Mediagazer: Cineworld announces a restructuring agreement with lenders, reducing its debt by ~$4.53B, and expects to emerge from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in H1 2023 (Georg Szalai/The Hollywood Reporter)

3:40 PM ET, April 3, 2023

Top News:

Twitter removed the verified badge from The New York Times' main account after Elon Musk responded to a meme taunting the outlet's decision not to pay for Blue — The Times and other news organizations say they won't pay for the icon, which is designed to protect against impersonation

Aaron McDade / Yahoo Finance:

In a now-deleted tweet, Elon Musk said Twitter would give verified accounts “a few weeks grace” but take away their checkmarks if “they tell they won't pay now” — - The first day of Twitter's previously announced axing of “legacy” verified checks nearly passed without incident.

Sara Fischer / Axios:
Email: The White House will not pay for Twitter Blue for its staff; the White House and top officials' accounts like POTUS will likely maintain gray checkmarks

Discussion: @kingjames, @nathanchubbard, CNN, @sarafischer, @karaswisher, @om, Variety, Engadget, Fox Business, Reuters, The Wrap, @nathanchubbard, @govmikehuckabee, @kyleynfl, @jemelehill, @bendreyfuss, @jayzawaski, @glen_mcgregor, @mikeisaac, @robl_l, @mollyjongfast, @bmkibler, @toluogunlesi, @elienyc, @itsborys, @derushaj, @niubi, @saskiapopescu, @clarajeffery, @noclador, @keithedwards, @nathanchubbard, @nathanchubbard, @nathanchubbard, @nathanchubbard, @doctoryasmin, @realrclark25, @estellecostanza, @mariedenee, @sahilkapur, @taylorrooks, @digiphile, @dan_bernstein, @lawrencehurley, @keithedwards, @edzitron, @mattdizwhitlock, @bobcesca_go, @ashleygjovik, @wutangkids, @iamsophianelson, @reichlinmelnick, @fordm, @broderick, @evanmcmurry, @danpfeiffer, @pkafka, @delpercios, @rory_johnston and @rob_sheridan, more at Techmeme »

Amy Thomson / Bloomberg:

Endeavor acquires WWE in a deal that values WWE at $9.3B including debt; the combined company, valued at $21B+, will be led by Endeavor CEO Ariel Emanuel — Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. has agreed to buy World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. in a deal that values the company at $9.3 billion including debt.

Discussion: Axios, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, Variety, CNBC, New York Times, Observer, Variety, MediaPost, Fox Business, @sarafischer, Bloomberg, Barrett Media, Investis Digital, Endeavor, The Wrap, The A.V. Club, New York Post, Sportico, Fox Business, Financial Times, @jonalba, The Comeback, @sherman4949, Mashable, Awful Announcing, @claytravis, Pro Wrestling Torch, @sherman4949, Reuters, @sherman4949, Reuters, @fightoracle, Fox News, ClutchPoints, @benmullin, Yahoo Finance, @sherman4949, @alexweprin, Front Office Sports, @abrahamjoseph, Forbes, @lucas_shaw, @dennyburkholder, @lanceulanoff, Deadline, @jimpethokoukis, CNBC, Barrett Media, New York Post, @brentsobleski, Front Office Sports, Variety, ClutchPoints, The Wrap, @chrisvannini, Gadgets 360, Wall Street Journal, Popverse Latest, New York Daily News, The FADER and WORLD SCREEN

Sara Fischer / Axios:

An interview with WWE President Nick Khan on WWE and UFC pursuing separate linear TV rights negotiations, continuing WWE's Saudi relationship, and more — WWE and UFC will pursue separate media rights negotiations for linear TV, but there could be an opportunity to pursue a combined streaming deal …

Discussion: The Streamable, Financial Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Pro Wrestling Torch, Los Angeles Times, The Information, Media Play News, Fox Business, @brandonthurston, @sarafischer, @aaronbronsteter, Next TV, @sarafischer, Associated Press, Bloomberg and Sportico

Wall Street Journal:

A profile of Evan Gershkovich, the 31-year-old WSJ reporter detained by Russia whose parents fled the USSR for the US and who later made Moscow his second home — The Wall Street Journal correspondent, whose parents fled the Soviet Union, made Moscow a second home.

