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NPR affiliate WAMU is shutting down local news site Dcist and laying off 15 employees to focus on audio and plans to add 10 new positions — - “We're making the choice to invest in what we're better at than anyone else in this town, and that's audio,” Pulley-Hayes said.
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Vice leadership failed to act as responsible stewards of a good product, and instead paid themselves lavish salaries and burned through hundreds of millions — Vice was a good website. On Thursday it was killed by its private equity owners, in a characteristically cruel and sudden maneuver …
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@jeremymbarr, @davidclinchnews, @ninastarner, @mjgault, @quillmatiq@threads.net, @sarahscire, Gail J. Cohen on LinkedIn, @defectormedia, @KarlBode@masto.ai, @tvgrimreaper, WWD, 404 Media, @sharonwaxman, MobileSyrup, @adamjkovac, @nick_kapur, Ian Greenleigh on LinkedIn, @nina_metz, @juliaccarpenter, @jswatz.bsky.social and Deadline
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Internal memo: Vice Media “will no longer publish content on vice.com” and may partner with established media companies to distribute its content
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Internal memo: Vice Media executives plan to lay off hundreds of its 900+ employees over the next week, and the company is in advanced talks to sell Refinery29
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WBD reports Q4 revenue down 7% YoY to $10.3B, adjusted EBITDA down 5% YoY to $2.5B, 97.7M global streaming subscribers, and a $103M streaming profit for 2023 — The owner of the TNT and TBS cable networks,. the Warner Bros. studio and the Max streaming service reported a loss of $400 million …
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The Wrap, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, CNBC, The Desk, @jbflint, The Wrap, @lmoses, @lucas_shaw, @royprice, The Streamable, @richlightshed, @jbflint, @picklemaddierix and Warner Bros. Discovery
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Cord Cutters News lays off EIC Roger Cheng, who joined in July 2023, and two staff writers, as the outlet plans to focus more heavily on its YouTube channels — The publication favored by streamers will publish guides and focus on the production of YouTube videos moving forward.
Discussion:
@shelbybrown91, @cordcuttersnews, @rogerwcheng and Cord Cutters News


UK police will take no further action against suspended GB News host Dan Wootton, who was accused of using fake identities to bribe men for explicit material — Police have said they will take no further action against GB News presenter Dan Wootton. — The New Zealand-born broadcaster …
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Mediaite, Telegraph, Daily Express, Press Gazette, The Independent, Guido Fawkes, The Guardian, Deadline and Byline Times


In response to a query for news stories about Putin's comments on Navalny's death, Microsoft's AI-assisted search Copilot invented Putin quotes — Microsoft really wants you to use its new Copilot AI-assisted search. Not only was the service featured in an expensive Super Bowl spot …
Discussion:
@ranimolla, @nothingsmonstrd.bsky.social and @joshuatopolsky@mastodon …


Paste co-founder and EIC Josh Jackson, whose company bought Jezebel in November 2023, says that overly broad brand safety efforts are hurting journalism — Josh Jackson was shocked when he found out what term, if used in the music publication he co-founded, could automatically strip an article of ad revenue.


A journalist tells how Jimmy Finkelstein wooed her to The Messenger, reassured staff two months before closure, and left her without a promised severance — I have yet to receive a promised severance following the media start-up's abrupt collapse, which left hundreds of us without jobs.
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@carrasquillo, @jonallendc, @mkady, @benmullin and @amieparnes


Bill Ackman hires a law firm, which demands “immediate retractions and corrections” from Business Insider in a “final attempt to avoid litigation” — - Law firm issues demand letter on behalf of Ackman's wife — News outlet published stories saying wife committed plagiarism
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@billackman, @maxwelltani, @aidnmclaughlin, New York Post, @dylanbyers, The Wrap, Talking Biz News and Observer


A look at Matthew Belloni's What I'm Hearing newsletter, which covers the structures of Hollywood's business and has become a must-read among the power elite — How Matthew Belloni became the must-read columnist for Hollywood's executive class. — The Hollywood journalist Matthew Belloni …


An interview with studio owner Tyler Perry, who says he's putting an $800M studio expansion in Atlanta on hold after seeing the capabilities of OpenAI's Sora — The actor, filmmaker and studio owner is raising the alarm about the impact of the tech, saying, “I feel like everybody in the industry …
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Sources: Vogue China EIC Margaret Zhang plans to leave Condé Nast when her contract expires at the end of March 2024 — Rising star Margaret Zhang targeted by ‘toxic’ online campaign for ‘not being Chinese enough’ — The editor in chief of Vogue China, Margaret Zhang …
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Jing Daily, Fashionista, Business of Fashion and WWD


Reddit files to list its IPO on the NYSE, reporting revenue up 20% YoY to $804M in 2023, net loss down 43% YoY to $90.8M, 73M DAUs, and a $3.42 global ARPU — - Reddit on Thursday filed to go public. — Its market debut will mark the first major tech initial public offering of the year …
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S-1: the Newhouse family's Advance owns 30.1% of Reddit, Tencent owns 11%, and Sam Altman owns 8.7%; post-IPO, the Newhouse family will hold two board seats
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Business Today, Fast Company, WinBuzzer, CNBC, Business Insider, The Information, @kevinrns@mstdn.social and Bloomberg