Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Omnicom is in advanced talks to buy Interpublic; the deal could be announced this week and value Interpublic between $13B and $14B, excluding debt — A deal would create the world's largest advertising company, with net revenue of more than $20 billion, topping WPP's $15.1 billion.
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Brendan Carr, Donald Trump's pick to chair the FCC, vowed to back local TV stations even if it conflicts “with the interests of national broadcast networks” — Video … Appearing Friday on CNBC's Squawk on the Street, Carr continued to draw attention to broadcast networks' …
Discussion:
CNBC and Business Insider
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CNBC:
An interview with the FCC's Brendan Carr, on media cross-ownership rules, content moderation, NewsGuard, re-examining broadcast license requirements, and more — Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC exclusive interview with FCC Commissioner & & President-Elect Trump's Pick …
Discussion:
@trumpwarroom, NewsGuard's Reality Check and Radio & Television …
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
Guardian and Scott Trust leaders faced staff fury over the Observer sale; the Scott Trust plans to invest £5M in the new Tortoise/Observer business — Guardian and Scott Trust leaders faced furious staff this morning as they answered questions about the plan agreed last night to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media.
Discussion:
MediaPost, The Times, @iainm.bsky.social, @pressgazette, @pressgazette, The Media Leader, Sky News, The Guardian, Australian Financial Review, @dominicponsford.bsky.social, @carolecadwalla.bsky.social, @pressgazette.co.uk, @stevebasnett.bsky.social, @pressgazette.co.uk, @eduardosuarez.bsky.social, @charlottetobitt.bsky.social, New Statesman, The New European and The i Paper
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Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
Guardian Media Group chair Charles Gurassa says the Tortoise investment plan is “the best way forward” and it will end the “inevitable decline” of Observer
Guardian Media Group chair Charles Gurassa says the Tortoise investment plan is “the best way forward” and it will end the “inevitable decline” of Observer
Discussion:
The Guardian
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
The Scott Trust approves the sale of The Observer to Tortoise, despite two days of strikes by Guardian and Observer staffers against the deal
The Scott Trust approves the sale of The Observer to Tortoise, despite two days of strikes by Guardian and Observer staffers against the deal
Discussion:
The Guardian, @nujofficial, Press Gazette, @pkelso, @davidfolkenflik, @nicolelampert, @suzanne_moore, @rasmus_kleis, @suladoyle, @simonharries3, @charlottetobitt, @adamsherwin10, @danielthomasldn, @boothbygraffoe.bsky.social, Sky News, @benansell.bsky.social, @writesbright.bsky.social, Associated Press, Reuters, Semafor, London Evening Standard, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, @paulconvery.bsky.social, New York Times, Le Monde, @josiah.writes.news, @writesbright.bsky.social, Tortoise, BBC, @jackcarterbenjamin …, Bloomberg, The Independent, RTÉ, @jackcarterbenjamin …, The i Paper and National Union of Journalists …
Josef Adalian / Vulture:
Disney's addition of an ESPN tile within Disney+ shows how Bob Iger's strategy has evolved since 2019, when he wanted to avoid “one gigantic fat bundle” — This story first ran in Buffering, Vulture's newsletter about the streaming industry. Head to vulture.com/buffering and subscribe today!
Discussion:
@tvmojoe.bsky.social and @tvgrimreaper
Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: Vox Media will not renew its deal, set to expire at the start of 2025, to distribute Taylor Lorenz's video podcast; the first episode aired in March — The Scoop — Vox Media is ending its deal to distribute Taylor Lorenz's podcast and YouTube show.
Discussion:
@taylorlorenz.bsky.social, @taylorlorenz.bsky.social and Mediaite
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
Time CEO Jessica Sibley describes Time's shift from reader revenue to direct-to-business sales, ending its paywall, increasing events, and making an OpenAI deal — Time has gone through a “pretty significant transformation”, dropping its paywall and going bigger on events.
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
CBS files to dismiss or at least transfer Trump's $10B lawsuit over 60 Minutes' editing of its Kamala Harris interview to the SDNY, citing 1A protections — Trump sued in the waning days of the presidential campaign, claiming that Harris' interview had been deceptively edited to make her appear “coherent and decisive.”
Jacob Gershman / Wall Street Journal:
TikTok still faces a US ban if not sold by January 19, after a federal appeals court ruled that Congress has the power to take action to protect US interests — Panel rules Congress has the power to shut down Chinese-backed app in the U.S. because of national security concerns
Discussion:
United States Court of Appeals, @tiktokpolicy, al.com, Washington Post, Yahoo Finance, MediaPost, @kyurieff, @rabois, @swiftstories, @danprimack, @drewharwell, @digiphile, @zsk, @committeeonccp, @kyurieff, @wendyndavis, @daphnehk, @drewharwell, Investor's Business Daily, The Moderate Voice, Reuters, HotAir, Associated Press, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, @chup.blakereid.org, New Jersey Monitor, Adweek, Devin DeBacker on LinkedIn, @margarita.bsky.social, Ad Age, @margarita.bsky.social, Forbes, The Wrap, @trevorcroker@threads.net, @trevorcroker@threads.net, Gizmodo, Wired, BBC, South China Morning Post, Nikkei Asia, The Information, Axios, Variety, @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com, The Verge, 9to5Mac, @kurtwag8@threads.net, New York Times, Politico, @anthonymkreis.bsky.social, @mjsdc.bsky.social, The Post Millennial, TikTok, Voice of America, Semafor, Daily Kos and Deadline
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The BBC stopped publishing financial market data on its website, app, or TV red button service on November 26 as part of its cost-saving drive — The BBC is no longer publishing financial market data on its website, app or TV red button service as part of its cost-saving drive.
Discussion:
@hawthornesjj and BBC
Kathleen Kingsbury / The New York Times Company:
Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning opinion columnist who has worked at The New York Times for nearly 25 years, plans to retire at the end of 2024 — After nearly 25 years as an Opinion columnist, Paul is signing off. — I want to take you back to Jan. 2, 2000, a day when Y2K …
Discussion:
Newser, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, ZeroHedge News, @jswatz.bsky.social, The Gateway Pundit, @econberger.bsky.social, @nakedkeynes.bsky.social, @trungtphan, @thestalwart, @mattzeitlin, Mediaite, @AkaSci@fosstodon.org, @carterd.bsky.social, @mattyglesias.bsky.social, RedState, @smotus.bsky.social, @citizencohn.bsky.social, HotAir, LewRockwell, @dylanmatt.bsky.social, @notjessewalker.bsky.social, @meredithshiner.com, @jonmladd.bsky.social, @ddayen.bsky.social, @owillis.bsky.social, @mbkplus.bsky.social, @pkrugman.bsky.social and Instapundit
Local News Initiative:
Analysis: Trump won 91% of counties lacking a professional local news source; residents there tend to be less educated, poorer, and reliant on national media — But what does this election-result correlation mean? — Donald Trump won the 2024 election with one of the smallest popular-vote margins …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, @kingkaufman@sfba.social, @dcboy.bsky.social, @joeferullo.bsky.social, @ewallwice.bsky.social, @marklittle.bsky.social, @maripuerta.bsky.social, @lyndawoolard.bsky.social, @heidireports.bsky.social, Balloon Juice, Tim Franklin on LinkedIn, @rachelbell44.bsky.social, John Volk on LinkedIn, @jwmjournalist, @jmhaigh, @farhip, @jmhaigh, @localnewsini, @menrywy.bsky.social, TVNewsCheck and Political Wire