Top News:
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
Dotdash Meredith will cease printing six magazines, including InStyle and EatingWell, after April, turning them into digital brands and cutting about 200 jobs — The publications, which IAC's Dotdash acquired when it bought Meredith last year, will live on as digital-only brands
Discussion:
Variety, Axios, Ad Age, Daily Front Row, MediaPost, Los Angeles Times, Nieman Lab, WWD, The Wrap, The Hill, New York Times, Too Much TV Newsletter, @jensantamaria, @jensantamaria, @jensantamaria, @ambernoelle, @kasie, @kod, @marcatracy, @jmrivera02, Al Jazeera, @tinajordannyt, @daniellenuss, New York Post, TheStreet, @thehrh, @shanellegenai, @casey_mink, @chrisvfeil, @natalieabrams, @jbflint, @benpershing, @sarahjaeleiber, @jessewashington, @mikeroe, Christopher Six's Pick Six, @lmoses, @jmdornbush, @richardlnewby, @hiattb, @tvmojoe, @jeffjarvis, @heykmenz, @froomkin, @jaredbkeller, @terri_schwartz, @ericrennerbrown, @markstenberg3, @jowrotethis, The Hollywood Reporter, @azalben and @samontv
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Filing: Discovery says its merger with WarnerMedia received US antitrust clearance, following European Commission approval in December — The mega-deal is expected to close in the second quarter.
Discussion:
Axios, Variety, CNN, The Week, The Hill, New York Post, New York Times, @brianstelter, Deadline, @brianstelter, @axios, Media Play News, @alexweprin, @alexweprin, @dcnorg, @roncharles, The Verge and The Wrap
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: Discovery sees Zucker's departure as an opportunity for a reset at CNN, making it less opinionated, after ratings declined noticeably in recent months — Ever since Jeff Zucker seized the reins at CNN in early 2013, the cable-news network has been one of loudest voices in media circles.
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu, Mediaite, @soledadobrien, @bristei, Poynter, @emilytvproducer, @bristei, @froomkin and @bristei
Sara Fischer / Axios:
As ABC News, ESPN, Daily Mail, and other outlets amass over 1M TikTok followers, some suggest the surge is similar to the explosive growth on Facebook in 2015 — A handful of news media companies now have more than 1 million followers on TikTok, a testament to how much the viral video platform …
Discussion:
@shannmclellan, @evanmcmurry, @_andersonbecca and @callingcaterina
Andrew Kersley / Press Gazette:
BBC will launch a new live team with 31 journalists to expand coverage beyond COVID-19, after its live pages collectively had 1B+ visits during the pandemic — The pandemic has attached “rocket boosters” to news live blogs and led to more investment from publishers as sites try …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, @jasminecoleman, @ponniahkevin, @davidclinchnews and @stuartmillar159
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
In a deposition, James Bennet says that he included a direct apology to Sarah Palin in a response to CNN's questions but the apology didn't make it past NYT PR — “America's Lethal Politics,” the June 14, 2017, editorial at the center of Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit, is cause for apology.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @erikwemple, CNN, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik, Poynter, @oliverdarcy, @mboorstein, Mediaite, Politico and NPR
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Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
The editorial that spawned Palin v. NYT showcases mainstream media's insistence to filter breaking news events through insights on “both sides” of US politics
The editorial that spawned Palin v. NYT showcases mainstream media's insistence to filter breaking news events through insights on “both sides” of US politics
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, The Daily Beast, New York Times, Insider, @noahcrothman, @tripgabriel, @davidmackau, @froomkin, @amyargetsinger, @jannwolfe, @davidmastio, bookforum.com, @picardonhealth, @jayrosen_nyu, @whignewtons, @erikwemple, @erikwemple, HuffPost, New York Post and Law & Crime
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Interview with Capital B CEO and co-founder Lauren Williams, on fundraising, the enduring power of social platforms, launching an Atlanta newsroom, and more — Lauren Williams is the co-founder and CEO of Capital B, a new nonprofit media company dedicated to news for Black audiences.
Discussion:
@laurenwilliams, @annalysagayle and NPR Fangirl
Financial Times:
A look at the effect of current and prospective regulations by EU countries on US streamers, including mandatory investments and retention of producer rights — Netflix, Disney and Amazon grapple with national investment targets and a shake-up in who owns rights
Discussion:
@labboudles, more at Techmeme »
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Tumblr launches a tip jar, initially in the US, on iOS, Android, and the web; Tumblr will not take a cut and won't use Apple or Google's billing systems — Tumblr is launching its second attempt at a monetization feature today. Rolling out in the U.S. now and soon globally …
Discussion:
Tumblr Staff, Tubefilter and @mattnavarra, more at Techmeme »
Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
James Murdoch and ex-Star India CEO Uday Shankar form Bodhi Tree with $1.5B from Qatar's wealth fund to invest in media and tech in SE Asia, particularly India — The alliance sees the launch of the platform, titled Bodhi Tree, with financial backing from the Qatar Investment Authority.
Discussion:
Variety, TechCrunch, Deadline and @sarafischer
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Moonbug Entertainment acquires Little Angel, a YouTube network with more than 88M subscribers — The deal is the first for Moonbug since selling itself to Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs' Candle Media. — Moonbug Entertainment, fresh off of its $2.7 billion sale to Candle Media, is expanding its footprint.
Discussion:
Variety, Tubefilter, Kidscreen and Bloomberg
Axios:
Foreign correspondents detail intimidation in Beijing, including being assigned a “guide” to follow them and check that interviewees stick to official discourse — Foreign correspondents in China are speaking out after a Chinese security official pulled a Dutch reporter …
Discussion:
@sjoerddendaas, @joannachiu, @phelimkine, @serpentza, @niccijsmith, @emilyzfeng, @antwanmorel, @sarafischer, @paddyfok, @edmundlee and The Daily Beast