Top News:


A look at the Gannett/Gatehouse deal, which is far from ideal for either company or their readers; neither company has offered a big vision aside from cost cuts — What will the largest local news company need to do and be to be successful in the 2020s? Neither Gannett nor Gatehouse …
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @ryanmartin, @dfmworkers, @raju, @niemanlab, Yahoo News, @jayrosen_nyu, @daviduberti and New York Post
RELATED:

Filing: MNG Enterprises, controlled by Alden Global Capital, reveals a 9.4% stake in New Media Investment Group and says it may vote against a deal with Gannett — (Reuters) - Newspaper chain MNG Enterprises revealed a 9.4% stake in New Media Investment Group Inc (NEWM.N) on Friday …


New Media Investment Group's shares fell ~33% between Monday and Wednesday, after the cash and stock acquisition of Gannett was announced, endangering the deal — A $1.4 billion deal to buy USA Today owner Gannett Co. has been so poorly received since it was announced on Monday that executives …
Discussion:
@mattdpearce, @mandy_fries, @mattkatz00, @abbeycrain, @conarck, @dekotagregory, @senyorreporter, @lmower3, @cmonstah, @apantazi, @mattdpearce, @mattdpearce, @gtoppo, @breakinbriks44, @mbayer1248, @ehernandez, @sindap, @chrisvannini, @davidfolkenflik, Awful Announcing, Milwaukee Business Journal and Bloomberg


Sources: Trump's draft executive order calls for new FCC regulations narrowing CDA Section 230 protections for social media platforms when they suppress content — Washington (CNN Business)A draft executive order from the White House could put the Federal Communications Commission in charge …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, @reckless, @reckless, @sarahfrier, @sarahfrier, @sarahfrier, @mathewi, @jrosenworcel, @berinszoka, @rsingel, @karlbode, @karlbode, @karlbode, The Verge and Wired, more at Techmeme »


Sources: Facebook offered millions to ABC News, Dow Jones, Washington Post, and Bloomberg to license their content for a Facebook news section to debut in 2019 — Company approached ABC News, Dow Jones, Washington Post and Bloomberg as it plans to launch news section
Discussion:
@caseynewton, New York Times, Press Gazette, American Press Institute, @dankennedy_nu, Mashable, CNBC, CNET, MediaPost, Associated Press, Broadcasting & Cable, The Wrap, Nieman Lab, Twipe, Business Insider, Breitbart, What's New in Publishing, @elanazak, @dskok, @mathewi, Engadget, @nicnewman, @rasmus_kleis, @jayrosen_nyu, @elanazak, @samsanders, @juddlegum, Ad Age, @caseynewton, @ow, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac, The Next Web, @pat_garofalo, @niemanlab, @waltmossberg, @perlberg, @bradesposito, @jbillinson, @rachelcharlenel, @bendreyfuss, @futterish, @benmullin, @rafat, @benmullin, @mattyglesias, @rdmurphy, @jeffyoung, @benmullin, Digital Trends, UPI, Reclaim The Net, Deadline, The Verge, Ars Technica, Boing Boing and The Hill, more at Techmeme »


Glow, a platform for podcast creators to set up payment options for fans to fund their shows, raises $2.3M seed from Katzenberg's WndrCo, Greycroft, and others — Glow Technologies, a startup whose platform lets podcast creators set up payment options for fans to fund their shows …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, RAIN News, @michaelfalero, Silicon Republic and Tubefilter, more at Techmeme »


News UK says The Times and The Sunday Times now have combined paid digital-only subscribers of 304K, up 19% YoY, for a total of 539K paid subscribers — The Times and Sunday Times now have more than 300,000 paid digital-only subscribers between them. — The titles, which both publish …
Discussion:
The Drum, @alexmassie, @gilescoren and @eduardosuarez


With a subscriber miss, ballooning costs, rivals circling, and a dire need for more in-house hits, Netflix is looking like the entertainment giants it disrupted — With a subscriber miss, ballooning costs, competitors circling and an existential need to produce more in-house hits …
Discussion:
@carnage4life, @johnfinnegan247, @thrmattbelloni, Techaeris, Techaeris and @rahulpuri, more at Techmeme »


CBS says it is accelerating its rollout of streaming news service CBSN Local to remaining 11 markets by early 2020, ahead of political primaries and elections — Accelerated rollout means local streaming news products in place before primaries — CBS Television Stations and CBS Interactive …
Discussion:
TVNewser, investors.lionsgate.com, The Wrap, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, The Streamable and The Streamable
RELATED:


Study: 46% of adult social media users say they're worn out by the number of political posts and discussions seen on social media, up 9 points from summer 2016 — Well over a year before the 2020 presidential election, many social media users in the United States are already exhausted …
Discussion:
@facttank, @monicaranders, Poynter, @pewresearch, The Wrap, Mashable and Adweek


Since debuting in May, Vice Media's astrology app Astro Guide has been downloaded 100,000 times; over half who try the free trial end up subscribing for $6/mo. — Like almost every other venture-backed digital media publisher, Vice Media is looking for ways to serve its most engaged readers.
Discussion:
@austin_rief and @seyitaylor


WhatsApp-advised startup Meedan unveils a tool that auto-responds to fact-check queries from chat apps like Messenger and WeChat if a fact-checked answer exists — The love/hate relationship between fact-checkers and reader-submitted tips from private messaging may soon be a thing of the past.
Discussion:
@factchecknet and @poynter, more at Techmeme »


NYT is examining deputy Washington editor Jonathan Weisman's “poor judgment on social media and in responding to criticism”, after his responses to Roxane Gay — The New York Times is “closely examining” the social-media habits of its deputy Washington editor Jonathan Weisman …
Discussion:
Politico, @yashar, @rgay, @alexi, @jayrosen_nyu, @libbycwatson, @scarylawyerguy, @kawebb_, @rjcc, @yashar, Splinter, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite


Flipboard to debut its first co-branded podcast series with Digital Trends, as a weekly audio-only spin-off from the video show Digital Trends Live — Flipboard, best known for distributing publishers' articles on its platform, is debuting its first co-branded podcast series with tech publisher Digital Trends.


Twitch launches Twitch Studio, the company's first broadcasting software, aimed at new streamers, now in closed beta for PC users only — This is the company's first broadcast offering — Twitch just launched Twitch Studio, the company's first broadcasting software.