Mediagazer: Sources: Barry Diller's IAC hires an investment firm to explore selling The Daily Beast, which Diller launched in 2008; the sale process is in the early stages (Benjamin Mullin/New York Times)

3:45 PM ET, January 13, 2023

Top News:

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:

Sources: Barry Diller's IAC hires an investment firm to explore selling The Daily Beast, which Diller launched in 2008; the sale process is in the early stages — The tech mogul's company has hired Whisper Advisors, an advisory firm, to find potential buyers for the digital publication.

Discussion: @benmullin, Observer, The Hill, New York Post, @noahshachtman, @benmullin, @edmundlee, @sarahnrogers, @nytimesbusiness and @sherman4949

Linda Codega / Gizmodo:

Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast reveals details of its revised game license and says charitable use, livestreams, and more will be unaffected — After facing a week of constant backlash online, the Hasbro subsidiary finally breaks their silence. — Alerts

Discussion: TechCrunch, D&D Beyond, @wizards_dnd, @umbral_knightx, @zarawesome, @danielhkwan, @tyschalter, @umbral_knightx, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Polygon, @tabiwritesstuff, Reason, ScreenRant, New Republic and Kotaku

Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:

Over 66,000 people sign a letter objecting to a new planned Dungeons & Dragons game license, which it says would tax some creators at 25% and stifle innovation — More than 54,000 fans signed an open letter in protest of a new game license — Once a game on the periphery for the nerdiest of nerds …

Wall Street Journal:

YouTube is testing a hub of free, ad-supported streaming channels with select media partners, looking to compete with Roku, Paramount's Pluto TV, and Fox's Tubi — Tech company's effort could rival Roku, Fox in fast-growing area of streaming business — Created with sketchtool. — 1x

Discussion: The Streamable, Engadget, @cityofthetown, @cordcuttersnews and @jtoonkel, more at Techmeme »

Connie Guglielmo / CNET:

After a report that it is using AI for writing articles, CNET explains its test, changes the byline on AI-written posts, and makes disclosures more prominent — For over two decades, CNET has built our reputation testing new technologies and separating the hype from reality.

Discussion: Platformer, Press Gazette, Talking Biz News, @techledes, @hiddensmallcaps, @raywongy, The Shortcut, @raehodge, Boing Boing, Shelly Palmer and Futurism, more at Techmeme »

Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:

Memo: News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson says the company must revive its culture with in-office staff attendance and asks managers to “ensure compliance” — News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson sent out the following to staff, including journalists at The Wall Street Journal, Barron's and MarketWatch.com:

Discussion: @alisonbrower, @jeffrey_cane, Fortune, @rafat, Insider and Bloomberg

TechCrunch:

Sources: Tokyo-based aggregator website and app SmartNews, valued at $2B in 2021, laid off ~120 people, or 40% of US and China staff, with more coming in Japan — SmartNews, a Tokyo-headquartered news aggregation website and app valued at $2 billion as of 2021, today announced a 40% reduction …

more at Techmeme »

Morning Brew:

Morning Brew acquires Our Future, a short-form video startup founded in 2020, with 1B views and 1M followers across TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube — The rise of short-form video has changed the way people consume content. … Earlier this year, Morning Brew signaled its ambitions …

Discussion: Press Gazette

Yuvraj Malik / Reuters:

WWE retains Kirkland & Ellis as legal adviser for its strategic alternatives review, The Raine Group as financial adviser, and August as communications adviser — World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE.N) said on Thursday it has retained bankruptcy and restructuring powerhouse Kirkland & Ellis LLP …

Discussion: corporate.wwe.com, @chriswelch, @pkafka, @sherman4949, @mattbelloni, CNBC, Bloomberg Law, Sportico and Quartz

Natalie Kitroeff / New York Times:

A profile of Denise Maerker, Mexico's most-watched TV news anchor, as she steps down from her on-air role and faces criticism for impartial restrained coverage — As a crucial presidential election approaches, a newswoman's resignation has raised a crucial question: Is her restrained approach also on its way out?

Discussion: @nytimes, @laurabruges and @tmattiacehrw

Oregonian:

Oregon's Medford Mail Tribune, bought in 2017 from GateHouse Media by Rosebud Media with financing help from Sinclair Broadcast Group, ceases operations — Medford's Mail Tribune, one of Oregon's oldest operating news organizations, said Wednesday it would shut down by the end of the week.

