Mediagazer: Hong Kong-listed media company Hypebeast to list on the Nasdaq via a SPAC merger at a $530M+ valuation, after $13.3M in PIPE funding from Tom Brady and others (Corrie Driebusch/Wall Street Journal)

8:20 PM ET, April 4, 2022

Top News:

Matthew Yglesias / Bloomberg:

Researchers paid regular Fox News viewers to watch CNN for a month and found that they changed their minds on political and cultural issues, and Fox News itself — The establishment of Fox News in the late 1990s forever changed both media and politics in America, transforming the formerly staid world …

Associated Press:

Research: RT en Español is the third most shared site on Twitter for Spanish-language info about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as RT thrives in Latin America — Washington (AP) — Though Russia is the country that invaded its neighbor Ukraine, the Kremlin's version relentlessly warns …

Discussion: @abcpolitics, @nickknudsenus and @alirogin, more at Techmeme »

Gerry Smith / Bloomberg:

DirecTV to drop OANN and AWE, a high-end lifestyle channel also owned by Herring Networks, after April 4 — DirecTV plans to drop One America News Network on Tuesday, ignoring pressure to reverse course from the conservative cable outlet and its supporters.

Discussion: TVNewser, @oliverdarcy and @anthony

Ben Thompson / Stratechery:

As subscriber growth slows, Netflix should consider introducing an ad-supported tier, which could help it add subscribers, raise prices, and reduce churn — The Information reported over the weekend that Netflix executives have told employees to keep an eye on the bottom line:

Discussion: @stratechery, @anthony and @carnage4life

Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:

Roku and Amazon extend their distribution agreement, letting users continue to access Prime Video and IMDb TV apps on their Roku devices; Roku stock is up 7.19% — The new multi-year agreement means the Amazon Prime Video app will remain in Roku's Channel Store.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Next TV, Engadget, Variety, The Verge, The Streamable and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Some journalists say a company started by Salt Lake Tribune's chairman to investigate Utah's COVID-19 testing contracts compromises the newsroom's independence — The original version of the story stated that Paul Huntsman started Jittai in 2020, based on information he provided The Post.

Discussion: @amyargetsinger, @jeremymbarr, @clintbetts, @tstevensmedia, @hberkes, @farhip, @bethrodgersslt, @blmohr and @bjaminwood

Corrie Driebusch / Wall Street Journal:

Hong Kong-listed media company Hypebeast to list on the Nasdaq via a SPAC merger at a $530M+ valuation, after $13.3M in PIPE funding from Tom Brady and others — Tom Brady, Naomi Osaka, Tony Hawk and Jonah Hill are among the deal's investors — Hypebeast Ltd. is bringing its stock …

Discussion: PR Newswire, @maybebullish, Axios and @kerrymflynn

Jim Waterson / The Guardian:

The BBC quietly readvertises its political editor job to replace Laura Kuenssberg; sources say executives were unhappy with the original all-female shortlist — Bosses said to have been unhappy with choice of candidates after all-female shortlist was produced

Discussion: @lauraph222, @life_disrupted, @coppetainpu, @jimwaterson, @hkesvani, @thiralalbhusal and @thepatrickt

Naman Ramachandran / Variety:

UK government decides to put up Channel 4 for sale; reports say the goal is to sell it by the UK general election in May 2024 for at least £1B — The proposed privatization of U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 could become a reality by the spring of 2023 as the government has decided to go ahead with the process.

Discussion: @scottygb, The Guardian, The Guardian, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Sun, Telegraph, Deadline, @jimwaterson, @jamesrbuk, @jimwaterson, @jake_kanter, @nazirafzal, @jamesrbuk, @lewis_goodall and C21Media

Alik Sardarian / openDemocracy:

Some Western journalists in Ukraine do not listen to locals' warnings, don't bother to provide protection for fixers, and go into dangerous places needlessly — As international media try to cover the horror of Russia's attack on Ukraine, they are failing the people who are helping them do it: Ukrainian journalists and producers

Discussion: Voice of America, @shaunwalker7, @peterkgeoghegan, @ian_fraser, @opendemocracy, @ian_fraser, @drzarni, @olgatokariuk, @rochowanski, @opendemocracy and @te_rowley

Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:

How Quebec's CN2i co-op, made up of six regional daily newspapers, is structured and the headwinds it has faced since launching in March 2020 — In 2019, six regional daily newspapers in Quebec, Canada were saved from closure after their parent company, Groupe Capitales Médias, announced it was filing for bankruptcy.

Discussion: @jsource and @ifjglobal

David Folkenflik / NPR:

Journalists and police discuss a 2021 Echo Park protest when the LAPD detained at least 16 journalists, leading to a strengthened press rights law in California — Bodycam footage shows police shooting rubber bullets at reporters. Smartphone videos capture police taking them into custody.

Discussion: @adjoro, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik, @npr, @uspresstracker, @jonahmv and @ericgeller

Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency:

Maks Levin, a photojournalist covering the war in Ukraine who went missing near Kyiv on March 13, is found dead — Police found Ukrainian photojournalist, documentary photographer Maks Levin dead near the village of Huta Mezhyhirska in Kyiv region. He left four minor sons, a wife, and elderly parents.