Top News:
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
A spokesperson for Donald Trump says his blog, used to share statements after he was banned on Facebook and Twitter, has been permanently shut down — - Former President Donald Trump's blog has been permanently shut down. — The page, “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” …
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Dan Mangan / CNBC:
National Enquirer's publisher has agreed to pay $187,500 in a FEC settlement over a 2016 hush-money payment to Karen McDougal, who alleged an affair with Trump — - The Federal Election Commission will let former President Donald Trump avoid any punishment for directing hush money payments to his alleged ex-mistress Karen McDougal.
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Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair:
As a source says Gawker will return in fall, some Gawker alumni question its role in a crowded media world and whether Bustle will give it free reign — “Pugilistic” new editor in chief Leah Finnegan and her burgeoning masthead are drawing raves, but Gawker veterans question the notorious site's role …
Discussion:
@charlottetklein, @miriamelder and @gabrielsnyder
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
The Atlantic is spinning out its content and communications agency Atlantic 57, which will be rebranded Long Dash under the umbrella of Atlantic Media — The Atlantic is putting some separation between the publication and its agency Atlantic 57. The latter will be spun out into its own division …
Discussion:
The Rebooting, @seangriffey and AgencySpy
Michael King / The Streamable:
HBO Max with Ads launches for $9.99/mo, $5 cheaper than the ad-free plan, with a 15% discount for a year. and a maximum of four minutes of ads/hour — After announcing that their ad-supported plan would launch in early-June, HBO Max officially launched HBO Max with Ads for $9.99 a month.
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Helen Davidson / The Guardian:
As China “rectifies” HK public broadcaster RTHK, senior execs depart and reporters say they are banned from topics like Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary — Employees at public broadcaster RTHK voice fears for future amid gradual erosion of media freedoms
Discussion:
Sydney Morning Herald, @benedictrogers and APOLLO NETWORK ROMÂNIA
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Sean Mills, head of original content at Snap, is leaving after six years with the company; to date, Snap has launched or greenlit more than 125 original series — Sean Mills, head of original content at Snap, is leaving after six years with Snapchat's parent company.
Kate Clark / The Information:
Sources: Union Square Ventures has invested in publishing tool Mirror.xyz, which resembles Medium but adds funding options via NFT sales, at a $100M valuation — Union Square Ventures, an early backer of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, has invested in crypto publishing tool Mirror.xyz …
Discussion:
@mdudas, @amir, @lubchansky, @samthielman, @nicholdav, @jameson_rich, @beat_twittar, @drnovac, @kateclarktweets, @omershapira, @falsebinary, @sam_bronstein and @rsettles
Katherine Doherty / Bloomberg:
Source: Mudrick Capital sold all its AMC Entertainment stock Tuesday, the same day the chain said Mudrick had bought $230.5M in new shares; stock up 22%+ — - Investment firm takes advantage of rally fueled by day traders — Sale follows Mudrick Capital's $230 million purchase of shares
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Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
Insider says its sales revenue is up 61% YoY in H1 2021, with more ad revenue in first five months of 2021 than all of 2020; half of Insider revenue is from ads — Insider's ad business is on a positive trajectory thanks to its focus on harnessing its first-party data and so is the company's plans …
Rachel Chitra / Reuters Institute for the Study …:
At least 474 Indian journalists have died from COVID-19 through May and reporters are now calling for vaccination access and timely medical care — Labelled “presstitutes” and “unpatriotic”, reporters are dying with little to no support from their newsrooms or their government
Discussion:
@risj_oxford, @caithlinmercer, @risj_oxford, @saileepawar94 and @meeraselva1
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Discovery CEO David Zaslav announces the new name for the combination of Discovery and AT&T's WarnerMedia: Warner Bros. Discovery — The merged company will go by Warner Bros. Discovery. — Discovery and AT&T's WarnerMedia shocked the media and entertainment world with their May 17 news …
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Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:
About 120 staffers in Hearst Magazine's sales, marketing, and ad unit, or just over 5% of the division's workforce, have accepted buyout offers — The voluntary buyout offers Hearst Magazines extended to 600 employees in its sales, marketing and ad side has resulted in close to 120 staffers raising their hands, sources tell Media Ink.