Top News:
Washington Post:
More than 500 Voice of America contractors are expected to lose their jobs by June 30; Kari Lake says 584 total employees were terminated across USAGM — More than 500 of the news service's contractors could be out of a job on June 30. — More than 500 Voice of America contractors …
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Kelly Kasulis Cho / Washington Post:
A profile of Ulviyya Ali, a VOA journalist in Azerbaijan until February, who has been jailed, like others in the country, on charges of currency smuggling — Ulviyya Ali reported for Voice of America for years. Trump's moves to dismantle the U.S.-funded outlet may have put her at greater risk, activists say.
Mike Scarcella / Reuters:
Filing: advertisers ask a US judge to dismiss X's lawsuit accusing them of boycotting the company, arguing X failed to show that they acted with any common plan — Major companies that curtailed advertising on Elon Musk's social media platform X over concerns about its ability …
Discussion:
Marketing Charts, BMI, Futurism and Business Insider
Variety:
A look at the pay packages of some top media and entertainment executives in 2024; seven of the 10 examined executives got raises despite lackluster earnings — Top execs kept raking in the bucks last year, even as many of the companies they led struggled to stay aloft
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
C-SPAN plans to debut Ceasefire, its first new weekly show in 20 years in the fall, envisioned as conversations between lawmakers on opposite sides of the aisle — “Ceasefire” will be the low-key public affairs channel's first new weekly show in two decades. The question is whether Republicans and Democrats will show up.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, C-SPAN.org, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter
Reuters:
Charter announces plans to merge with Cox Communications in a deal that values Cox at $34.5B including debt and unites two of the biggest US cable providers — Broadband and cable TV provider Charter (CHTR.O) is in advanced talks to combine with Cox Communications in a deal that values Cox …
Discussion:
NBC News, The Wrap, Adweek, Bloomberg, TVNewsCheck, Variety, The Information, Sports Business Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, Deadline, Benzinga, Broadband TV News, Media Play News, The Verge, ZeroHedge News, Barron's Online, @claireatki, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, CNBC, Axios, Bloomberg, Cord Cutters News and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Bloomberg:
Sources: DOJ is conducting a criminal antitrust probe into whether Live Nation and AEG illegally colluded on concert refunds at the start of the COVID pandemic — The US Justice Department is conducting a criminal antitrust probe into how companies responded to mass concert cancellations …
Discussion:
@matthewstoller, @benbrodydc, The Hollywood Reporter and Reuters
Roberto Ferdman / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at Maine-base Civic Sunlight, which sends newsletters with AI-generated summaries of city council meetings and has partnered with local legacy news orgs — Twists and turns for a surprisingly well-received experiment in Maine. — When Tom Cochran and David Mortlock started kicking around ideas …
Columbia Journalism Review:
How publishers are navigating their relationship with platforms amid generative AI's rise, based on interviews with 34 news and tech industry representatives — This research is generously funded by the Tow Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. — Introduction
Maxwell Zeff / TechCrunch:
Filing: Anthropic apologizes after one of its expert witnesses cited a fake article hallucinated by Claude in the company's legal battle with music publishers — A lawyer representing Anthropic admitted to using an erroneous citation created by the company's Claude AI chatbot …
Discussion:
The Verge, Business Insider, Music Business Worldwide, @camwilson@mastodon.social, Bloomberg Law, The Register, Reason, Chat GPT Is Eating the World, @paleofuture.bsky.social, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, @SuffolkLITLab@esq.social and @mzeff.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Sources: Puck has hired an AI tech reporter after it tried unsuccessfully to buy Casey Newton's Platformer for seven figures and hire Alex Heath from The Verge — Matt Belloni's voice reverberates through Hollywood's power corridors—now so do whispers about his future at Puck.
Committee to Protect Journalists:
Gaza journalists describe intimidation and assault by Hamas; the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate often doesn't publicize Hamas attacks for fear of reprisals — New York, May 15, 2025—When Gazan journalist Tawfiq Abu Jarad received a phone call from a Hamas security agent warning …
Discussion:
Middle East Monitor
Zach Vallese / CNBC:
YouTube launches a weekly top podcast shows chart, tracking podcasts in the US and updated every Wednesday; The Joe Rogan Experience currently tops the chart — YouTube is solidifying its place in podcasts. — The company on Thursday announced the launch of a weekly top podcast shows chart, rivaling those from Spotify and Apple.
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Neal Mohan says the monetization rate of Shorts hit parity with core YouTube in the US and multiple other countries, and Shorts viewing grew 20% YoY in Q1 2025
Neal Mohan says the monetization rate of Shorts hit parity with core YouTube in the US and multiple other countries, and Shorts viewing grew 20% YoY in Q1 2025
Discussion:
Music Ally, Digital Music News, The Wrap, The Information, The Information and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
