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, @aidnmclaughlin, @_cingraham, @stevemullis, @dbernstein, @grahamstarr, @mwatkinstrib, @alexkoppelman, @chrisgeidner, @cwarzel, @niemanlab, @swodinsky, @joshtpm, @swodinsky, @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, @pkafka, The Messenger, @thestalwart, @allenmcduffee, @motherjones, @motherjones, @johncusack, @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, 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, @josheidelson, @kevincollier, @mattdpearce, Wired, @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, New York Post, @jasoncolavito, The Streamable, @edroso, @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
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
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:
Collider and World Socialist Web Site
New York Times:
2023's Tony Awards, a key Broadway marketing opportunity, will proceed as scheduled, in an altered form, after the WGA said the union won't picket the ceremony — The Tony Awards, a key marketing opportunity for Broadway, can go ahead in an altered form after the striking screenwriters' union …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
A history of Vice Media, which raised $1.6B+, was valued at $5.7B at its peak in 2017, and owns a slew of assets, including Refinery29, Virtue, and Vice Studios — Vice Media Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy early Monday morning, marking the end of a long, strenuous effort to sell itself after its business stopped growing.
Discussion:
@sophiasgaler, Talking Biz News, @domdelport, TechCrunch, @frankwords, @toluogunlesi, @jayrosen_nyu, B&T, VICE, The Information, PRWeek, Press Gazette, New York Times and Reuters
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Erik Hayden / The Hollywood Reporter:
Vice's bankruptcy filing estimates 5,000+ creditors, including CNN Productions with a $3.8M claim, HBO with a $1.8M claim, and A&E Networks with a $938K claim
Discussion:
Washington Post, @tomaxwell, Bloomberg, Sydney Morning Herald, FTVLive, The Wrap, NPR, Insider, Gizmodo, The Week, Observer, The Desk, New York Magazine, Awful Announcing, MediaPost, The Information, Fast Company, Broadband TV News, Crain's New York Business, CNBC and Wall Street Journal
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