Top News:
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
How MowPod, which sells podcast advertising tools, uses mobile game ads to incentivize gamers to follow shows on Apple Podcasts in order to earn in-game tokens — At least nine of the current top 50 shows on Apple Podcasts have been promoted in mobile games — Welcome back to Soundbite.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, John McDermott on LinkedIn and @kantrowitz
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
The Atlantic is profitable, has 1M subscribers, and revenue grew 10% in 2023 thanks to a 50% price hike, a harder paywall, and a shift to in-depth reporting — Storied magazine raised subscription prices and hired top talent; ‘we make something worth buying’
Discussion:
Candace Montgomery on LinkedIn, @delia_cai, Stuart Coxe on LinkedIn, @nycsouthpaw, @palewire, @alexbruell, Megha Garibaldi on LinkedIn, Nieman Lab, Justin Pallenik on LinkedIn, Alice McKown on LinkedIn, Bhumika Tharoor on LinkedIn, Molly Logan Cox on LinkedIn, The Hill, The Atlantic, Mariah Craddick on LinkedIn, @edmundlee@threads.net, @thekenyeung@mastodon.social, @davidtoddmccarty@me.dm, Nicholas Thompson on LinkedIn and The Wrap
Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer:
Google informs users in the US that Google Podcasts is shutting down April 2 and recommends exporting podcast subscriptions to YouTube Music — U.S. users have just a few more days to make the transition from Google Podcasts as the company moves forward with the process of discontinuing the service globally.
Discussion:
@killedbygoogle, @killedbygoogle, @jmwilt21, @andrewmccalip, @BleepingComputer … and Android Police, more at Techmeme »
Jackie Snow / Quartz:
How newsrooms like Semafor and Skift are using generative AI for internal editing, story summaries, paywalled chatbots trained on their archives, and more — Beyond high-profile wins and faceplants, understated but impactful applications of generative AI are transforming newsrooms
Discussion:
@semaforcomms
Podnews:
Survey of Americans aged 12+: 47% of have listened to a podcast in the last month, up 12% YoY, 76% listened to online audio in the past month, and more — The portion of Americans who listen to any kind of online audio, and the portion who listen to podcasts, have both reached new record highs …
Discussion:
Inside Radio, RAIN News and RADIO ONLINE
Ellen Huet / Bloomberg:
Tech CEOs looking to “go direct” and avoid traditional media, which they view as unfairly critical, turn to friendly podcasters like Lex Fridman — Tech CEOs have a growing set of ways to sidestep traditional media. But first... Don't press
Discussion:
@nikitabier and @garrytan
NPR:
How Richmond Standard, a newspaper funded by the California town's biggest employer Chevron, puts its own spin on events as the town's primary news source — NPR's David Folkenflik reported this story with Miranda Green of Floodlight, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action.
Reuters:
Blackwells, which is in a proxy fight with Disney, sues Disney over possible disclosure violations in dealings with ValueAct; Disney calls the claims “baseless” — Blackwells Capital upped the pressure on Walt Disney (DIS.N) in a long-running boardroom battle …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Yahoo Finance, Quartz, The Indian Express and Deadline
Peter Kafka / Business Insider:
The proposed Living Wage for Musicians Act would add $4-$10/month to streaming fees, distributed based on usage and also capped to limit funds to top artists — - A proposed bill would add an extra $4 to $10 a month to streaming music fees. — Making streaming music work better for artists …
Discussion:
The Guardian, @pkafka, @pkafka and UMAW
New York Times:
Karlie Kloss' Bedford buys Life publication rights from Dotdash Meredith and plans to resume regular print publication in 2025; Josh Kushner will be publisher — The investor Josh Kushner and his wife, Karlie Kloss, have struck a deal with Barry Diller's media company to revive it as a regular print title.
Discussion:
Bedford Media, El País, Raw Story, Columbia Journalism Review, @angiejaime, Newser, @kelseyjbarnes, Vulture, Al Jazeera, The Hollywood Reporter, @media_bedford, @alex, @joshuakushner, New York Daily News, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, New York Post, Variety, Rolling Stone, The Information, The Wrap, Deadline and @lapresmidi
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
New York-based The Brandtech Group, which provides generative AI-based tools for advertising and marketing campaigns, raised a $115M Series C at a $4B valuation — The Brandtech Group will use funds to disrupt industry with machine-generated content and artificial intelligence
Discussion:
The Brandtech Group, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
The NBC News-Ronna McDaniel saga highlights the perks and perils of partisan talk TV; a source says McDaniel is now seeking $600K+ for her two year deal — Why are television news networks so enamored with paid Beltway analysts? — Trying to juice ratings in an election year …
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