Top News:
Choire Sicha / New York Magazine:
Former NYT exec says Wirecutter employees were treated as second-class citizens at NYT, with a lower pay scale and some NYT staff openly sneering at their work — In October 2016, Wirecutter, a scrappy website that uses journalism to help people make purchases, was five years old.
RELATED:
@wirecutterunion:
Wirecutter union announces a strike from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, citing management's refusal to negotiate — With @wirecutter/@nytimes management refusing to come to the table to reach a deal, 100% of our unit will be striking from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. The best way you can support us is by boycotting @wirecutter from 11/25-11/29: https://www.wirecutterunion.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
@hblodget, @pkafka, @andymanganelli, bookforum.com, @andrewwrites, @judyberman, Off the Record, @typefiend, @adamconover, @rekhalshankar, @alphabetworkers, @tomaxwell, @jeffgrubb, @halophoenix, @sashavanhoven, @amandahess, @amandahess, @wirecutterunion, Nieman Lab, @aegies, @jackmirkinson, @amandahess and Gizmodo
Steve Waldman / Washington Monthly:
DOJ blocking the S&S and Penguin mega-merger because it would reduce diversity of voices suggests it could take a similar approach to Alden's acquisition of Lee — How stronger antitrust enforcement and the Build Back Better bill can help to save the newspaper business.
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Since last year, Stat's revenue is up 40%, with subscription revenue up 24%, ad revenue up 51%, and events up 79%, and its headcount is up from ~50 to ~80 — STAT had a banner year in 2020, and executives say they expect continued growth for the foreseeable future.
Discussion:
@rickberke, @dankennedy_nu, @bhrenton, @fpmarconi and @mariojoze
Todd Spangler / Variety:
HBO Max will share the rights to half of 20th Century Studios' films with Disney+ and Hulu in 2022, after which they will be exclusive to Disney — HBO Max will get its hands on Fox's film slate for one final year — under an unusual deal to share streaming windows with Disney Plus and Hulu …
Discussion:
Cord Cutters News and Collider
Alan Leveritt / New York Times:
Arkansas Times' publisher explains why his paper sued Arkansas for violating the First Amendment with a law forcing contractors to sign a pledge favoring Israel — Mr. Leveritt is the founder and publisher of The Arkansas Times. His lawsuit against Arkansas's anti-boycott law is being reviewed …
Discussion:
@mtracey, @jzarif, @ryanchittum, @elivalley and @jeffjarvis
Reuters:
A NY judge extends a ban keeping NYT from publishing some materials about Project Veritas, at least until December 1, despite precedent against prior restraint — A New York trial judge on Tuesday extended a ban keeping the New York Times from publishing some materials concerning …
Mimi Billing / Sifted:
Denmark-based podcasting and audio tech startup Podimo raises a $78M Series B led by 83North and Highland Europe — A large library of proprietary content and local focus attracts venture capital — Two-year-old audio platform Podimo raises $78m from London VCs
Discussion:
Tech.eu, @mimibilling and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
Disney, ViacomCBS, and others are offering steep discounts this week amid slowing subscriber growth, with one year of Hulu available for 99 cents per month — Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ and Discovery+ are among the services offering steep discounts this week to entice new subscribers.
Discussion:
CNET News, Decider, @alexweprin, @sherman4949, Billboard and Variety
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
BBC says its international News services now reach 456M people weekly, up 4% YoY; BBC World Service reaches 364M people, up 13M in a year — International BBC News services now reach 456m people every week, the corporation said on Wednesday. — This is an increase of 18m, or 4%, from 2019/20.
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Nine months in, Biden has done about a dozen one-on-one interviews with major outlets vs. 50+ for Trump and 100+ for Obama in the same period of their tenures — So far in his tenure, the president has given far fewer one-on-one interviews than his two predecessors.
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Startups like Royal, which helps musicians create and sell NFTs, could potentially upend predatory record deals and further shift power to artists and fans — Royal's Justin Blau and Paradigm's Fred Ehrsam on how selling royalties directly to fans could end predatory record deals
Discussion:
@espiers, @caseynewton, @cindygallop, @ccatalini, @hkanji and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »