Top News:
Katie Strang / The Athletic:
Emmy organizer NATAS says ESPN won 30+ Emmys using fake names in its “College GameDay” entries; ESPN blames “a misguided attempt” and returns the awards — In March 2023, Shelley Smith, who worked 26 years as an on-air reporter for ESPN, received a call from Stephanie Druley …
Michael Hardy / Texas Monthly:
Houston Landing journalists write to the board to reverse CEO Peter Bhatia firing EIC Mizanur Rahman and an investigative reporter; Bhatia cited a “reset” — Seven months after its official debut, a billionaire-funded media start-up just fired its editor and top investigative reporter.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Nieman Lab, @mattdpearce, @jlbuch, @robertdownen_, @brizzyc, @gusbova, @amandabecker, @mkerrhardy, @michaelgreshko, @juliaguilbeau, @jbenton, @brookekushwaha, Poynter and @hou_landing
Charisma Madarang / Rolling Stone:
Dudesy, an AI-driven podcast curated by humans, releases an hour-long comedy special featuring an AI-generated recreation of George Carlin, who died in 2008 — The hour-long special arrived from Dudesy, a podcast run by artificial intelligence … Following the special's release …
Los Angeles Times:
California public radio station KCRW cuts about 16 jobs by offering buyouts and ends its Greater LA podcast, in a bid to reduce a projected $3M budget deficit — Santa Monica public radio station KCRW will part ways with more than a dozen staffers and end the popular podcast “Greater LA.”
Discussion:
@radiochio, Inside Radio, Radio Ink, @bigdanimals, @radiochio, Digital Music News and The Wrap
Moneycontrol:
ByteDance plans to shut down music streaming service Resso in India on January 31, after removing the App Store and Google Play apps in mid-December 2023 — ByteDance said all existing users of Resso in India will be offered a full refund for the remainder of their subscription fees
Discussion:
@tsuvik, Music Ally, TechCrunch and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
Michael Flaherty / Axios:
ValueAct says its investment plan for Disney is centered on the company's parks being high-return assets and the expectation that the streaming wars are ending — ValueAct's investment plan for Disney is centered on strong cash flows from its parks and consumer products …
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
Netflix removes an Indian film depicting a Hindu character eating meat after backlash from Hindu groups; producer Zee apologizes and plans to edit the film — Tamil-language film “Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food,” headlined by “Jawan” actor Nayanthara, has been pulled from Netflix …
Discussion:
Semafor, Reuters, India Today and @gauravsabnis, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Amazon Prime Video's move to make the ad tier its default could unravel how advertisers deal with TV broadcasters and scare off rivals with its massive scale — On Jan. 29, Prime Video will make its ad tier the default for its tens of millions of subscribers, a move that could unravel …
Discussion:
Adweek, Media Play News, @willleitch, @thr, John A. Gomez on LinkedIn, Observer and MediaPost
Valerie Complex / Deadline:
Brat TV, a Gen Z studio that distributes on YouTube, Tubi, Roku, and other platforms, acquires Crypt TV, a studio that produces horror films and TV — EXCLUSIVE: Brat TV, the Gen Z studio behind digital series like Chicken Girls, has acquired Crypt TV, a similar company in the horror space.
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Slate acquires the Death, Sex & Money podcast from New York public radio station WNYC; the terms of the deal weren't disclosed — The former WNYC-produced show will offer new episodes this year — Slate, the online magazine and podcast publisher owned by Graham Holdings Co. …
Discussion:
@alexjrlewis, @ashleyrcarman, @katie_rayford, @megganje and Slate
Allison Quinn / The Daily Beast:
Russia hit a Kharkiv hotel known to house foreign journalists and injured two reporters on January 10, part of a pattern of targeting reporter gathering spots — A Turkish reporter covering the Kremlin's indiscriminate assaults on Ukraine and an elderly woman were among those injured.
Discussion:
Committee to Protect …
Glossy:
Digiday Media appoints COO David Amrani as its new CEO, replacing Nick Friese, who has served has CEO since the company's founding in 2008 — Digiday Media, the global media company behind Digiday, Glossy, Modern Retail and Worklife, today announced the appointment of its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Discussion:
Talking Biz News and Digiday
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