Top News:
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
A quick analysis of The Messenger's content shows an outlet with stories that resemble those from a British tabloid, with bylines apparently overwhelmingly male — The new site from the former owner of The Hill — backed by $50 million — feels like a remnant of an earlier age.
Discussion:
@jbenton, @swodinsky, @aidnmclaughlin, @_cingraham, @stevemullis, @dbernstein, @grahamstarr, @mwatkinstrib, @alexkoppelman, @chrisgeidner, @cwarzel, @niemanlab, @swodinsky, @joshtpm, @gabrieljr, @jayrosen_nyu, @hilella, @katzish, @meghnawbur, @digiphile, @jon_christian, @samjmintz, @ckrewson, @laurahazardowen and @froomkin
RELATED:
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Jimmy Finkelstein debuts his free-to-read digital news outlet The Messenger, which reportedly aims to generate $100M+ in 2024 revenue and hire ~550 journalists
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Poynter, @pkafka, @thestalwart, @allenmcduffee, @motherjones, @motherjones, @johncusack, The Messenger, @thewrap, The Wrap, @maxwelltani, @swodinsky, @jayrosen_nyu, Media Voices, @pkafka, @pkafka, @mikeisaac, @moorehn, @rmac18, @jayrosen_nyu, @scottnover, @pkafka, @seangriffey, @karlbode, @levinejonathan, @jayrosen_nyu, @mschlapp, @tomaxwell, @chris_m_gavin, @danwakeford, @heathat, @_cingraham, @jbenton and @lmoses
Andrew Marchand / New York Post:
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee breaks his four-year $120M FanDuel contract to move his show to ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPN's YouTube channel, set to start in the fall — “The Pat McAfee Show” is moving to ESPN in a multimillion-dollar deal that he is expected to begin in the fall, The Post has learned.
Discussion:
@patmcafeeshow, Front Office Sports, Associated Press, @wadeplem, Barrett Media, The Ringer, @woodyshw, @sportstalkmatt, @chuckpaganonfl, @chrisdokish, @rapsheet, @morningmashup, Awful Announcing, @17formvp, @torreysmithwr, Adweek, @realpacman24, @bostonconnr, Sportico, Sports Illustrated, @nfl_dovkleiman, @philmackey, @michele_tafoya, Daily Mail, @dvebillcrawford, @evanfoxy, The Comeback, @tyschmit, @recedavis, @jeskeets, @nfl_dovkleiman, @kalebnfl, Next TV, Mediaite, Bloomberg, Deadline and The Athletic
Tatiana Siegel / Variety:
Sources: a handful of Fox anchors have reached out to Tucker Carlson to express interest in joining his forthcoming Twitter venture once their contracts are up — On April 26, Carlson spoke by phone with one of Fox Corp.'s eight board members, who told the host that his recent benching …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Insider, @mathewi, @_cingraham, @pbump, @donlew87, @variety, The Hill, @thewrap, @donlew87, @donlew87, @oneunderscore__, Raw Story and The Messenger
Josh Eidelson / Bloomberg:
CNET employees seek to form a union representing ~100 writers, editors, and other content creators with WGA East and ask management for voluntary recognition — CNET journalists are pushing to unionize, seeking a formal say on issues including the use of artificial intelligence at the technology-news company.
Discussion:
The Verge, @niemanlab, @josheidelson, @kevincollier, @mattdpearce, Wired, @scalzi, @raehodge, Engadget, @dsgolson and Talking Biz News
Ross A. Lincoln / The Wrap:
Nielsen: CNN averaged 335K viewers during May 12's primetime, two days after Donald Trump's town hall, behind Newsmax's 357K, MSNBC's 1.1M, and Fox News' 1.4M — CNN pulled on average 335,000 viewers — 18,000 less than Newsmax — CNN might have earned itself a rare primetime ratings win …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Just The News, @msignorile, @rach_ic, @jasoncolavito, The Streamable, @edroso, New York Post, @elisewho, @meidastouch, @chrisplanteshow and Forbes
Sitara Nieves / Poynter:
Q&A with three departing NPR foreign reporters with 35+ years of experience, on being female correspondents, how international reporting has changed, and more — Women correspondents with a combined 114 years of experience depart after recent budget cuts
Discussion:
@poynter, @laurie_garrett, @mpenalozanpr, @poynter and @madhulikasikka
Amy Hawkins / The Guardian:
Over 100 journalists and editors sign a letter calling for Hong Kong to release former Apple Daily publisher Jimmy Lai; he's been blocked from using a UK lawyer — Leading global media figures among signatories backing publisher, hit with wave of ‘lawfare’ including legislation to stop him hiring UK barrister
Discussion:
Telegraph, @kenroth, The Independent, BBC, @rsf_en, @thecfhk and Reporters Without Borders
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: Austin Russell plans to invest $10M in the $656M Forbes acquisition; the rest will come from Sun Group, two businessmen, and investors that GSV finds — Austin Russell, the 28-year-old American CEO of electric vehicle tech company Luminar Technologies, plans to put in only $10 million …
Discussion:
@sarafischer, @rafat, The Information, @michaelgwaltz, @robpegoraro, @simonwdc, Columbia Journalism Review and Press Gazette
Bill Peters / MarketWatch:
Rumble acquires podcasting and livestreaming service Callin; former PayPal COO and Callin's co-founder David Sacks plans to join Rumble's board of directors — 'I strongly support Rumble's unwavering commitment to free speech in the face of growing censorship and government overreach …
Discussion:
Rumble, Inc., @yoda, @amitisinvesting, @silvermanjacob, @davidsacks and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Jeanie Bergen / The Cut:
A TV writer describes her career path, sporadic income, side gigs, and expenses to explain why she is on food stamps now and why the WGA strike is necessary — Sign up here. — I was working as a cater waiter when I sold my first TV show. One evening, while working a party, I ran into someone I knew in college.
Discussion:
@anylaurie16, @saba_h, Collider, @lalasoo and World Socialist Web Site
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Dotdash Meredith debuts D/Cipher, a cookie-less ad tool that lets advertisers target users based on aggregate, anonymized user data collected from its websites — Dotdash Meredith, one of the largest internet publishers in the country, will debut a new ad targeting tool called D/Cipher …
Discussion:
@jaycodon and @dotdashmeredith
Inside Radio:
Memo: the NYSE halts trading in Audacy and tells the company it will begin delisting steps due to low price; Audacy plans to appeal, and shares will trade OTC — Trading of Audacy's stock was abruptly halted shortly after 2pm today on the New York Stock Exchange.
Discussion:
Yahoo Finance, AllAccess.com, Radio & Television … and The Desk
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