Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
In a DOD press conference, Pete Hegseth says “the sooner David Ellison takes over [CNN], the better” as he complains about media coverage of the war in Iran — At a press briefing Friday, Hegseth claimed that a CNN report Thursday that the Trump administration …
Discussion:
New Republic, CNBC, HuffPost, Deadline, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The Atlantic, @matisaksk.bsky.social, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, RADAR, New York Times, RedState, The Present Age, @sentomcotton, @defensebaron, Politico, The Wrap, Deadline, MS NOW, Reality Tea, @sarahposner.bsky.social, @mwriston.bsky.social, Mediaite, @ryangrim, OK Magazine, CBS News, Adweek, @sofiakinzinger, @briana_reilly, @margbrennan, TMZ.com, Truthout, @dowresponse, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Media Play News, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, Newsweek, The Daily Wire, The Hollywood Reporter, Fox News, Washington Times, IJR, The Hill, Washington Examiner, twitchy.com and Techdirt
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@nancyayoussef:
The Pentagon denied print photographers entry to today's press briefing, but allowed other media to attend
The Pentagon denied print photographers entry to today's press briefing, but allowed other media to attend
Discussion:
The Guardian, @acosta, @scottnover, @scottnover and New Republic
David Bauder / Associated Press:
Trump's administration denounced CNN for airing part of the new Iranian leader's statement Thursday, the second time in three days it has singled out CNN
Trump's administration denounced CNN for airing part of the new Iranian leader's statement Thursday, the second time in three days it has singled out CNN
Discussion:
@jeremymbarr, 570 KVI, @sfdb.bsky.social, @fritzbischoff.bsky.social, The Hill, WOODTV.com, @dbauder.bsky.social, @rapidresponse47, @altnoaa.bsky.social, @lawyer4laws, @derekahunter, @taftermath2020, @kamikazeblue007, @WarnerCrocker@mastodon.social, RedState, Washington Times, CNN, WTOP News and Raw Story
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Amazon Prime Video plans to raise the price of its ad-free plan, Ultra, to $4.99 per month, and add support for up to five simultaneous streams, from April 10 — The revamped Prime Video ‘Ultra’ tier will cost $4.99 per month and come with ‘exclusive’ access to 4K streams.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, About Amazon, Yahoo Finance, BGR, Gizmodo, Screen Rant, Android Police, PCMag, Deadline, The Wrap, Digital Trends, Tom's Guide, Engadget, Android Authority, Thurrott, Variety, AppleInsider, CNET, PCWorld, The Information, CNBC, How-To Geek, 9to5Google, 9to5Mac, Kotaku, Ars Technica, Cord Cutters News, The Streamable, WPXI-TV, Sherwood News, The TV Answer Man!, IGN and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
NBCUniversal will no longer produce first-run syndicated TV programming, ending shows including Access Hollywood, which has been in production for 30 years — The company will continue to distribute library content, but will end production of first-run syndicated programming in a strategic shift.
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, Screen Rant, TVLine, Entertainment Weekly, Daily Mail, Reality Tea, TheGrio, TV Insider, Deadline, Baller Alert and Just Jared
Aidan Ryan / The Boston Globe:
The CEO of Boston NPR station GBH says “it would make a lot of sense to merge” with WBUR, another Boston NPR station; both have good short-term finances — Leaders of GBH and WBUR have long held to the conviction that there are enough ears in Greater Boston for two NPR stations.
Discussion:
@dankennedy.net, @aidanryan.bsky.social, @joshshepperd.bsky.social and WBUR
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter:
A leak about White House outrage over CBS' reported hiring of Jeremy Adler, who previously worked for Liz Cheney, suggests the WH is trying to prevent the hire — Notice that this leak — “White House officials are outraged...” — is the first inkling about Jeremy Adler being hired by CBS News. The comms job is open and the network hasn't appointed anyone yet. Adler's name hasn't even been floated publicly, until now. https://www.axios.com/...
Discussion:
Axios, @barbaraannstein, Poynter, @dgraham.bsky.social, @thunderpig, New Republic, Fox News, RADAR, NewsMax.com, The Daily Beast, New York Sun and Raw Story
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Peacock adds a new feature to its app that uses AI to curate personalized vertical video playlists, narrated by a generative AI avatar of host Andy Cohen — Peacock is making a clear bet on two things: AI and mobile-first entertainment. — Based on what the streamer previewed at a press event yesterday …
Alan Cowell / New York Times:
John F. Burns, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times foreign correspondent who reported from South Africa, Iraq, and other bureaus, dies at 81 — In a 40-year career that brought him two Pulitzers, he reported from trouble spots around the world, eloquently conveying the chaos of war.
Richard Lawler / The Verge:
Digg announces a “hard reset” and shuts down operations two months after it was relaunched by Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian, citing the scale of AI bot spam — Digg's Reddit-like relaunch failed fast, but its CEO is already planning another comeback.
Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:
Paramount+ will absorb BET+ at the beginning of June, following Paramount's acquisition of Tyler Perry Studios' equity stake in BET+ — Paramount, which three years ago had three SVOD platforms available in the U.S., will soon have only one. … The news was just shared internally …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Variety and Cord Cutters News
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: the NFL and Paramount begin talks to keep Sunday games on CBS through 2033-34; NFL is pushing for an increase of ~50% over the $2.1B CBS already pays — The NFL and Paramount Skydance's renewal talks on a deal to keep the league's Sunday games on CBS are beginning to take shape, CNBC has learned.
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, @kevdgrussing.bsky.social, Barrett Media, @2xaught7.ing, Cord Cutters News and Bloomberg
Elias Schisgall / Wall Street Journal:
BuzzFeed warns that it lacks the resources to fund its cash obligations over the next year and is exploring options, as it reports a Q4 loss of $26.8M — The digital media company said it has broadly operated at a loss since its conception and is burdened by legacy commitments
Meta Newsroom:
Meta AI begins to offer a wider variety of real-time content, including breaking news, and partners with News Corp, Le Figaro, Prisa, and Süddeutsche Zeitung — Takeaways — Meta AI will now offer a broader range of real-time content, including global news, entertainment …
Discussion:
Engadget, @whoa-magic.lol and The Indian Express
