Top News:

Fox Business “parted ways” with Trish Regan; the move comes after Regan's on-air dismissal in early March of COVID-19 concerns as an attempt to impeach Trump — The Fox Business host was officially let go on Friday more than two weeks after she ranted against the “coronavirus impeachment scam.”

Under the CARES Act, outlets with under 1,000 staff can apply to a $300B fund, while bigger chains compete with retailers and others for money from a $454B fund — The multi-trillion-dollar CARES Act should extend a lifeline to many small local publishers.
Discussion:
@jbenton, @jaredrutecki, @jbenton, @kdoctor, @kdoctor, @jbenton, @lucasgrindley, @jbenton, @niemanlab and @jbenton

CEOs of News Media Alliance and the Local Media Association say they expect devastating revenue loss for members but say small publishers can still survive — ‘Our members have gone from a weak financial position to a horrible financial condition’ — Leaders of associations that represent …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @altweeklies, @hollyanndoan and @itsren

China shuts down all cinemas again, after reopening 600 of them over the past week, without providing an official explanation for the shut down — Over the past two weeks, movie theaters had begun to gradually reopen in the country. No reason was given for the abrupt reversal …
Discussion:
Deadline, Variety, @irinatsukerman, @variety, @brianpshea, @jeffdlowe, @alanmcole, @zeitchikwapo, @frankpallotta, Forbes, Business Insider, Vanity Fair, IndieWire and The Week

Digital media like BuzzFeed, Group Nine, and Vice were all expected to earn profits in 2020, but now executives warn staff of layoffs while publicly keeping mum — New York (CNN Business)2020 was supposed to be a banner year for digital media. BuzzFeed, Group Nine, and Vice each indicated …
Discussion:
@kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn, @aggancarski, @kerrymflynn and @nandoodles

Google removes Infowars app from Play Store, citing misinformation, after a video posted in the app disputed the need for measures to contain the coronavirus — Apple kicked Alex Jones out of the App Store in 2018. The Google Play Store has finally followed suit.
Discussion:
Variety, Daily Mail, The Verge, @reflectingman, @lilyhnewman, Newsweek, @zackwhittaker, @oliverdarcy, 9to5Google, Gizmodo and Matt's Newsletter

Facebook to add new features to make Live easier to use, including an audio-only mode, automatic closed captions, and letting logged-out users watch streams — Automatic closed captioning and an audio-only mode — COVID-19 and its resulting social distancing measures have inspired lots …

Iran has ordered media to use only official statistics when covering COVID-19, told journalists to avoid investigative reporting, and harassed those who do — As coronavirus spreads in Iran, authorities have moved swiftly and aggressively to contain independent reporting about it by harassing …
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @jimfryvoa and @penamerica

ViacomCBS withdraws 2020 financial guidance, says it has a $3.5B credit facility, and expects 16M US streaming pay subscribers and 30M Pluto MAUs by end of 2020 — ViacomCBS on Friday became the latest media giant to warn investors about the grave threat to its business operations posed …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, @lizrhoffman, @asharma, @benmullin, TheStreet, ViacomCBS Inc. and Digital TV Europe

Disney closes California's Disneyland and Florida's Disney World indefinitely, after initially planning to close through March, will pay staff through April 18 — Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed until further notice, a spokesperson for The Walt Disney Company announced on Friday.
Discussion:
Orlando Sentinel, Newsweek, Reuters, Forbes, @lukemmoney, Los Angeles Times, Fox News, CNET, Variety and Deadline

Podtrac: podcast downloads in the US have fallen ~10% and total unique listeners are down ~20% since the start of March, with true crime podcasts down the most — It seems everyone just wants the news, on TV and online, not a true crime podcast. — Since early March, when concerns around …
Discussion:
Podtrac Measurement Blog, @eshap and @carnage4life, more at Techmeme »

Disney-owned digital movie locker service Movies Anywhere is launching its first smart TV app, on LG TVs — Making them the first smart TVs with a native app — Movies Anywhere — the Disney-owned movie locker service that combines your purchased films across digital stores including Apple TV …
Discussion:
Variety, Media Play News and The Streamable, more at Techmeme »