Top News:
Lorraine Mirabella / Baltimore Sun:
David Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair, acquires Baltimore Sun Media from Alden, which bought it in May 2021; Sinclair wasn't involved in the transaction — The Baltimore Sun, the largest newspaper in Maryland, has been acquired in a private deal by David D. Smith …
Discussion:
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Sam Jones / Financial Times:
Memo: BI CEO Barbara Peng says an internal review found reporting on plagiarism in Neri Oxman's MIT thesis to be rigorous and fair; Axel Springer stands by BI — Owner Axel Springer says it ‘stands by’ publication amid dispute with academic and her husband Bill Ackman
Discussion:
Business Insider, @billackman, Wall Street Journal, @bgrueskin, Associated Press, @carnage4life, New York Post, @karaswisher, Mediaite, Fox Business, @maxwelltani, @nerioxman, @billackman, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac, @michaelpleahy, @aaschapiro, @mehdirhasan, @ijbailey, @asharma, @disabilitystor1, @bondhack, @disabilitystor1, @keitholbermann, @nichcarlson, @epicureandeal, @1991wolfpack, @benjamin_goggin_@threads.net, @karaswisher@threads.net, @karaswisher@threads.net, The Wrap, @daveleebbg@threads.net, @originalspin@threads.net, @lorakolodny@threads.net, CNN, Talking Biz News, The Daily Beast and Bloomberg
Max Tani / Semafor:
Apple's September 2023 change to how its Podcasts app automatically downloads episodes dramatically cut the download numbers for some of the biggest podcasts — The News — Apple has quietly tightened its reporting of how many people listen to podcasts, sending shock waves through …
Discussion:
@ewerickson, @semafor, @missmollymary, @michaelbkelley, @akwyz, @semafor, Podnews, @quantum49er, @baldur@toot.cafe, @mikebrice, @kevinrothrock@infosec …, @johnkoetsier, @unbranded63, @clive@saturation.social, @js@podcastindex.social, Cam Wilson on LinkedIn and Hacker News, more at Techmeme »
Clare Malone / New Yorker:
How Clarissa Ward, the first Western reporter to enter Gaza without an IDF escort since October 7, highlights Arab suffering as she faces pro-Israel bias claims — Clarissa Ward, the first Western reporter to enter Gaza without an I.D.F. escort since October 7th, has faced accusations …
Discussion:
@lconecnn
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Anchors and network correspondents talk about covering the unconventional and an unusual Iowa GOP primary, the differences from 2016, media mistrust, and more — The Iowa caucus on Monday will be like no other — and that was apparent from the start, well before subzero weather raised doubts …
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, Washington Post, Slate, The Atlantic, New York Post, New York Times, @edokeefe, Mediaite, CBS News, @bencjacobs, @sopandeb, Associated Press, @nbcnewspr, Politico, New York Times, @noahshachtman@threads.net, Semafor, @grynbaum, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New Yorker, Variety, NPR, Deseret News and Fast Company
Loni Prinsloo / Bloomberg:
Showmax, available in 50 African countries, relaunches, appoints Andrea Zappia as chair, and partners with Comcast, aiming to generate $1B revenue in five years — - Showmax re-launched its service on Monday to grow audiences — Service is targeting $1 billion in revenues in five years
Discussion:
@ganiuoloruntade, Financial Times, The Guardian Nigeria, @id_africa, @godwinmungwadzi, @bellesapepper37, Technext, @moseskemibaro, Tech Labari, MyBroadband, TechCabal, techeconomy.ng, TechCabal, Techpoint Africa, @philmphela, Reuters, Tech In Africa, @temiszn, Nairametrics and @iatalkspace
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Despite nine years of music industry growth thanks to streaming, companies like Spotify and UMG are tightening payouts or laying off employees — After years of a streaming boom, record labels are searching for their next big win. — Last year was brutal for the media business …
Discussion:
Lucas Shaw on LinkedIn, @lucas_shaw, CMU, Digital Music News and Music Ally, more at Techmeme »
David Segal / New York Times:
A look at music streaming fraud, including bot farms and pirates relabeling musicians' work to steal revenue; Beatdapp estimates fraud costs musicians $2B/year — Bad Dog, a group from D.C., was forced to take a crash course in streaming fraud, a shadowy realm that costs musicians $2 billion a year.
Discussion:
@zernerlaw, @soupsranjan, @surrealist888, @klonick, @orinkerr and @pogue, more at Techmeme »
Laura Wagner / Washington Post:
A look at issues at The Messenger, including its reliance on a high-volume publishing strategy, as the outlet lays off staff and struggles to stay afloat — Jimmy Finkelstein had big dreams and a $50 million investment. Eight months after the Messenger's launch, it is laying off staff and struggling to stay afloat.
Discussion:
@ron_fournier, @amyargetsinger, @titivil, @mszafranski413, @rhondaneu, @jeffjarvis and @adammcginnis
Ananya Bhattacharya / Quartz:
Luminate: Hindi songs' share of the top 10K global tracks grew from 6.1% in 2022 to 7.8% in 2023; English fell from 62.1% to 54.9%, Spanish from 11.8% to 10.1% — Bollywood music and indie musicians — hip-hop artists especially — are fueling the Hindi music streaming phenomena
Discussion:
Luminate, Fast Company, @chartdata and Billboard
Calum Jaspan / Sydney Morning Herald:
Nine names Tory Maguire, the current executive editor of SMH and The Age, as its Managing Director of Publishing, after James Chessell resigned in December — Tory Maguire has been appointed managing director of Nine's publishing division, which houses mastheads The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review.
Discussion:
Mumbrella
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
The Irish Sun appoints Deputy Editor Fiona Wynne as editor, replacing Kieran McDaid, meaning all three national editions of The Sun are now led by women — The appointment means each national edition of The Sun is edited by a woman. — Irish Sun deputy editor Fiona Wynne will replace Kieran McDaid …
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Mirror Editor-in-Chief Alison Phillips plans to step down at the end of January after almost four years, succeeded by Reach Magazines EIC Caroline Waterston — Mirror editor-in-chief Alison Phillips will step down at the end of January after almost six years leading the brand.
Discussion:
Media Voices, The Guardian, @samcarlisle, @aaronbastani and MediaPost
Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter:
WBD's HBO and Max won 31 awards at the 75th Emmy Awards, while Netflix won 22, FX 16, Apple TV+ 10, Disney+ nine, Amazon Prime Video six, and NBC five — This year, the conglomerate did not designate if a show was made for HBO proper or its streamer, Max, instead grouping its nominations under …
Discussion:
Billboard, The Guardian, Bloomberg, The Wrap, GoldDerby, The Ringer and The Playlist
OpenAI:
OpenAI shares its plans ahead of 2024 elections, including image provenance tools, not letting users make tools for impersonation or political campaigning, more — We're working to prevent abuse, provide transparency on AI-generated content, and improve access to accurate voting information.
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