Top News:
Andy Greene / Rolling Stone:
Billboard report: Bruce Springsteen sells his publishing catalog to Sony Music and Sony Music Publishing for $500M — Bruce Springsteen has sold his publishing catalog to Sony for a reported $500 million, as Billboard reports. — The musician has sold his masters to Sony Music …
Han Zhang / The Guardian:
Profile of Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, a nationalistic tabloid dubbed “China's Fox News”, as he becomes China's most famous propagandist on Twitter — Hu Xijin is China's most famous propagandist. At the Global Times, he helped establish a chest-thumping new tone …
Discussion:
Fortune, Agence France-Presse, @tknoll209k, @jgriffiths, @amonck and @williamyang120
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David Stanway / Reuters:
Hu Xijin announces his retirement as editor-in-chief of Global Times, which is published by CCP outlet People's Daily, but will stay on as a commentator — Hu Xijin, a prolific commentator who is China's best-known propagandist on the global stage, has announced his retirement as editor …
Discussion:
New York Times and Techdirt
Reddit:
Reddit confidentially files its S-1 with the SEC for an IPO; the number of shares to be offered and the price range have yet to be determined — Reddit, Inc. today announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission …
Discussion:
@reddit, Fast Company, Insider, The Register, Reuters, 9to5Mac, iMore, Engadget, @mikeisaac, @hoctopi, @jebus911, Protocol, @noondlyt, @carnage4life, CoinDesk, The Verge and Futureprotech, more at Techmeme »
Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal:
Talent agency UTA says it has acquired marketing and media consulting firm MediaLink, whose clients include NBCU, AT&T, and Unilever, for $125M — The Hollywood talent firm is buying the influential media consulting company as UTA seeks to grow its burgeoning marketing practice
Discussion:
Ad Age, MediaPost, The Wrap, @joshsternberg, @megancgraham, Variety, Deadline and Los Angeles Times
Garett Sloane / Ad Age:
Ad exchange OpenX agrees to pay $2M to settle FTC claims it collected data from children and users who chose not to be tracked; OpenX says it was unintentional — Regulatory action puts spotlight on real-time internet ad markets, data sharing and children's privacy
Discussion:
Federal Trade Commission, TheXchange, @lmoses and @garettsloane
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
TikTok is testing TikTok Live Studio, a Windows app that lets users stream directly to TikTok Live from their computer — What if instead of watching your favorite TikTok star stream on Twitch, you could watch them play video games live on TikTok? For the last few days, according to the platform …
Discussion:
BetaNews, PCMag UK, The Verge, Futureprotech, @joshconstine, @bdsams and Music Ally, more at Techmeme »
Lydia Moynihan / New York Post:
Sources: in the Group Nine-Vox Media merger, Group Nine was valued at $225M, down from $585M in 2016, and Vox was valued at ~$672M, down from $1B in 2015 — Vox Media and Group Nine are keeping the value of their merger private — and that may be because the number isn't as eye-popping …
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, Insider, @larakiara, @digitalshields, @kerrymflynn, Axios and Vanity Fair
Alexander Sammon / American Prospect:
Lobbyists for major companies and trade groups covered by DC-based Punchbowl News attended a Washington Football Team game as guests in the outlet's skybox — Where hosting a confab for lobbyists meets journalistic ethics — On Sunday afternoon, the Washington Football Team lost to the Dallas Cowboys …
Discussion:
@drvolts, @bendreyfuss, @coreyhutchins, @theprospect, @alex_sammon, @davidsirota, @ddayen, @andrewperezdc, @theprospect, @ddayen and @froomkin
Paul Takahashi / Houston Chronicle:
Hearst names Miami Herald President Nancy Meyer as the next publisher of the Houston Chronicle; she starts January 10 as the Chronicle's first female publisher — Nancy Meyer, a veteran newspaper leader and president of the Miami Herald, has been named the next publisher of the Houston Chronicle.
Discussion:
@loritodd and @lomikriel
Rachel Connolly / Financial Times:
Listeners flock to “friendship podcasts” built on rapport among hosts, who are monetizing them via live shows, merchandising, and even album releases — The podcast, with its associations with talk radio, political wonkery and overproduced true crime, can seem a dorky medium.
Discussion:
@rachelconnoll14 and @donetodeath
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
With podcasts selling for millions of dollars, smaller advertisers say they're getting priced out as ad costs soar and relationships become more impersonal — This story is part of a group of stories called — Füm is the type of product that traditionally sells well through podcast ads.
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