Top News:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
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.
Discussion:
Washington Post, @wemakewamu, Armando Trull on LinkedIn, @tamarakeithnpr, @eleanornorton, @jasonshevrin, @jfkucinich, @emma_a_whitford, @wesleylowery, @nicdawes, @maustermuhle, @coop_rebecca, @emmasarappo, @jwhitepubradio, @maustermuhle, @wemakewamu, @robertwhite_dc, @elaheizadi, @floorcharts, @digiphile, @digiphile, @maustermuhle, @jbenton, @ckrewson, @jeffjarvis@threads.net, Inside Radio, The Hill, @abeaujon@threads.net, Current, Benjamin Freed on LinkedIn, Andi McDaniel on LinkedIn, Sara Fischer on LinkedIn, @elaheizadi, @jenhoward.bsky.social and The Wrap
Chris Thompson / Defector:
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 …
Discussion:
@ninastarner, @mjgault, @sarahscire, @defectormedia, @tvgrimreaper, @sharonwaxman, @adamjkovac, @jeremymbarr, @nick_kapur, @nina_metz, @davidclinchnews, @juliaccarpenter, Slate, MobileSyrup, @quillmatiq@threads.net, Gail J. Cohen on LinkedIn, Ian Greenleigh on LinkedIn, 404 Media, @KarlBode@masto.ai, WWD, @jswatz.bsky.social and Deadline
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Wall Street Journal:
Internal memo: Vice Media “will no longer publish content on vice.com” and may partner with established media companies to distribute its content
Discussion:
One Man & His Blog, @janusrose, @broderick, @felixsalmon, Slate, Kevin Mercuri on LinkedIn, Nicholas Yanes on LinkedIn, CNN, @maxwelltani@threads.net, Nieman Lab, Dylan Harari on LinkedIn, @maxwelltani, @neuwaves, @annamerlan, TVNewsCheck, @tati_wm, @scottnover, @elaheizadi, @ameliargh, @lorenzofb, @bcmerchant, @katiedrumm, @katiedrumm, @bcmerchant, @motherboard, Press Gazette, OrissaPOST, @benmullin, @maxwelltani, @timmarchman, @rumpfshaker, @theloniusly, @leximcmenamin, Variety, Awful Announcing, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, @stefthepef@mastodon.social, Deadline, Bloomberg, @karlbode.bsky.social, Talking Biz News, @BenjaminHCCarr@hachyderm.io and Mediaite
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
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
Discussion:
NPR, @megreenwell, @jason_koebler, @scottnover, @adamm0rgan, @karenkho, Deadline, @lmatsakis, CBS News, @chronotope, The Verge, CNN, CMU, Raw Story, @misstessowen, @daithaigilbert, @maxwellstrachan, Newser, Media Voices, UPI, Washington Post, hellgatenyc, Sydney Morning Herald, Rachel White on LinkedIn, HuffPost, Advanced Television, The Desk, @emilybellnyc@threads.net, @soupsoup@threads.net, @dkiesow@threads.net, @emilybellnyc@threads.net, New York Daily News, The Hill, The Information, @blogdiva@mastodon.social, The Wrap, @skullwizard.bsky.social, MediaPost and Hollywood Reporter
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
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 …
Discussion:
Forbes, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, CNBC, The Desk, @lucas_shaw, @royprice, @picklemaddierix, @jbflint, @richlightshed, @jbflint, @lmoses, The Wrap, The Streamable and Warner Bros. Discovery
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Amie Parnes / Vanity Fair:
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.
Discussion:
@carrasquillo, @jonallendc, @mkady, @benmullin and @amieparnes
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Three years after Spotify's original announcement that it would launch a higher-quality audio subscription, the company has yet to roll out the feature — I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this again. Last year, it seemed like there was no reason to believe Spotify would ever roll …
Steven McIntosh / BBC:
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 …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Telegraph, Daily Express, Press Gazette, The Independent, The Guardian, Deadline and Byline Times
Matthew Keys / The Desk:
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:
Cord Cutters News, @shelbybrown91, @rogerwcheng and @cordcuttersnews
Rani Molla / Sherwood Media:
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 …
Check My Ads Institute:
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.
Bloomberg:
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
Discussion:
@billackman, @maxwelltani, @aidnmclaughlin, @dylanbyers, The Wrap, New York Post, Talking Biz News and Observer
Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
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 …
Discussion:
Variety, Nathan Bazley on LinkedIn, Caroline Giegerich on LinkedIn, Arturo Bermúdez on LinkedIn, George Maestri on LinkedIn, Duane Than on LinkedIn, Paul O'Brien on LinkedIn, Phillip Covell on LinkedIn, Tambay Obenson on LinkedIn, Eric Wagliardo on LinkedIn, Conrad Curtis on LinkedIn, Colin McAuliffe on LinkedIn, Ars Technica, TMZ.com, Peter Csathy on LinkedIn, Aaron Wilkerson on LinkedIn, The Ankler, Vibe, @jonbjohns.bsky.social, IndieWire, Advanced Television, @katiekilkenny7, @discussingfilm, @thr, @saverio825, The Guardian, The A.V. Club, @jessefuchs.bsky.social, @scumbelievable.bsky.social, @oldmatecans.bsky.social, @cousins.bsky.social, @hypercubexl.bsky.social, @stopsatgreen@threads.net, @talentagencyguide@threads.net, @lkimmasters@threads.net, Deadline and The Wrap
Nicholas Quah / Vulture:
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 …
Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
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 …
Discussion:
Securities and Exchange Commission, @bkoo, Observer, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Tubefilter, MobileSyrup, Fast Company, Quartz, TechStartups, Raw Story, KNSD-TV, AdExchanger, 9to5Mac, @alexeheath, The Verge, Mashable India, City A.M., @mikeisaac, The Guardian, MediaPost, NBC Bay Area, TweakTown, New York Times, The Information, Wired, CNET, Deadline, NPR, @carnage4life@mas.to, Variety, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Search Engine Land and 9to5Google
RELATED:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
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
Discussion:
Business Today, Fast Company, WinBuzzer, CNBC, Business Insider, The Information, @kevinrns@mstdn.social and Bloomberg
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