Mediagazer: How local US government officials increasingly retaliate over unfavorable coverage by revoking hometown newspapers' lucrative contracts to print public notices (Emily Flitter/New York Times)

12:35 PM ET, June 20, 2023

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Emily Flitter / New York Times:

How local US government officials increasingly retaliate over unfavorable coverage by revoking hometown newspapers' lucrative contracts to print public notices — When coverage upsets them, towns and counties are revoking newspapers' lucrative contracts to print public notices. — Reporting from Delhi, N.Y.

Discussion: @janebsinger, @emoltzen, @flasqueeze, @dankennedy_nu, @jeremymatlowtlh, @jisraelbalderas, @jayrosen_nyu, @tbridis, @karynregal, @kdkleman, The Rural Blog, @aarongell, @scottbrodbeck, @jrcflatheadmemo, @joelmmathis and @rkarpel

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Ben Smith / Semafor:

Internal presentation: ~70% of the Los Angeles Times' $232.5M projected 2023 revenue is coming from print, which executives used to explain plans to cut 70 jobs — Progressive media activists, rattled by the collapse of a generation of youth-oriented digital news outlets like Vice and BuzzFeed News …

Discussion: Semafor, @maxwelltani, @stufalk, @tvmojoe, @jamesoliphant, @beachwoodreport, @stufalk, @phil_rosenthal and @jeffjarvis

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:

Black-owned media investor Group Black strikes a deal with NBCU to sell ads in Peacock shows popular among Black audiences, keeping the majority of the revenue — Some marketers have sought ways to invest more advertising dollars in Black-owned media — Comcast's NBCUniversal said Group Black …

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Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:

Source: Spotify plans a more expensive “Supremium” tier with HiFi audio, audiobooks, and more, launching outside the US later in 2023; Premium costs $9.99/month — Spotify Technology SA is planning a more expensive subscription option that's expected to include high-fidelity audio …

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Thomas Germain / Gizmodo:

Some publishers say they have seen a sharp drop in Facebook traffic since May 2023; Echobox: the share of traffic to publisher sites from Facebook fell ~50% YoY — With no communication from the company, publishers relying on Facebook traffic are at the mercy of the inscrutable algorithm, and they say it's punishing them.

Discussion: @timkarr, @saptarshinath, @coswise, @mattnavarra and @thomasgermain

Ben Smith / Semafor:

The organizers of Cannes Lions, the ad industry's top awards, tell juries to steer clear of politics and advocacy in favor of more commercially-minded campaigns — The Scoop — The organizers of the advertising industry's top awards ceremony have quietly instructed juries to steer clear …

Discussion: Ad Age and @semaforben

Alexandra Sternlicht / Fortune:

A look at Kick, a live streaming service launched in March 2023 with lax moderation and gambling company ties, that lets creators keep 95% of subscriber revenue — Video game streamer Tyler Blevins, known as “Ninja” — Video game streamers, who display their prowess in real time playing …

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Sabrina Ortiz / ZDNet:

Vimeo announces AI tools, coming on July 17, to automate parts of the video creation process: a script generator, a teleprompter, and a text-based video editor — Have you ever had a great video idea that you just never got to because of how much work was involved?

Discussion: Gizmodo, @glenngabe, @anjsud, The Verge, Vimeo.com, Inc., @anjsud and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:

Spotify rolls out an update to its desktop app, adding redesigned “Your Library” and “Now Playing” UIs, similar to the mobile app — Spotify is updating its desktop experience with redesigned “Your Library” and “Now Playing” interfaces, the company announced on Tuesday.

Discussion: Spotify and 9to5Mac

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Allison Braden / Charlotte Magazine:
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