Mediagazer: In a memo, Advance Local's CEO Caroline Harrison announces temporary pay cuts, furloughs, and suspension of 401k matches at its newspapers (Rick Edmonds/Poynter)

9:05 AM ET, April 16, 2020

Top News:

David Robb / Deadline:

WGA East files complaint with NLRB, accusing NBCU of union-busting by reassigning employees from its shuttered, unionized Peacock unit to NBC News Studios — UPDATED with NBCUniversal response, 1:49 PM: The WGA East today accused NBCUniversal of “union busting” in a dispute over the shuttering …

Discussion: VICE, Writers Guild of America … and Multichannel News

Steve Herman / Voice of America:

Trump calls Voice of America's work “disgusting”, threatens to adjourn Congress so he can appoint his candidates to posts, including head of the agency over VOA — WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to adjourn Congress because lawmakers have not approved …

Elaina Plott / New York Times:
Sources: in early March, Trump discussed hosting a daily, two-hour radio show from the White House but dropped the idea so as not to compete with Rush Limbaugh

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

NBC News tests a version of its Nightly News for kids and teens between 6 and 16, streaming on YouTube today and likely to appear at least twice a week — Lester Holt is about to discuss hard news with a softer touch. — The “NBC Nightly News” anchor will lead an experimental version …

Discussion: @bristei, @alexweprin, @donlday, @rebel19, @loudmouthjulia, @david_schwab, @nbcnewspr and TVNewser

Financial Times:

Financial Times cuts senior staff pay by 10% and UK's Daily Telegraph will move non-editorial staff to a 4-day week from May 1 with a 20% pay cut — Telegraph also makes cost savings as news groups are hit by falling advertising and print sales — The Financial Times …

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, @jbenton and @mathewi

Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette:
Guardian Media Group expects £20M revenue shortfall over the next six months, will furlough 100 non-editorial staff, suspend pay rises, and cut execs pay by 20%

Discussion: The Guardian, Jon Slattery, @tomwinnifrith, @felixsalmon, @yaelwrites, @karlbode, @markdistef, @janesports, @jmrivera02, @jimwaterson, @valeriein140, @markdistef, @markdistef, @markdistef, Mediaite and Financial Times

Dade Hayes / Deadline:

WarnerMedia says it reached a multi-year deal to bring HBO Max to Charter subscribers in May; current HBO subscribers will get access for no extra charge — In a significant milestone before it launches HBO Max next month, WarnerMedia has set a deal with Charter Communications …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Business Wire, CNET, The Streamable, Multichannel News, Hollywood Reporter and Variety

Rick Edmonds / Poynter:

In a memo, Advance Local's CEO Caroline Harrison announces temporary pay cuts, furloughs, and suspension of 401k matches at its newspapers — The company's CEO said the cuts were ‘necessary to take some immediate steps to mitigate our losses and protect our long-term viability.’

Discussion: @carla_astudi, @johnhammontree, @jdale_shoemaker, @karenkasler, @bobbyolivier, @j_schneider and al.com

Luke Ottenhof / The Guardian:

A look at Means TV, a worker-owned, leftist entertainment media cooperative supported entirely by its 3,700 subscribers, most of whom pay $10 per month — The entertainment media cooperative considers itself a ‘post-capitalist’ streaming service - and a critical counterweight to rightwing media

Megan Graham / CNBC:

IAB survey of 200+ US publishers: 98% expect lower 2020 revenue; 88% of news publishers had buyers ask to cancel campaigns and 86% said advertisers paused ads — - Most online publishers in the U.S. polled in a new Internet Advertising Bureau survey say they've had advertisers cancel or pause ad campaigns with them.

Discussion: The Wrap

Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:

WBUR, the Boston NPR affiliate, raised $1M in just 13 hours after scrapping a planned eight-day pledge drive due to the pandemic — The coronavirus pandemic and the public's appetite for local coverage of cases, hospitals, and economic impacts are forcing public radio stations around …

Discussion: @ona, @niemanlab and WBUR

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:

NYT redeploys people to write COVID-19 obituaries, in a series called Those We've Lost to the Coronavirus, a solemn echo of its 9/11 series, Portraits of Grief — After 9/11, the New York Times' inaugurated a long-running series called “Portraits of Grief,” featuring short obituaries of people …

Discussion: @gwenfaviles, @writerwong, @byclaycarey, @vfhive and @mlcalderone

Christopher Baxter / Nieman Reports:

As state capitals gain extraordinary power in the pandemic, newsrooms like Spotlight PA, which provide accountability reporting, deliver a vital public service — Times of extraordinary government power require extraordinary accountability reporting — Armed with expansive emergency powers …

Discussion: @cbaxter1, @jamesgeary, @lenfestinst, @aaschapiro and @niemanlab

Sara Jerde / Adweek:

Axios launches an iOS app with Facebook as a launch partner, after moving up the launch due to an uptick in traffic surrounding COVID-19 — Facebook is a launch sponsor — Under normal circumstances, Axios is still weeks away from releasing its app. The more time to beta test, the better.

Discussion: @jarroddicker, @derjarjour, @kerrymflynn and MediaPost

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Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette:
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Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Memo: Valence Media lays off staff, cuts pay due to COVID-19 and as part of revamping at Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Vibe; source: media unit lost 100+ jobs

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Kali Hays / WWD:
Memo: LA Times is furloughing some non-union, business-side employees up to 16 weeks, and some editorial staff and managers will get pay cuts from 5% to 15%

Todd Spangler / Variety:
NBCUniversal's ad-supported Peacock Premium tier launches for Xfinity X1 and Flex customers on Wednesday; the bulk of Peacock's originals are delayed until 2021

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Europol and 19 countries make 37 arrests and disrupt phishing-as-a-service platform LabHost in a year-long operation with help from Microsoft, Intel, and others

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