Discussion: New York Times, @facethenation, @nickkristof, @wsjpr, The Moscow Times, CBS News, @picardonhealth, @nickkristof, @yarotrof, Al Jazeera, Talking Biz News, New York Post, @chrislhayes, @w7voa, @repmiketurner, Fox News, @nytimes, @dreamgirls, @williamyang120, @tggrove, @katie_robertson, @_karenhao, @benmullin, @vmsalama, The Comeback, @biettetimmons, @maxseddon, @lindsayaellis, CNN, @paulsonne, @isabelcoles, @tggrove, @mjluxmoore, @fatmafaizi, @cliffordlevy, @mjluxmoore, @cgrantwsj, @piperk, @antontroian, @stephenkalin, @emilyzfeng, @mollyjongfast, @jrezaian, The Guardian, @mtthwrose, @jrezaian, @cathyarnst, @rohded, Insider, @biannagolodryga, @peterbakernyt, @nicktimiraos, @alecmacgillis, @mims, @srussolillo, @davidenrich, Reporters Without Borders, @drewhinshaw, @geraldfseib, @reevellp, @jmalsin, @austinramzy, The Guardian, @joewsj, @dinasrinivasan, @mjluxmoore, @georgikantchev, @pjotrsauer, @gtcost, @joshkraushaar, @_silversmith, @wsj, @bychunhan, @alanmillernlp, @mikevorkunov, @elizacollins1, @daiwaka, @aosipovich, @johnwest, @benpershing, @shalini, @nickkristof, @sgurman, New Yorker, @maxseddon, @laobserved, @joelsimonsays and @dabeard

Alyssa Lukpat / Wall Street Journal:
Top editors at 38 outlets globally sign a letter condemning the detention of The Wall Street Journal's Evan Gershkovich and calling for his immediate release

Thomas E. Patterson / Nieman Lab:

A survey of 253 NPR member stations finds that 60% have 10 or fewer news staff and average just over one hour of locally produced news programming per day — “Local public radio has a staffing problem. Stations have considerable potential but aren't yet in a position to make it happen."

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk, @kennedy_school, @dhiott, @stphnfwlr, @johnupton, @stevenwaldman, @anelsona, @jimallthetime, @lauren_bavis, @niemanfdn, @spj_tweets and @stphnfwlr

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

A Meta-commissioned report argues Facebook is not a “must-have” for publishers, saying news links account for less than 3% of posts users see in their feed — News links account for less than 3% of posts people see in their Facebook feeds. — A report commissioned by Meta …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, @jeffjarvis, @dkiesow@social.kiesow.net and @jamesrbuk

Max Tani / Semafor:

A look at fissures within The Guardian over its trans coverage after years of strife, as the anti-trans wing is widely viewed internally as ascendant — The wars at The Guardian reached one of their periodic peaks in September of 2021, when the philosopher Judith Butler said in an interview …

Discussion: @maxwelltani, @jbenton, @paulduanefilm, @transscribe, @brokenbottleboy, @semaforben, @rswirling, @ginarush and @bigmeaninternet

Drew Taylor / The Wrap:

CBS' 60 Minutes faces a backlash for an interview with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, which aired on Sunday evening — The CBS news magazine profiles the congresswoman who questioned whether 9/11 happened and defended the events of Jan. 6 in an upcoming interview

Discussion: Semafor, CBS News, Fox News, @60minutes, CNN, The Guardian, New York Post, The Daily Beast, @chriscuomo, The Hill, Decider, The Daily Dot, @iampoliticsgirl, Variety, @wcruz73, al.com, @stphnfwlr, @sddphoto, @jeffjarvis, @cornellwbrooks, @bradleywhitford, @jbendery, @zaleskiluke, @briankarem, Jezebel, Poynter, @joeneguse, @mattgertz, @alexandrachalup, @marcoafrieri, @ynb, @stevepasquale, @owillis, @akjakalope, WGN-TV, @adamkinzinger, @mollyjongfast, @fawfulfan, @mtgreenee, @briannawu, @zigmanfreud, Forbes, @andrewkimmel, @marston4ca42, @neontaster, @realdeancain, @katiehill4ca, @lindyli, @7veritas4, @elienyc, @vabvox, @kaivanshroff, @sawyerhackett, @anandwrites, @blackamazon, @petestrzok, @david_hemond, @gloriacampos, @professajay, @sifill_, @repriggleman, @victorshi2020, @markjacob16, @bryanbehar, @jemelehill, @thewrap, @davidcorndc, @mehdirhasan and @meidastouch

