Top News:
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Memo: PBS is cutting its current budget by 21% and reducing dues paid by local stations by $35M to deal with Congress' decision to eliminate ~$500M in funding — The nonprofit will receive less revenue from its members, which are under pressure to make up for shortfalls of their own.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, BroadwayWorld, American Prospect, New Jersey Globe, ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix and @benmullin
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
Gannett is launching a morning newscast, Connecting America, on its USA Today streaming channel and on YouTube, on August 18; it will air weekdays 7am-9am ET — Gannett Company is launching a new morning newscast on its USA Today-branded free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, the company announced on Thursday.
Discussion:
NCS | NewscastStudio
Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide:
Sources: Chord Music Partners, a music rights investment vehicle, raised $2B+ so far in a round due to close in October; Searchlight Capital has invested $400M — Universal Music Group-backed investment vehicle Chord Music Partners has raised over USD $2 billion in investable capital to buy music rights.
Discussion:
Billboard, Music Ally, Digital Music News, Business Wire, Sky News and The Hollywood Reporter
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Digital Content Next survey: 19 US online publishers, including major newsrooms, saw a median 10% YoY decline in Google referral traffic in the May-June period — Leading US online publishers reported an average fall in referral traffic from Google search of 10% in May and June compared to a year earlier.
Discussion:
Digital Content Next, PPA, @pressgazette.co.uk and Android Headlines
Jessica Testa / New York Times:
Taylor Swift's podcast debut on New Heights, co-hosted by Travis Kelce, shows the format is an appealing option for stars instead of late-night TV and magazines — For stars promoting their projects, podcasts have become an appealing alternative to late-night TV and glossy magazines.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, New Heights on YouTube, Poynter, Us Weekly, Billboard, Plain Dealer, The Wrap, CityNews Halifax, Inside Radio, Extra, Mediaite, People, The Hollywood Reporter, Ailis O'Connell on LinkedIn, Marin Independent Journal, Forbes, TMZ.com, KVIA-TV, Just Jared, Variety, TODAY.com, Axios, New York Post, NBC Bay Area, Los Angeles Times, Deseret News and CBS News
Raquel ‘Rocky’ Harris / The Wrap:
The LA Times Guild plans to hold its first-ever strike authorization vote as contract talks near their third year; the union lost about 200 members since 2022 — Since negotiations began in September 2022, the guild has seen layoffs impact approximately 200 Times staffers
Discussion:
@katie_robertson, @katie_robertson, @mattdpearce.com and @jqwritesstuff.bsky.social
Bobby Allyn / NPR:
A look at anti-Trump podcast MeidasTouch, one of the few left-leaning video podcasts that at times dethrones Joe Rogan's top position on YouTube rankings — Ben Meiselas is pacing in front of his home in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles, talking on the phone with one hand, a Starbucks coffee cup in the other.
David Roeder / Chicago Sun Times:
Chicago Public Media, which owns the Sun-Times and public radio station WBEZ, names Kimbriell Kelly as EIC effective September 2, succeeding Jennifer Kho — A Pulitzer Prize winner, Kelly has a background in investigative reporting. She will succeed Jennifer Kho, who will work on a project dealing with the future of public media.
Discussion:
Jennifer Kho on LinkedIn, MediaPost and Crain's Chicago Business
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Starz, which split from Lionsgate in May, reports Q2 revenue down 8% YoY to $319.7M, a net loss of $42.5M, and US streaming subscribers down 120K QoQ to 12.2M — Starz saw an 8% drop in revenue for its April 1-June 30 earnings, the now-standalone media company reported Thursday.
Discussion:
C21Media, Deadline, The Wrap, Starz and The Hollywood Reporter
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Media advocates criticize a US Department of Energy plan to throw out FOIA requests sent before October 1, 2024, unless the request is formally renewed — The Department of Energy (DOE) said in a public notice scheduled to be published Thursday that it will throw out all Freedom of Information Act …
Mike Scarcella / Reuters:
A US district court judge dismisses Rumble's lawsuit accusing WPP, WFA, and Diageo of an ad boycott, saying a Texas court is not the proper forum for the case — A U.S. judge on Wednesday dismissed online video-sharing and internet-hosting company Rumble's (RUM.O) lawsuit accusing spirits maker Diageo …
Discussion:
MediaPost and Bloomberg Law
Gabriel V Rindborg / The Guardian:
Monitoring firm MUSO says piracy hit a low in 2020 with 130B website visits and grew by 2024 to 216B; in Sweden, 25% of those surveyed reported pirating in 2024 — As subscription costs rise and choice diminishes on legal sites, film and TV fans are turning to VPNs and illicit streamers …
