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1:50 AM ET, May 18, 2025

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 Top News: 
Jessica Testa / New York Times:
An analysis of YouTube's new weekly ranking of top podcasts in the US by watch time shows many popular and well-established podcasts did not rank in the top 100  —  YouTube, now the most popular platform for consuming podcasts, is introducing a chart ranking shows by watch time.
RELATED:
Reuters:
Charter says it will acquire Cox Communications for $21.9B, valuing Cox at $34.5B including debt and uniting two of the biggest US cable and broadband operators  —  Broadband and cable TV provider Charter (CHTR.O) is in advanced talks to combine with Cox Communications in a deal that values Cox …
RELATED:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Charter says John Malone's Liberty Broadband will cease to be a direct shareholder in Charter and won't appoint directors to its board after the Cox merger  —  John Malone, the “cable cowboy” who has shaped the cable and media industries for decades, is set to reap a windfall …
Discussion: Bloomberg, Bloomberg and The Streamable
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Sources: New York Sun owner Dovid Efune is launching a new “British bid” to buy The Telegraph with backing from Brexit backer Jeremy Hosking and Nadhim Zahawi  —  Former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi also supporting British-led consortium
Discussion: @danielthomasldn
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 …
RELATED:
Kelly Kasulis Cho / Washington Post:
A profile of Ulviyya Ali, a VOA journalist in Azerbaijan until March and who has been jailed, like others in the country, on charges of currency smuggling
Hannah Prevett / The Times:
The Sidemen, a YouTube collective with more than 150M followers across all its social media channels, launches VC firm Upside to back consumer tech startups  —  Viral video content group creates Upside, an investment company backing consumer tech start-ups  —  The Sidemen, Europe's largest …
Wall Street Journal:
The US DHS says it is considering taking part in a reality show where immigrants compete for US citizenship, an idea that was pitched by producer Rob Worsoff  —  'This isn't ‘The Hunger Games’ for immigrants,' says the producer behind the pitch  —  The Department of Homeland Security …
Wall Street Journal:
Facebook and Instagram face “an epidemic of scams” driven by crime networks; internal docs from 2022 say 70% of newly active Meta advertisers promote scams  —  Fake puppies and phony offers of mouthwatering bargains are often seeded by overseas crime networks …
Michael Savage / The Guardian:
Sources: the UAE met with Downing Street and discussed the UK's media ownership law weeks before a law change paved the way for the UAE's 15% Telegraph stake  —  Exclusive: delegates met officials weeks before UK set out higher-than-expected cap on foreign state ownership of newspapers
 
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 More News: 
Jordyn Holman / New York Times:
Q&A with PBS' Paula Kerger on why it's hard for PBS to plug budgetary gaps created by the loss of federal funding, its importance as a creative incubator, more
 Earlier Picks: 
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
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Sources: Meta is considering deep budget cuts to its metaverse efforts in 2026, potentially as high as 30% and most likely including layoffs as early as January

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Apple says general counsel Kate Adams and policy chief Lisa Jackson will retire, and Jennifer Newstead, Meta's former chief legal officer, will replace Adams

Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Two studies suggest AI chatbots can shift political views more effectively than TV campaign ads, especially by presenting many claims, regardless of accuracy
 
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