Stuart Dredge / Music Ally:

Spotify shuts down its Clubhouse-style audio app Spotify Live, previously called Locker Room, acquired as part of its €57M Betty Labs acquisition in March 2021 — Spotify is shutting down its live-audio app Spotify Live, but says it will continue experimenting with live features in its main service.

Discussion: TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, @andysternberg and @pjbrown_iii, more at Techmeme »

Karl Rasmussen / Sports Illustrated:

Nielsen: the NCAA women's basketball tournament semifinals averaged 4.5M viewers on ESPN's platforms, the highest average on record for the Women's Final Four — The Women's Final Four captivated millions across the country on Friday evening, and the viewership numbers back it up.

Discussion: New York Times, Sports Media Watch, @espnpr, Sports Media Watch, Axios, USA Today, @drlindseydarvin, Front Office Sports, ClutchPoints, Barrett Media, The Ringer, @paulsen_smw, @coachcoriclose, @uvahoopsriffs, @codyworsham, @hassel_chris and Awful Announcing

Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:

Cineworld announces a restructuring agreement with lenders, reducing its debt by ~$4.53B, and expects to emerge from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in H1 2023 — The cinema giant hopes to emerge from Chapter 11 proceeding by mid-year, with CEO Mooky Greidinger calling the agreement with lenders …

Discussion: The Wrap, Media Play News, CNN and Variety

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 3:40 PM ET, April 3, 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:

Reuters:
The Financial Times acquires a majority stake in Kansas-based medical news publication Endpoints News, which launched in 2014 and has over 163,000 subscribers

Discussion: Financial Times, Talking Biz News, @markstenberg3, ENDPOINTS NEWS, @armstrongdrew and @armstrongdrew

Associated Press:
The Taliban close Sadai Banowan, Afghanistan's only women-run radio station, for playing music during Ramadan; the station launched in 2013 and has eight staff

Discussion: Fox News, @marielamensch84, @declarationon, @salmma1997, @open_spectrum, @pressfreedom, @behlihyi, @pressfreedom, @news_pug, Newser, Voice of America and Committee to Protect …

Maurice Oniang'o / Reuters Institute:
An interview with Kenyan data journalists Eunice Magwambo, Purity Mukami, and Juliet Atellah on data journalism's impact, training reporters, and key challenges

Discussion: @gijnafrica

Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Sources: NPR has held multiple, tense all-hands meetings in which impacted employees grilled executives about layoffs and the four canceled seasonal podcasts

Discussion: @global_occupant, @andrewtwalk and @noahcrothman

Earlier Picks:

Perry Michael Simon / AllAccess.com:
Senators Klobuchar and Kennedy reintroduce The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act to let news orgs negotiate pay with tech firms like Meta and Google

Tom Hals / Reuters:
The judge in the $1.6B Fox-Dominion case denies Fox's summary judgment motions and partially grants Dominion's motions ahead of the trial scheduled for April 17

Mike Hume / Washington Post:
The Washington Post vows to continue covering gaming after its gaming vertical Launcher, which debuted on October 15, 2019, officially closes on March 31, 2023

Discussion: GamesIndustry.biz, @pithyalyse, @mikehumepost, @mikehumepost, @mikehumepost, @walldo, @rcmacleod, @rcmacleod, @rcmacleod, @genepark, @diegoarguello66, @teddyamen and @launcherwp

New York Times:
After months of keeping some distance, Fox News hosts back Donald Trump, denouncing his indictment as “politically motivated persecution” and a cause for unrest

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

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

The Information:
Sources: OpenAI considered making a browser, discussed deals to power AI features on Samsung devices and search on sites and apps from Condé Nast and others

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