Top News:
Paul Volpe / Politico:
Why WaPo likely looked outside its own ranks to hire a female EIC, including a shrinking newsroom before Bezos' takeover, plus structural and cultural issues — The Post made history this week by appointing its first female executive editor. But why did the newspaper have to look outside …
Julia Alexander / IGN:
Nickelodeon is a primary reason people are signing up for and watching streaming service Paramount+, says ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish — Nickelodeon is key to Paramount+'s success — Between 2010 and 2020, Nickelodeon lost more than 60% of its audience. — Snapped up by Netflix, YouTube …
Discussion:
@ign, @loudmouthjulia, @danimichaeli1, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia and @loudmouthjulia
Jack Crosbie / Discourse Blog:
In internal meeting, CEO Meredith Levien defended NYT's refusal to voluntarily recognize The NYT Tech Guild, saying its members are tech people, not journalists — In a meeting with staffers, Meredith Levien had several reasons for why she's fighting her paper's newest organizing effort.
Discussion:
@jscros, @jscros, @cooperlund, @lalasoo, @shdwbxng, @hodgesmr, @cwarzel, @swodinsky and @dancow
Ben Munson / FierceVideo:
TiVo buys MobiTV's assets for $18.5M, including its live and on-demand video delivery offerings to launch app-based streaming TV services — TiVo emerged as the winner on day 2 of an auction for MobiTV's assets after fending off several raised bids from Amino in conjunction with Roku and RPX, a patent portfolio company.
Discussion:
Light Reading
Reggie Ugwu / New York Times:
A look at Spotify-exclusive “music and talk” podcasts, which let hosts avoid music licensing fees and fair-use legal fights via free access to Spotify catalog — Music-filled — and Spotify-exclusive — shows like “Black Girl Songbook” and “60 Songs That Explain the '90s” dance around copyright constraints.
Discussion:
@dada_drummer, @danamo, @lpolgreen, @ringer, @tonyamosley, @nicktheandersen and @harvilla
Committee to Protect Journalists:
IDF destroyed two buildings in Gaza City housing 12+ media outlets; IDF says the buildings were targeted as sites of Hamas' intelligence and military offices — New York, May 13, 2021 - Israeli forces must refrain from bombing media outlets, and should ensure that journalists can work safely …
RFE / Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
RFE/RL's bank accounts in Russia have been frozen; Russia's media monitor has imposed fines on the news outlet for failing to label itself as a foreign agent — RFE/RL's bank accounts in Russia have been frozen following a visit by court bailiffs to the U.S. agency's Moscow bureau.
Discussion:
@gladstein, @roachaugustine, @damelya_hrw, @rferl, USAGM and @anneapplebaum
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:
Southern Theatres follows Alamo Drafthouse and AMC, launching a service to let subscribers rent films after their theatrical run and before they're on streaming — Amid the hard work of reopening after the pandemic, some movie theater chains are venturing into the streaming business …
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
Ad agency Dentsu has created a division aimed at helping minority-owned media businesses grow and connect with ad buyers — Veteran ad buyer Mark Prince to lead division that will consult with minority-owned media businesses and marketers seeking increasingly diverse audiences
RTDNA:
Among 1,762 non-satellite TV stations, a record 1,116 aired local news in 2020, up 18 from the 2019 high; 29.3% report budget cuts vs. 9.1% in 2019 — Graphics credits: Talia Nikole Trackim / Syracuse University … TV — Despite facing revenue shortfalls, budget cuts …
Discussion:
The Streamable and Poynter
Jeff Kotuby / The Streamable:
ESPN renews rights deal with MLB until 2028, including ESPN+ simulcasts but not weekday games; report: the deal cost $560M/yr, down from prior deal's $700M/yr — Disney CEO Bob Chapek dropped some big news during his company's Q2 2021 call, announcing that ESPN and Major League Baseball …
Senator Brian Schatz / U.S. Senator Brian Schatz …:
Three US senators and a US representative reintroduce the Future of Local News Act, which would create a group to study the state of local news and offer fixes — Local News Provides Important Public Service By Covering Stories That Matter To Communities, Holding Local Governments Accountable
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @cforman, @notaaroncraig and @spj_tweets