @kloussikian

J. Clara Chan / The Wrap:
After Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe called in to a morning CNN editorial call with Jeff Zucker, CNN says it has referred the incident to law enforcement

Discussion: @cnnpr, Washington Post, @cnnpr, Columbia Journalism Review, The RFAngle, David Harris Jr., @tuckercarlson, @levinejonathan, @donaldjtrumpjr, @superwuster, The Daily Beast and The RFAngle

From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
A closer look at the iPhone 17 “Air”, which lays the foundation for major design changes in future devices, including possible portless and foldable iPhones

Bloomberg:
Baidu releases Ernie X1, an AI model that articulates its reasoning similarly to DeepSeek R1, and upgrades its flagship foundation model to Ernie 4.5, both free

Tom Dotan / Wall Street Journal:
A profile of Chetan Nayak, who leads Microsoft's Station Q team trying to build a quantum computer; source: Microsoft spends ~$300M annually on quantum research

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