Top News:
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, Mediaite, Axios, Variety, Los Angeles Times, The Media Mix, The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, @alexweprin, New York Post, @pressgazette, @brianstelter, @bristei, @rasmus_kleis, The Information, The Wrap, Jeremy Moore on LinkedIn, Cord Cutters News, The Media Leader, @bristei and Reuters
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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
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 …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Streamable, Variety, Awful Announcing, Front Office Sports, Barrett Media and UPROXX
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, Voice of America, The Moscow Times, Reuters, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, @bbcstever, @paige_reynolds_, @kevinrothrock, @samberkhead, @bbcstever, @macktubs, @niktwick, @hejsascha, @moscowtimes, @evahartog, @tomashirstecon, @tomashirstecon, @andrew__roth 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, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Slate, Raw Story, New York Times, The Daily Beast, NBC News, The Hill, New Jersey Online, Newser, @todarorichard, CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, CBS News, @redsteeze, @abbydphillip, @waylon_wc, @tmz, @themainnetwork, @collinrugg, Washington Post, HuffPost, The Wrap, Variety, Deadline, Mediaite, New Republic and The Hollywood Reporter
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:
Engadget, @josephcox@infosec.exchange, @baldur@toot.cafe, @flargh@mastodon.social, @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
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
Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
The US DOJ seized two domain names and 968 X accounts that were part of a Russian propaganda effort using fake social profiles, planned by a senior editor at RT — A Russian internet propaganda campaign backed by the Kremlin that spread disinformation in the United States and relied …
Discussion:
Reuters, Ars Technica, Semafor, Engadget, @gregotto, @thezedwards, @bing_chris, @wiczipedia@threads.net, Washington Post, US Department of Justice, The Daily Beast, The Register, SiliconANGLE, @passantino@threads.net, CNN, Decrypt, NPR, CyberScoop, PCMag, The Verge, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @kevincolliernbc@threads.net, The Record, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, MeidasTouch News, @skykiss@sfba.social and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
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.
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, Business Insider, New York Post, Raw Story, The Hollywood Reporter and @KarlBode@masto.ai
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
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Radio show and podcast This American Life plans to move its ad sales from the NYT to National Public Media on August 1, as the NYT looks to paywall its podcasts — The program will remain available through the New York Times' audio app — The long-running radio show and podcast …
Discussion:
@ashleyrcarman and Inside Radio