Top News:
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
WBD Chair Emeritus John Malone says he discussed a WBD-Fox merger with Rupert Murdoch in July 2024; sources say a possible deal was raised but not pursued — ‘Cable cowboy’ reveals talks as he reorganises media empire and prepares to give most of his $10bn fortune to good causes
Discussion:
TheDesk.net, Mumbrella, Broadband TV News, TVNewsCheck and @jeffjarvis.bsky.social
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Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
An interview with John Malone on his upcoming memoir, CNN being an “anti-Trump news service”, advising David Zaslav on his compensation package, and more — John Malone helped create the modern media industry over the last half century. In a new memoir, “Born to Be Wired,” he looks back on what he has wrought.
Discussion:
Sydney Morning Herald, @bristei, @benmullin, @joshkraushaar, @pkafka and @katzish.bsky.social
Chip Reid / CBS News:
Mark Knoller, a former CBS News White House correspondent known for keeping meticulous records of every presidential act, dies at the age of 73 — Longtime CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller has died at the age of 73. — He died in Washington, D.C., according to a close friend.
Discussion:
Mediaite, HuffPost, Suggest, @kenbazinet.bsky.social, @kevincorke, The Gateway Pundit, @johnjharwood, @samstein, @cehoskinson, @eamonjavers, @rorycooper, @nickbryantny, @peterbakernyt, @stevenportnoy, @jerry_cipriano, @margbrennan, @tvietor08, @edokeefe, @joshgerstein, @yashar, @keegan_tweets, @kellyo, @westwingreport, @robt_gibbs, @w7voa, @jordanfabian, @aghamilton29, @johngizzi, @brianstelter, @brithume, @fangsbites, @davidgoodmantv, @steveholland1, @horsleyscott, @chucktodd, @sfutterman, @thirdwaymattb, @danaperino, @exjon, @andrewfeinberg, @bretbaier, @katiecouric, @johannamaska, @ianbremmer, @mcfaul, Joie Chen on LinkedIn, Fox News, @devorahleah.bsky.social, KARE-TV, Deadline, Variety, Irish Star, The Hollywood Reporter, TVNewsCheck, @lukerussert.bsky.social and @tamarakeithnpr.bsky.social
Minho Kim / New York Times:
Kari Lake says the USAGM sent layoff notices to 532 VOA employees, leaving ~100 staffers still employed; Lake had to rescind a previous layoff effort in June — The layoffs set up a potential battle with a federal judge who blocked previous efforts by Kari Lake, a fierce Trump ally, to restructure the agency.
Discussion:
Advanced Television, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Chris Hannas on LinkedIn, ZeroHedge News, The Kyiv Independent, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, The Indian Express, UPI, @scottnover, Newser, TVNewsCheck, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Associated Press, Politico, Washington Times, The Wrap, @savevoa.bsky.social, Washington Examiner, @albadawn.bsky.social, NPR and Raw Story
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
KPop Demon Hunters' rise to become the most-watched Netflix original movie followed a slow burn and reaffirms the old Hollywood rule that nobody knows anything — We take readers' questions on the surprise summer hit, the future of Peacock and Netflix's toughest competition — Good afternoon from 35,000 feet.
Matt Alt / New Yorker:
A profile of Weekly Shōnen Jump, Japan's top manga magazine and home to Naruto, which has created a formula for generating hit franchises from young talent — The magazine, home to such series as “Naruto” and “One Piece,” has created a formula for coaxing hit franchises out of young talents.
Katie Campione / Deadline:
How California rushed to expand the state's film and TV production tax credits in eight months, uniting union leaders, lawmakers, top filmmakers, and workers — When California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared last October that he aimed to more than double the annual funding for the state's Film …
Alice Brooker / Press Gazette:
An interview with Independent Studio's Head of Content Al Brown, who expects podcasts and video to eventually become The Independent's biggest revenue source — The Studio has already seen success with launch of ACFC on Youtube. — The Independent expects revenue from personality-led podcasts …
Discussion:
Podnews
Alison Main / CNN:
Charles Bierbauer, a former CNN correspondent and White House Correspondents' Association president from 1991 to 1992, has died at the age of 83 — Former CNN correspondent Charles Bierbauer has died, his family announced on Sunday. He was 83 years old. — Bierbauer retired from CNN …
Joshua Rothman / New Yorker:
A look at the potential future of personalized, AI-generated entertainment, and how it could both submerge human originality and enable new forms of expression — We're used to algorithms guiding our choices. When machines can effortlessly generate the content we consume, though, what's left for the human imagination?
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Stefanno Sulaiman / Reuters:
TikTok suspends its live feature for the “next few days” in Indonesia, citing “increasing violence in protests” over lawmakers' pay — ByteDance's TikTok has suspended its live feature for the “next few days” in Indonesia following protests in the country, its spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.
Discussion:
The Guardian, @wisnu_prasetya, Metro.co.uk, Travel And Tour World, @toomuchidea, @0xtequilaa, @veronicakoman, Chicago Tribune, Tempo, @vngnc, New York Times, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, The Japan Times, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, Antara News, Semafor, Al Jazeera and The Straits Times, more at Techmeme »
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Sources: Google is set to face a modest EU antitrust fine over adtech practices, in an investigation triggered by a complaint by the European Publishers Council — Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google is set to face a modest EU antitrust fine in the coming weeks for allegedly anti-competitive practices …
