Mediagazer: Over 600 local broadcast stations form a coalition to urge the FCC to close a loophole that lets live TV streamers bypass distribution negotiations with them (Axios)

Politico names co-founder John Harris as its top editor, overseeing US and European newsrooms; Matt Kaminski shifts to editor at large at the end of August 2023 — Mr. Harris, who helped found the media outlet in 2007, will succeed Matt Kaminski as the publication's editor in the United States …

Discussion: Poynter, Washington Post, @bdayspring, @maxwelltani, @cmarinucci, @katie_robertson, @maggienyt, @kenvogel, @djtweets, @washingtonpost, The Wrap, Talking Biz News and Deadline

Axios:

Over 600 local broadcast stations form a coalition to urge the FCC to close a loophole that lets live TV streamers bypass distribution negotiations with them — Hundreds of local broadcast stations have come together to create a new advocacy coalition that will urge the Federal Communications Commission …

Discussion: The Streamable and The Coalition for Local News

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

A pro-Ron DeSantis super PAC used an AI version of Trump's voice, which appears to be narrating Trump's Truth Social post, in a statewide TV attack ad in Iowa — The spot illustrates the new frontiers in political advertising. — A pro-Ron DeSantis super PAC uses an Artificial Intelligence version …

Discussion: The Wrap, Gizmodo, The Hill, Fox Business, CBS News, @mikehahn_, @robseamans, @gsterling, @mattortega, @alexthomp, @saletan, @yolo304741, @timcast, Bloomberg, NPR, Fox News and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »

Carl Franzen / VentureBeat:

OpenAI partners with the American Journalism Project to access content to train its AI model in exchange for $5M in funding and $5M in developer credits — OpenAI isn't done making waves in the media industry — far from it. — The Sam Altman-led private company behind ChatGPT …

Discussion: Axios

Naman Ramachandran / Variety:

TNT Sports goes live in the UK and Ireland as a BT Sport rebrand, and will present BT's premium live sports plus other events, including the 2024 Olympic Games — TNT Sports went live on Tuesday across the U.K. and Ireland, replacing BT Sport. … TNT Sports is already used as WBD's sports brand in Latin America and the U.S.

Discussion: The Guardian, Deadline, The Athletic, The Hollywood Reporter, Broadband TV News and The Desk

Peter Kafka / Vox:

G/O Media executives say they will publish more AI-generated stories, despite blowback from employees and media circles for their first attempts — Why G/O Media thinks we should have more stories written by bots. — In early July, managers at G/O media, the digital publisher that owns sites …

Mark Di Stefano / Australian Financial Review:

Internal data for Australia's ABC reveals that 80%+ of the public broadcaster's viewers for its 7pm news program are over 55 and less than 8% are under 40 — Key Points — Why it matters: Younger viewers are no longer tuning into flagship ABC programs

Discussion: @markdistef and @markdistef

Chris Murphy / Vanity Fair:

SAG-AFTRA's strike FAQ: influencers can pursue commercial work, but cannot promote studios' or streamers' content, including on social media or at conventions — SAG-AFTRA has laid out specific do's and don'ts for the new class of entertainers, from pursuing commercial work to participating in ComicCon.

Discussion: The Wrap, Insider, NBC News, Gizmodo, Variety, Deadline and Tubefilter

Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:

How Detroit-based local TV broadcaster Graham Media Group plans to use a GPT 3.5 bot that asks positive questions to spark productive comments for news articles — Graham Media Group developed the idea for a “first dibs” comment bot through NYC Media Lab's AI & Local News Challenge.

Discussion: Engadget, @nbj914, @niemanlab, @coreyhutchins and @rji

Jesse Whittock / Deadline:

German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 plans to cut 400 roles, or ~10% of staff, mostly in its entertainment business, as it prepares for a “digital transformation” — Germany's ProSiebenSat.1 is cutting around 400 roles, as it continues to reshape its business into a digital-first operation.

Discussion: Variety, Reuters, Broadband TV News and Reuters

Bryan Alexander / USA Today:

An interview with Jesse Watters about how his controversial comments are “brutally honest”, Tucker Carlson's firing, and more, as he moves to Carlson's 8pm slot — “Jesse Watters Primetime” will finally live up to its name. — The Fox News host won the conservative commentator golden ticket …

Discussion: The Guardian, Variety, Deadline, Rolling Stone, @jessebwatters, @davidfolkenflik, The Wrap, @decodingfoxnews, @abughazalehkat, Media Matters for America, Mediaite, The Daily Beast and NPR

Hayden Vernon / The Guardian:

Report: the BBC faces a UK government review of its funding model; potential alternatives to the license fee include a subscription, a broadband levy, and ads — Alternatives reportedly being considered include a premium subscription model and a broadband levy

Discussion: GB News, Broadband TV News, @gbnews, @kelvmackenzie, The Times, The Times and Irish Examiner

Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:

Peacock raises its Premium price by $1 to $5.99/month and Premium Plus by $2 to $11.99/month, at once for new customers and on August 17 for current subscribers — Peacock is delivering bad news to its subscribers tonight. Beginning at 12 a.m. EDT, the streamer is notifying existing customers …

Byline Times:

Investigation: GB News' Dan Wootton used fake online identities from 2008 to 2018 to bribe media executives and others into sharing compromising sexual material — Receive our Behind the Headlines email and we'll post a free copy of Byline Times — GB News presenter and MailOnline columnist …

Discussion: @rubytrubes, @adambienkov, @stevenjcbuckley, @imshanereaction, @imshanereaction and @adambienkov