Top News:
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
A quick analysis of The Messenger's content shows an outlet with stories that resemble those from a British tabloid and bylines apparently overwhelmingly male — The new site from the former owner of The Hill — backed by $50 million — feels like a remnant of an earlier age. — command-f, c, a, r, r, o, l, l.
Discussion:
@jbenton, @swodinsky, @aidnmclaughlin, @_cingraham, @stevemullis, @dbernstein, @grahamstarr, @mwatkinstrib, @alexkoppelman, @chrisgeidner, @cwarzel, @niemanlab, @swodinsky, @joshtpm, @gabrieljr, @jayrosen_nyu, @hilella, @katzish, @meghnawbur, @digiphile, @jon_christian, @samjmintz, @ckrewson, @laurahazardowen and @froomkin
Andrew Marchand / New York Post:
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee breaks his four-year $120M FanDuel contract to move his show to ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPN's YouTube channel, set to start in the fall — “The Pat McAfee Show” is moving to ESPN in a multimillion-dollar deal that he is expected to begin in the fall, The Post has learned.
Discussion:
@patmcafeeshow, Awful Announcing, The Ringer, Front Office Sports, al.com, Poynter, @nfl_dovkleiman, @woodyshw, @sportstalkmatt, @chuckpaganonfl, @chrisdokish, @rapsheet, @morningmashup, @17formvp, @torreysmithwr, @realpacman24, @bostonconnr, @wadeplem, Barrett Media, @nfl_dovkleiman, @philmackey, @michele_tafoya, @dvebillcrawford, @evanfoxy, The Comeback, @tyschmit, @recedavis, Associated Press, @jeskeets, @kalebnfl, Sportico, Adweek, Next TV, Sports Illustrated, Daily Mail, Mediaite, Awful Announcing, Bloomberg, Deadline and The Athletic
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
BBC News announces BBC Verify to “pull back the curtain” and offer “radical transparency” on its journalists' work, with a team of 60 from OSINT and elsewhere — BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness said BBC Verify would “pull back the curtain”.
Discussion:
@pressgazette and @marcusryder
Josh Eidelson / Bloomberg:
CNET employees seek to form a union representing ~100 writers, editors, and other content creators with WGA East and ask management for voluntary recognition — CNET journalists are pushing to unionize, seeking a formal say on issues including the use of artificial intelligence at the technology-news company.
Discussion:
The Verge, @glenngabe, @kevincollier, @mattdpearce, @niemanlab, @scalzi, @josheidelson, @dsgolson, @raehodge, Wired, Engadget and Talking Biz News
Tatiana Siegel / Variety:
Sources: a handful of Fox anchors have reached out to Tucker Carlson to express interest in joining his forthcoming Twitter venture once their contracts are up — On April 26, Carlson spoke by phone with one of Fox Corp.'s eight board members, who told the host that his recent benching …
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, New York Times, @_cingraham, @pbump, @donlew87, @thewrap, @donlew87, @donlew87, @oneunderscore__, @mathewi, @variety, The Wrap, Insider, The Hill, Raw Story and The Messenger
Wall Street Journal:
Antenna: Netflix's $6.99 ad tier had 937,616 US subscribers in March, out of ~55M total, and Disney+'s ad tier, launched a few weeks after Netflix, had 863,791 — Streaming leader had fewer than one million U.S. subscribers on its ad-supported plan as of March
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: Austin Russell plans to invest $10M in the $656M Forbes acquisition; the rest will come from Sun Group, two businessmen, and investors that GSV finds — Austin Russell, the 28-year-old American CEO of electric vehicle tech company Luminar Technologies, plans to put in only $10 million …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, @sarafischer, @rafat, @michaelgwaltz, @robpegoraro, @simonwdc, The Information and Columbia Journalism Review
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair:
The NYT launches New York Times Audio on iOS after ~1.5 years in private beta, with short-form stories, a daily news show called The Headlines, and more — While the rest of the audio industry craters, the Gray Lady debuts a one-stop app for subscribers, with new short-form stories and an even shorter daily morning podcast.
Discussion:
Adweek, The New York Times Company, @nytimespr, @sarthakgh, @pkafka and @vanityfair
Jennifer Schuessler / New York Times:
Masha Gessen resigns from the board of free expression group PEN America after a panel with Russian writers was canceled due to objections by Ukrainian writers — Masha Gessen stepped down following the free expression group's decision to cancel an event at its World Voices Festival after Ukrainian writers threatened to boycott.
Discussion:
Reason, Associated Press and The Atlantic
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
A New York appeals court reinstates parts of a sexual assault lawsuit against former ABC News executive Michael Corn; a lower court dismissed the suit in 2022 — Michael Corn, who left ABC News in 2021, has denied the allegations — A New York appeals court reinstated parts …
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
In an email, the WGA negotiating committee says its proposals would cost an estimated $429M per year, including $75M to Disney, $68M to Netflix, and $47M to WBD — The Writers Guild of America argued Tuesday that the strike will end up costing studios more if it goes on for “weeks and months” …
Discussion:
@gabrielsherman, Collider, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline
Bill Peters / MarketWatch:
Rumble acquires podcasting and livestreaming service Callin; former PayPal COO and Callin's co-founder David Sacks plans to join Rumble's board of directors — 'I strongly support Rumble's unwavering commitment to free speech in the face of growing censorship and government overreach …
Discussion:
Inside Radio, @yoda, @amitisinvesting, @silvermanjacob, @davidsacks, The Verge and Rumble, Inc., more at Techmeme »