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Private equity firms Apollo and Standard General buy local TV giant Tegna, which owns 64 stations in 51 markets, for $5.4B, giving it a ~$8.6B valuation — Standard General and Apollo will pay $24 share for the company, which owns 64 stations in 51 markets.
Discussion:
TEGNA, insideradio.com, Awful Announcing, Bloomberg, The Streamable, New York Post, Deadline, @amandamatwell, Insider, Light Reading, @brynstole, @shawnreynolds_, @brianstelter, @dangillmor, @johncolucci, @melissakxly4, Wall Street Journal, Poynter, TVSpy, Cord Cutters News, @burnettgracem, MediaPost and Adweek


Maria Ressa, Rappler CEO and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, joins The Atlantic as a contributing writer covering democracy, press freedom, and the social web — As The Atlantic continues its editorial focus on exposing the crisis facing democracy and the rise of global authoritarianism …
Discussion:
@adriennelaf, @blackamazon and @mckaycoppins


Emily Atkin, who launched Heated with a $20K Substack advance in 2019, says the climate newsletter is going on hiatus as she takes “a big digital break” — Why HEATED is going on temporary hiatus. — I've been thinking a lot lately about resilience: the ability to remain strong in the face of difficulties.
Discussion:
@emorwee, @leah_rosenbaum, @kendallbaker, @brittwray, @annehelen, @emorwee, @kelcsimpkins, @hyltonanne, @pkafka, Too Much TV Newsletter, @petedominick, @sorayaroberts and @mattbrownep


NBC's decision to spend $7.75B on Olympics rights through 2032 looks shaky after Beijing, a buzz-free, hermetically sealed event, saw viewers staying away — NEW YORK (AP) — There were many reasons to think NBC made a savvy business deal in 2014 when it locked up the American media rights …
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New York Times, Junghoon's Direct Media …, OutKick, Green Light, TV Technology, NPR, Pink's Bottom Line on Media …, NBC Sports Pressbox, @tom_fowdy, Quartz, @slate, @barneyfarmer, @cbrennansports, @kebrightbill, @situate, @japatrick200, @ericboehlert, The Athletic, Wall Street Journal, Axios, Hollywood Reporter, Fox News, Awful Announcing, Columbia Journalism Review and Poynter
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Howard University receives a $2M donation to digitize its Black Press Archives, which date back to the 1970s and contain over 2,000 newspaper titles — Howard University has received a $2 million donation to digitize a major collection of Black newspaper archives in hopes of making …
Discussion:
@nickimayonews and @alexalisitza


Netflix signs a three-year deal to invest 4% of its annual revenue in France, at least €40M, in French and European films that will premiere in French theaters — Netflix has signed a three-year agreement with French film guilds to invest a minimum of €40 million ($45 million) …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Media Play News, Deadline and Advanced Television


Mexico's president calls reporters “mercenaries” and asks them to reveal their salaries over investigations of his son's use of an oil executive's $1M residence — In one of the biggest crises of his term, the president rails against media's reporting of possible conflict …


Permanent community news funds, formed by community foundations working with local news leaders, are a major new trend for supporting local news — READ THE ‘COMMUNITY NEWS FUND’ REPORT — Report for America today released a report that identified a major new trend - the creation of …
Discussion:
@report4america


An update on some of the amateur sleuths, including Claude Taylor and Louise Mensch, who built large social media followings with unfounded claims about Trump — For years, the actor Tom Arnold occupied himself with a singular goal: ending Donald Trump's presidency. And what does he have to show for it?
Discussion:
@bterris, @isaacdovere, @devlinbarrett, @aseitzwald, @sjdemas, @stphnfwlr, @saramorrison, @z_everson, @timothypmurphy, @qjurecic, @blackamazon, @tomarnold, @chrismegerian and @washingtonpost


Working paper: private equity firms, which in 2019 owned 23% of US newspapers, reduced local coverage more than other owners but drove more digital subscribers — A provocative new research paper confirms many of the fears about private equity firms buying up America's newspapers.
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu, @jimfriedlich, @notaaroncraig, @larryryckman, @dlboardman, @lenfestinst and @jeffjarvis


Meta rolls out Facebook Reels to over 150 countries, following the feature's US launch in September 2021, alongside new creative tools and ad formats — After publicly launching in the U.S. this past September, Facebook Reels today is becoming globally available in over 150 countries.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Facebook, The Indian Express, CNET, Ad Age, Protocol, MediaPost and The Verge, more at Techmeme »


Polk Awards: The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The New Yorker win two awards each; WSJ's Facebook Files wins the business reporting prize — The Times was honored for coverage that revealed a plot behind the murder of the Haitian president and for investigations on the toll of America's air war in the Middle East.
Discussion:
@polkawards, Long Island University, @katie_robertson, @drewharwell, @columbiajourn, TVNewser, American Press Institute, @robertanglen, @kakape, @helenbranswell, @evanhill, @newley, @eliotwb, @ewidera, @georgia_wells, @ktumulty, @jasonrdean, @cheesemanab, @lilahass, @ian_urbina, @emilyglazer, @meslackman, @jkbjournalist, @asmamk, @cliffordlevy, @jbarbassa, @zalmayzia, @bzubyk, @clarissaward, @azmatzahra, @david_philipps, @abihabib, @francesrobles, New Yorker, Reuters, Tampa Bay Times, Washington Post, Talking Biz News and The Guardian


How The Marshall Project's Testify, a collaboration with Cleveland news outlets, distribution partners, and residents, reimagines criminal justice coverage — Even as the financial models of traditional for-profit journalism have been crumbling at the local level, groups across the US …
Discussion:
@marshallproj