Top News:
Andrew Marchand / New York Times:
Sources: the NBA finalizes contracts with new partners NBC and Amazon Prime Video, while maintaining ABC/ESPN for the NBA Finals; TNT could still match — The NBA and network executives finalized contracts that will make NBC and Amazon Prime Video new partners, while maintaining ABC/ESPN …
Wall Street Journal:
Memo: Mark Thompson says CNN is cutting about 100 jobs, plans to launch its first CNN.com subscription product later in 2024, but offers few details, and more — CEO Mark Thompson said it was “a logical possibility” that CNN might pursue a subscription bundle similar to what the New York Times offers.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, CNN, The Wrap, Variety, Variety, Axios, Mediaite, Deadline, @mattdpearce, @kevincollier, @sfiegerman, @iyengarish, @heysamantha, The Hollywood Reporter, Brian Steinberg on LinkedIn, New York Times, @alexweprin, New York Post, The Verge, @pressgazette, The Media Mix, @brianstelter, @bristei, @rasmus_kleis, The Information, Los Angeles Times, Jeremy Moore on LinkedIn, Cord Cutters News, The Media Leader, @bristei and Reuters
RELATED:
Claire Atkinson / The Media Mix:
Sources: CNN lays off the team producing its Opinion section, with an end date of August 9; source: Senior Editor Sheena McKenzie is among those cut — Staff told current operations are winding down. — The CNN team working on the news network's Opinion output was let go today.
Discussion:
@bsdtectr.bsky.social and @newspolitics
Associated Press:
Russia's government declares The Moscow Times an “undesirable organization”, meaning any Russian who cooperates with the outlet could get five years in prison — The Russian prosecutor general's office on Wednesday declared The Moscow Times, an online newspaper popular among …
Discussion:
Agence France-Presse, The Moscow Times, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, @bbcstever, @paige_reynolds_, @kevinrothrock, @samberkhead, @bbcstever, @macktubs, @niktwick, @hejsascha, @moscowtimes, @evahartog, @tomashirstecon, @tomashirstecon, @andrew__roth, Reuters and The Daily Beast
TMZ.com:
George Stephanopoulos replies to a pedestrian on Biden, saying “I don't think he can serve four more years”; ABC says “George expressed his own point of view” — GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS BIDEN CAN'T SERVE 4 MORE YEARS … 6:28 PM PT — George Stephanopoulos tells TMZ …
Discussion:
@dylanbyers, New York Times, NBC News, Slate, CBS News, Newser, @todarorichard, New York Post, CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, The Hill, @redsteeze, Raw Story, New Jersey Online, @abbydphillip, @waylon_wc, @tmz, Los Angeles Times, @themainnetwork, The Daily Beast, @collinrugg, HuffPost, Washington Post, New Republic, The Wrap, Variety, Deadline, Mediaite and The Hollywood Reporter
Clare Malone / New Yorker:
Q&A with NYT's Joe Kahn on newsroom flare-ups, defining and building NYT culture among newer employees, his family foundation donations, Gaza coverage, and more — Joe Kahn, the newspaper's executive editor, wants to incentivize his staff to take on difficult stories, even when they might engender scrutiny, or backlash.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @brianstelter, @williams_paige, @chaykak, @viktorshtrum.bsky.social, @kirk_bado and @claremalone
Laura Dhillon Kane / Bloomberg:
NATO paid for travel for 16 social media influencers to cover its summit, and the US Defense and State departments invited more; combined audiences reach ~40M — - Alliance invited 16 content creators to summit in Washington — NATO paid for travel expense, but has no editorial control
Bloomberg:
WBD CEO David Zaslav calls the Paramount/Skydance deal “good for the industry” and hopes the next president embraces deregulation “so companies can consolidate” — “Getting [Paramount] in solid hands and having them funded — it's a great company and a great heritage …
Discussion:
Variety, @bgrueskin, @pkafka, New York Post, The Hollywood Reporter, @KarlBode@masto.ai, Raw Story and Business Insider
Bill Donahue / Billboard:
The US Copyright Office finalizes a new rule aimed at ensuring that songwriters who reclaim rights to their music will actually get paid streaming royalties — The new rule clears up uncertainty about who gets paid streaming royalties when songwriters take back their music rights - a trickier question than it sounds.
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
TUAW is back online after shutting down in 2015; the new owners seem to be using TUAW as an AI content farm, copying others' posts and using ex-writers' names — This month, “Christina Warren” started blogging again for The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), a legendary and long-dead Apple …
Discussion:
The Verge, Engadget, @josephcox@infosec.exchange, @flargh@mastodon.social, @baldur@toot.cafe, @film_girl, @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @kevinlovestech@mstdn.ca, @shawnhooper@fosstodon.org, @ichris@mastodon.social, @rawsoncj@threads.net, @rawsoncj@threads.net, @waxy@xoxo.zone, @film_girl@threads.net, @jasonkoebler@threads.net, AppleInsider, Six Colors and @dangillmor@mastodon.social
Janko Roettgers / Lowpass:
The bankruptcy case for Redbox parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is being converted to Chapter 7, paving the way for liquidating its assets — Redbox will shut down, corporate parent is being liquidated — The bankruptcy case of Redbox's corporate parent Chicken Soup …
Discussion:
Deadline, @jank0@sfba.social and @aagave
Matt Grobar / Deadline:
Random House Publishing Group is acquiring comic book and graphic novel publisher Boom! Studios; the deal is expected to close this summer — The Random House Publishing Group, a division of the world's largest trade publisher, Penguin Random House, has entered into an agreement to acquire comic book …
Discussion:
Publishers Weekly and The Hollywood Reporter