Top News:
Isabella Simonetti / New York Times:
Research: the rate of US newspaper closures, about two per week, did not change during the pandemic; 360+ US newspapers closed between late 2019 and May 2022 — The same pace — about two closures per week — was occurring before the pandemic. — Give this article- - - Read in app
Discussion:
Washington Post, @stevenwaldman, @szreports, @ron_fournier, @stevenwaldman, @alanmillernlp, @spj_tweets, @tednesi, @sewellchan, @sewellchan, @sewellchan, @newblackman, @jeffjarvis, @inkyamy, @melissajpeltier, @news4mass, @darlin, @julesm_b, @kheller, @elaheizadi, @thesimonetti and Medill
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Sewell Chan / The Texas Tribune:
Study: since 2005, Texas has lost about a third of its newspapers and eight newspaper journalists per 10K residents; 10% of its counties have no newspapers — Of Texas' 254 counties, 27 no longer have a newspaper. Loss of local news coverage has been associated with higher levels of mistrust, misinformation and malfeasance.
Discussion:
localnewsinitiative …, The Hill, @adamdavidson, @psskow, @leighmunsil, @lydiadepillis, @sewellchan, @pattmlatimes and Press Gazette
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Snap launches Snapchat+, offering exclusive, experimental, and pre-release Snapchat features for $3.99 per month, starting in nine countries — No, it doesn't let you turn off ads — Starting this week, Snap will begin offering an optional subscription called Snapchat Plus that unlocks exclusive and early access features.
Discussion:
NBC News, Snap Newsroom, @alexeheath, @snapchat, @mattnavarra, @kiruti, Insider, Music Ally, Variety, ScreenRant, Axios, Tubefilter, Doubt is Welcome, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, Adweek, Engadget, 9to5Mac and The Hill
Peter Kafka / Vox:
Netflix faces higher subscription churn rates than in the past, apparently leading to the strategy of releasing shows like Stranger Things and Ozark in chunks — One chart that tells you a lot about the state of the streaming service. — Netflix spends around $17 billion a year on new TV shows and movies.
Discussion:
@masasoncap and The Streamable
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Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Substack lays off 13 of its 90 employees as it tries to conserve cash during a funding crunch for startups; source: cuts hit HR, writer support, and other roles — The newsletter start-up discussed raising funding last year but abandoned the plan after the market for venture investments cooled.
Discussion:
Axios, Defector, Creator Economy Tips, @parismartineau, @leavittalone, @mslopatto, The Verge, @josephpillidge, @automaticzen, @sarafischer, @s_m_i, @stevekovach, @benmullin, TechCrunch, The Wrap, Bloomberg and Variety
Adam Piore / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at DC-based Punchbowl, which had 3,000+ subscribers paying $300 per year in late 2021, as critics question the ethics of hosting events with lobbyists — A Friday morning last fall, in the subterranean labyrinth of the Capitol building, on either side of thick double doors: a throng of reporters and the House Democratic Caucus.
Discussion:
@betsymorais, @rafat, @hemjhaveri, @cjr, @jayrosen_nyu, @cjr, @jon_allsop, @claireatki, @_cingraham, @elwasson and @lutherlowe
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Twitter hires Maggie McLean Suniewick, formerly president of distribution and business development for NBCUniversal's digital properties, as VP of partnerships — Twitter Inc. has hired Maggie McLean Suniewick from NBCUniversal Media to be the company's new vice president of partnerships …
Discussion:
@nedsegal
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Nexstar is close to a deal to acquire 75% of The CW, with Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery each retaining 12.5% stakes — Owner of local TV stations is looking to broaden CW's programming to cater to older audience — Nexstar Media Group Inc., NXST -1.19%▼ …
Discussion:
Axios, MediaPost, @tim_bays, @tvgrimreaper, @nottheribbons, Benzinga, Deadline, Next TV and The Wrap
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Wattpad launches a payout program for writers to earn up to $25K alongside an Engaged Readers metric, which counts those who spend over five minutes on a story — Storytelling platform Wattpad is introducing a new creator program for writers that can earn them up to $25,000 in compensation.
Discussion:
Variety, @tamaralush and @nayiiiiin
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Duke Reporters' Lab says fact-checking projects grew from 168 in 2016 to 391 in 2021 globally; Meta says it has spent $100M to underwrite fact-checking outlets — OSLO — Members of fact-checking organizations from around the globe met last week for their first in-person conference in three years …
Discussion:
@jordylancaster, @pcunliffejones, @neontaster, @maxblumenthal, @washingtonpost and Poynter
Adlan Jackson / New York Times:
A look at YouTube “media critics”, who use humor to dissect the output of more popular YouTubers, discuss the absurdities of social media influencers, and more — One of the most popular genres of videos online is to comment on other videos online. Are they comedians or media critics?
Discussion:
@niemanlab and @jeffjarvis
David Bauder / Associated Press:
Nielsen: during two daytime hearings last week, Fox averaged 727K viewers vs. 3.09M on MSNBC and 2.21M on CNN; Fox audience dropped when hearings started at 3pm — NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News Channel is airing the Jan. 6 committee hearings when they occur in daytime hours and a striking number …
Discussion:
Adweek, @larrysabato, @ap, Mediaite, Columbia Journalism Review and CNN
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