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 and 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. — command-f, c, a, r, r, o, l, l.
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
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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, @thestalwart, @motherjones, @motherjones, @johncusack, @allenmcduffee, @pkafka, @thewrap, @maxwelltani, @swodinsky, @jayrosen_nyu, The Wrap, @pkafka, @mikeisaac, @moorehn, @pkafka, @rmac18, Media Voices, @jayrosen_nyu, @scottnover, @pkafka, @seangriffey, @karlbode, @levinejonathan, @jayrosen_nyu, @mschlapp, @tomaxwell, The Messenger, @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, Awful Announcing, The Ringer, Front Office Sports, al.com, Poynter, @nfl_dovkleiman, @woodyshw, @sportstalkmatt, @chuckpaganonfl, @chrisdokish, @rapsheet, @morningmashup, @17formvp, @torreysmithwr, @realpacman24, @bostonconnr, @wadeplem, Barrett Media, @nfl_dovkleiman, @philmackey, @michele_tafoya, @dvebillcrawford, @evanfoxy, The Comeback, @tyschmit, @recedavis, Associated Press, @jeskeets, @kalebnfl, Sportico, Adweek, Next TV, Sports Illustrated, Daily Mail, Awful Announcing, Mediaite, Bloomberg, Deadline and The Athletic
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
BBC News announces BBC Verify to “pull back the curtain” and offer “radical transparency” on its journalists' work, with a team of 60 from OSINT and elsewhere — BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness said BBC Verify would “pull back the curtain”.
Discussion:
@pressgazette
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, @josheidelson, @kevincollier, @mattdpearce, @niemanlab, @scalzi, @raehodge, @dsgolson, Wired, Engadget and Talking Biz News
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:
Columbia Journalism Review, New York Times, @_cingraham, @pbump, @donlew87, @thewrap, @donlew87, @donlew87, @oneunderscore__, @mathewi, @variety, The Wrap, Insider, The Hill, Raw Story and The Messenger
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:
Talking Biz News, @sarafischer, @rafat, @michaelgwaltz, @robpegoraro, @simonwdc, The Information and Columbia Journalism Review
Wall Street Journal:
Antenna: Netflix's $6.99 ad tier had 937,616 US subscribers in March, out of ~55M total, and Disney+'s ad tier, launched a few weeks after Netflix, had 863,791 — Streaming leader had fewer than one million U.S. subscribers on its ad-supported plan as of March
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair:
The NYT launches New York Times Audio on iOS after ~1.5 years in private beta, with short-form stories, a daily news show called The Headlines, and more — While the rest of the audio industry craters, the Gray Lady debuts a one-stop app for subscribers, with new short-form stories and an even shorter daily morning podcast.
Discussion:
Adweek, The New York Times Company, @nytimespr, @sarthakgh, @pkafka and @vanityfair
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
A New York appeals court reinstates parts of a sexual assault lawsuit against former ABC News executive Michael Corn; a lower court dismissed the suit in 2022 — Michael Corn, who left ABC News in 2021, has denied the allegations — A New York appeals court reinstated parts …
Discussion:
@jbflint
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
In an email, the WGA negotiating committee says its proposals would cost an estimated $429M per year, including $75M to Disney, $68M to Netflix, and $47M to WBD — The Writers Guild of America argued Tuesday that the strike will end up costing studios more if it goes on for “weeks and months” …
Discussion:
@gabrielsherman, Collider, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline
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:
Inside Radio, @yoda, @amitisinvesting, @silvermanjacob, @davidsacks, The Verge and Rumble, Inc., 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:
Bloomberg, @anylaurie16, @saba_h, @lalasoo and World Socialist Web Site
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