Top News:
Lorraine Mirabella / Baltimore Sun:
David Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair, acquires Baltimore Sun Media from Alden, which bought the outlet in May 2021; Sinclair wasn't involved in the deal — The Baltimore Sun, the largest newspaper in Maryland, has been acquired in a private deal by David D. Smith …
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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
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OpenAI:
OpenAI shares its plans ahead of 2024 elections, including image provenance tools and not letting users make tools for impersonation or political campaigning — We're working to prevent abuse, provide transparency on AI-generated content, and improve access to accurate voting information. — Authors
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:
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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 …
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
Chloe Mac Donnell / The Guardian:
A look at the surge of fashion content on Substack, as veteran fashion editors, stylists, and other newsletter writers give shopping recommendations — We used to look to magazines, store assistants and bloggers to help us decide what to buy. Now the publishing site has become the go-to spot for style advice
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:
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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:
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Damilare Dosunmu / Rest of World:
How Spotify's on-the-ground work in Nigeria, like hiring local staff, contributed to the success of Afrobeats, which grew 550% on Spotify between 2017 and 2022 — The Swedish music giant is pushing to make Africa's biggest sound the world's favorite sound. — • LAGOS, NIGERIA
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, @pogue and Breakfast At Ralf's, more at Techmeme »
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 »