Jack Neff / Ad Age:

Samba TV divests its ad sales division to programmatic platform MiQ under a multiyear agreement, sidestepping conflicts with its audience measurement business — Samba sells its ad sales division to MiQ as it looks to sidestep conflicts with its measurement efforts

Discussion: The Wrap, MediaPost, Deadline and Samba TV

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 3:45 PM ET, January 13, 2023.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Senior Data Journalist, NY — WSJ

Manager - Publishing Editorial, Manila — Reuters

Oil Reporter, Singapore — Bloomberg

Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — AP

Business Reporter, SC — Post & Courier

State Government Reporter, WA — Seattle Times

Climate Crisis Columnist — Prospect UK

Multimedia Journalist, CA — Paramount

Community Engagement Mgr., DC — Freedom Forum

Senior California Politics Reporter, CA — SFGATE

Staff Writer - Business, NY — WIRED

Team Editor - Opinion, ON — Toronto Star

Assistant Correspondent, DC — Kyodo News

Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — Star Tribune

Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — The Verge

Lead Business Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Managing Editor, WA — Everett Herald

Private Credit Reporter, NY — Debtwire

City Correspondent, London — Financial News

Legislative Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Reporter, PA — Tribune-Review

Visual Editor, Remote — Rest of World

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Senior Political Reporter, DC — The Lever

California Playbook Writer, CA — Politico

National Investigative Reporter, NY — HuffPost

Business & Gaming Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Coastal Climate Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Environment & Energy Reporter, CT — CT Mirror

Coordinating Editor, OR — OPB

Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

Business Reporter, WA — Longview Daily News

Editor-in-Chief, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

The Verge:
After criticism, YouTube plans to change a policy announced in November that limits ads or demonetizes a creator's video if they swear in the first 15 seconds

Discussion: Alex Ansary's Newsletter and Polygon, more at Techmeme »

Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Report: Apple Music VP Oliver Schusser will oversee Apple TV+'s business as the company reorganizes Services following VP Peter Stern's departure

Discussion: Billboard, BGR and Insider

John D. McKinnon / Wall Street Journal:
Google tells SCOTUS in a brief in Gonzalez v. Google that gutting Section 230 “would upend the internet”, leading to widespread censorship by internet companies

Discussion: MediaPost, @danushman, Shelly Palmer, UPI, The Hill, The Information, Gizmodo, CNN, Bloomberg and The Keyword, more at Techmeme »

Josh Ye / Reuters:
A look at Tencent's short video service WeChat Channels, which founder Pony Ma calls “the hope of the company”, as the tech giant tries to build its own TikTok

more at Techmeme »

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
TikTok is testing a Talent Manager Portal with a few agencies, letting creators' talent managers oversee, execute, and analyze brand opportunities and campaigns

Discussion: Adweek, @nealschaffer, @mattnavarra, Digital Music News, BGR and Glossy, more at Techmeme »

Axios:
Axios hires Alex Thompson as a national political correspondent for its expanding politics team, which includes recently hired Eugene Scott and David Lindsey

Discussion: @katie_robertson, @alexthomp, @zachmontellaro, @ddiamond, @joshkraushaar, @ccadelago, @lachlan, @eugenedaniels2, @alexthomp, @alexthomp, @davidsiders, @ajawmoore, @sarakgoo and @mjk_4mjk@mastodon.ie

Earlier Picks:

Bill Bradley / Adweek:
Netflix, which added an ad tier in November 2022, plans to host its first-ever upfront week event for ad buyers, on May 17, 2023, taking Paramount's former slot

Discussion: Variety, MediaPost, @tvmojoe, @jbflint, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Next TV, The Information and Insider

Nell Gallogly / New York Times:
A look at The New York Times' Weather Data team, formed in 2022 as part of an effort to broaden its data journalism as wilder weather becomes more frequent

Discussion: @niemanlab, @neilkatz, @dcnorg and @michellemanafy

Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:
Sources: Warner Bros. Discovery is exploring a sale of its music library, which could be valued at $1B+, as part of its efforts to whittle down its $50B debt

Discussion: Billboard, The Wrap, @theericgoldman, @richlightshed, @vincevalholla, @mattbelloni, Music Business Worldwide and Cord Cutters News

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Nine Reach regional brands in the UK have adopted a “newsletter-led approach”, meaning their websites are no longer their “flagship” means of content delivery

Discussion: One Man & His Blog, @pressgazette and HoldtheFrontPage

Inae Oh / Mother Jones:
Letting C-SPAN choose what to film could increase transparency but would also play to some of politicians' worst instincts of grandstanding and viral content

Discussion: Poynter, @motherjones, @alibreland, @motherjones, @abigailweinberg, @eenayo, @timothypmurphy, @nhbaptiste and @motherjones

From Techmeme:

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority:
Source: Google has canceled the development of a second-generation Pixel Tablet, planned for release in 2025, due to concerns that it wouldn't sell very well

Kent Walker / The Keyword:
Google says the DOJ's “wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision”, would hurt US consumers, and jeopardize the US' global tech leadership

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is testing a more conversational version of Siri, dubbed “LLM Siri”, with plans to release it in spring 2026 as part of iOS 19 and macOS 16

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page