Check out Mini-Mediagazer for simple mobiles or Mediagazer Mobile for modern smartphones.
9:30 PM ET, December 12, 2024

Mediagazer

 Top News: 
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Sources: Patrick Soon-Shiong told LA Times opinion leaders not to publish an editorial critical of Trump's cabinet picks without publishing an opposing view  —  Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong's public comments and actions, including recently blocking an editorial weighing in on President-elect Trump's cabinet picks …
Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
The WGA demands studios take “immediate legal action” against companies that used writers' work to train AI, in a letter to CEOs of Disney, Netflix, and others  —  The union is arguing that tech companies “looted the studios' intellectual property” while Hollywood's major companies stood by.
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
BuzzFeed reaches a deal to sell Hot Ones owner First We Feast for $82.5M in cash to a consortium of investors led by an affiliate of Soros Fund Management  —  The sale, to a group that includes the show's host, Sean Evans, and Soros Fund Management, will allow BuzzFeed to pay down tens of millions of dollars in debt.
RELATED:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
BuzzFeed says selling First We Feast will cut its outstanding debt by $89M to $30M and let it operate with a cash balance larger than its total outstanding debt
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Warner Bros. Discovery announces a restructuring to create two separate units: one for linear TV networks and one for production studios and streaming platforms  —  The maneuver was unveiled just days after Comcast said it planned to spin off the bulk of its NBCUniversal cable networks …
RELATED:
Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Current and former Netflix staff say the company has walked back its parental-leave benefits, after shifting its focus from subscriber growth to profitability  —  Employees worry the pullback and other new restrictions mean the entertainment giant is losing the identity that fueled its success
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
An interview with Business Insider CTO Harry Hope on BI's use of AI, including AI-powered search and ad tools, shifting away from mass audience, and more  —  Business Insider's chief technology officer has said advancements in AI technology are helping the publisher “to do a bit more to punch above our weight class”.
Discussion: Talking Biz News
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker:
In 2024, police arrested or detained US journalists at least 48 times, more than in 2022 and 2023 combined; nearly half of arrests were by New York City police  —  Stephanie Sugars from Freedom of the Press Foundation  —  Nearly all 48 arrests took place during demonstrations; half at hands of NYPD
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
The rebel group that now runs Syria's government says the search for Austin Tice, abducted in 2012, is ongoing and offers to “cooperate directly” with the US  —  Biden administration officials say that, for now, it is too dangerous to deploy personnel to look for the missing American …
Daniele Lepido / Bloomberg:
Italian broadcaster MediaForEurope says it is looking to accelerate its plan to build a pan-European free-to-air TV hub after securing a €3.4B credit facility  —  - Broadcaster adds financial muscle to bankroll future plans  — CEO doesn't rule out a bid for rest of Germany's ProSieben
Discussion: Broadband TV News and Reuters
Ken Klippenstein:
Slack messages: NYT editors tell reporters to “dial back” on using photos of alleged UnitedHealth gunman Luigi Mangione and to avoid publishing his “manifesto”  —  Times management directs staff to “dial back” Luigi Mangione headshots
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Former NBC News president Noah Oppenheim, Lloyd Braun, and Sarah Bremner launch indie studio Prologue Entertainment, backed by Jeff Zucker and RedBird Capital  —  A trio of entertainment veterans — Lloyd Braun, Sarah Bremner and Noah Oppenheim — have come together to form independent …
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 9:30 PM ET, December 12, 2024.

View the current page or another snapshot:


 
 See Also: 
Mediagazer: site main
Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer
Mediagazer Mobile: for phones
Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources
 
 Subscribe: 
Mediagazer RSS feed
Mediagazer on X
Mediagazer on Mastodon
 
 
 More News: 
Matt Yoder / Awful Announcing:
YouTube tells customers that the monthly price for YouTube TV's base plan will jump from $73 to $83 in January 2025, after raising it from $65 to $73 in 2023
 Earlier Picks: 
Julia Jacobs / New York Times:
The NLRB issues a complaint against Netflix's Love Is Blind and classifies its contestants as employees, a case that could have ripple effects across reality TV
Nic Fildes / Financial Times:
Australia plans a levy on tech companies like Meta with $250M+ in local revenue to force them to pay publishers for journalism, after Meta quit the prior deal
Costas Pitas / Reuters:
Donald Trump picks former news anchor and hardline Republican Kari Lake to be the director of US government-funded media outlet Voice of America
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The NYT Tech Guild and its 600+ members reach a tentative deal with management on a contract enhancing job security, setting flexible hybrid schedules, and more
Clayton Davis / Variety:
In a first, the 97th Academy Awards will stream live on Hulu, along with airing on ABC, giving it an unprecedented boost in accessibility and viewership
 

 
From Techmeme:

Ina Fried / Axios:
In a blog post, OpenAI says “You can't sue your way to AGI”, and publishes emails from Elon Musk showing he wanted to own OpenAI and run it as a for-profit

Jay Peters / The Verge:
Google rolls out interactive Audio Overviews in NotebookLM, an “experimental feature” that lets users talk to the AI “hosts” of the podcast-like overviews

Elizabeth Lopatto / The Verge:
Elon Musk says the US SEC sent him a “settlement demand” after its Twitter buyout probe, asking him to agree to a fine within 48 hours or face numerous charges
 
Sister Sites:

Techmeme
 Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web
memeorandum
 What US political commentators are discussing online right now
WeSmirch
 The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page