Top News:
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, Media Nation, 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 …
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 …
Discussion:
Variety, @jasonkirk_fyi, @sarge__msu and @jemelehill
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:
TechCrunch, Music Ally and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
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.
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, @bigdanimals, @radiochio, Digital Music News and The Wrap
Deadline:
Memo: Amazon Studios Head Jennifer Salke says recent layoffs were part of its plan to consolidate the Amazon Studios and MGM theatrical distribution teams — EXCLUSIVE: Earlier this morning, Amazon revealed that it was laying off several hundred employees across Prime Video and Amazon Studios as part of a review of its business.
Discussion:
The Wrap
RELATED:
The Verge:
Twitch CEO Dan Clancy confirms plans to cut 500+ jobs, or ~35% of its staff, and says its workforce was oversized for its business' size, after March 2023 cuts
Discussion:
Twitch, WHDH 7News, GeekWire, Associated Press, @tomwarren, The Hill, Observer, Next TV, Decrypt, Tubefilter, Game Rant, New York Daily News, @carterfornow, @dannyodwyer, @lucas_shaw, @zacharydiaz, @carnage4life, @richlightshed, @tunguz, Justin Gerrard on LinkedIn, CNN, Deadline, Dan Rayburn on LinkedIn, Metro, @ianbetteridge@writing …, Gizmodo, The Wrap, Adweek, Digital Music News, MediaPost, gamedeveloper, Music Ally, GamesIndustry.biz, Engadget, Spencer Soper on LinkedIn, TechCrunch, The Information, GamesHub, Cord Cutters News, Shacknews, Jalyssa Eliasen on LinkedIn and Bloomberg
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Memo: Amazon Studios SVP Mike Hopkins says the company would cut “several hundred roles” in its Prime Video and MGM Studios units; both had cuts in early 2023
Discussion:
Variety, Broadband TV News, @tim_bays, @davidclinchnews, The Desk, @lmoses, Mumbrella, @jessicalessin, @lucas_shaw, @carnage4life@threads.net, The Information, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Engadget, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, TechCrunch, Media Play News, IndieWire, The Information, MediaPost, Cord Cutters News and Bloomberg
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, @willleitch, @thr, John A. Gomez on LinkedIn, Observer and MediaPost
Lynette Rice / Deadline:
Sources: Hallmark Media lays off CMO Lara Richardson, Chief People Officer Pamela Wolfe, EVP Research Strategy Robin Thomas, and Head of Distribution Judi Lopez — Senior TV Writer/TV Editor, Awards — EXCLUSIVE: It's Hallmark Media's turn now: Deadline has learned that the premier home …
Discussion:
The Wrap, more at Techmeme »
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:
Digiday
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:
Reuters and @gauravsabnis, more at Techmeme »
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 …
Andre Gee / Rolling Stone:
Mixtape platform DatPiff uploads its 50TB cache of 366,420 mixtapes and free albums to the Internet Archive, after experiencing a server crash in March 2023 — DatPiff uploaded its extensive free mixtape catalog to the Internet Archive to protect it for the foreseeable future
Discussion:
Mixmag
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