Top News:
Amol Sharma / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Comcast plans to announce Wednesday that it will be spinning off its NBCUniversal cable TV networks including MSNBC and CNBC, with Mark Lazarus as CEO — New venture will house channels like E!, USA and MSNBC; company to announce several leadership changes
Discussion:
Axios, CNN, Variety, Bloomberg, CNBC, @sallyshin, @tvgrimreaper, @asharma, @asharma, @asharma and @brianstelter
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Bluesky has 20M+ users after hitting 15M on Nov. 13; Appfigures: it's been #1 in US App Store since Nov. 13; Similarweb: its DAU gap with Threads is narrowing — Bluesky, the social network and X competitor has been benefiting from a surge of departures from the Elon Musk-owned app formerly known as Twitter.
Discussion:
Engadget, The Hollywood Reporter, Washington Times, Similarweb, @Tibor@mastodon.social, @lif3asmaj.bsky.social, @jay.bsky.team, @paleofuture.bsky.social, @nachristakis.bsky.social, @conorsen.bsky.social, @o.simardcasanova.net, @tkaz99.bsky.social, @keithedwards.bsky.social, @henrymance.bsky.social, Business Insider, @oremus.bsky.social, @evankirstel.bsky.social, @aarnegranlund.bsky.social, theJasmineBRAND, @mosseri@threads.net, @willoremus@threads.net, @timboard.bsky.social, @johnspurlock.com, The Irish Times, Forbes and CNET, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
The Economist, The Week, ITV News, and others have joined Bluesky in the past week, while Politico, Semafor, Tortoise have resumed their activity on the site — A wave of news publishers have arrived on Bluesky in recent days, following audiences and journalists departing X/Twitter.
Sean Burch / The Wrap:
In a statement, Jay Penske says The Hollywood Reporter has replaced co-EIC Nekesa Mumbi Moody with Shirley Halperin, following staff cuts in June and August — Halperin recently resigned as editor of Los Angeles Magazine — The Hollywood Reporter replaced co-editor in chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody …
Discussion:
Reuters, Talking Biz News and The Hollywood Reporter
New York Times:
Filings: The Onion's Infowars bid was $7M, including backing from Sandy Hook families and $1.75M in cash; Alex Jones-linked First United's bid was $3.5M in cash — A hearing is scheduled for Monday to review the auction process, which is being contested by a losing bidder associated with Alex Jones, the Infowars founder.
Discussion:
Breitbart, @benmullin.bsky.social, Politico and Business Insider
RELATED:
Aaron Katersky / ABC News:
Filing: Alex Jones asks a judge to halt the sale of Infowars; a company affiliated with him, which was the losing bidder, seeks to disqualify The Onion's bid — Jones called The Onion's winning $1.75 million bid “sheer nonsense.” — Alex Jones of Infowars talks to the media while visiting …
Discussion:
CNN, Austin American-Statesman, @benmullin, @passantino@threads.net, Bloomberg Law, Associated Press, Reuters and New Republic
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Sources: MSNBC's Morning Joe meeting with Trump was driven by fears of retribution from the incoming administration, including governmental and legal harassment — New York CNN — — “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski announced Monday, in dramatic fashion …
Discussion:
New York Post, Trending Politics …, Check Your Fact, Digby's Hullabaloo, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, @keitholbermann, @brianstelter, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @wjcarter, @mediaevan, @emmavigeland, @adamjohnsonchi, Variety, The Independent, @prettybadlefty, Raw Story, @brianstelter, @schooley.bsky.social, The Guardian, @marceelias, @cherijacobus, The Wrap, @daveweigel, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @meidastouch.bsky.social, @mattwelch, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @timfullerton.bsky.social, @brendannyhan.bsky.social, New Jersey Online, @jeffgoldesq, Adweek, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, al.com and CNN
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Spines, an AI-powered self-publishing service for book authors that provides suggestions on edits, cover design, more, raised a $16M Series A after a $6.5M seed — Generative AI has upended how we write things, or even if we write at all. Now a startup wants to be the main character …
Discussion:
Michael Eisenberg on LinkedIn, Spines and Oren Zeev on LinkedIn
Apple:
The NYT's The Daily tops Apple Podcasts' most popular US shows in 2024, followed by Crime Junkie, The Joe Rogan Experience, Dateline NBC, and SmartLess — Today, Apple shared the most popular podcasts of 2024, with year-end charts localized for listeners in nearly 100 countries and regions.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, The Information, Jake Shapiro on LinkedIn, BGR, @alexweprin, 9to5Mac and AppleInsider
Dave Lawler / Axios:
Trump picks TV personality and 2022 US Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz to serve as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — - Kennedy, Trump's pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, would be Oz's boss if both are confirmed by the Senate.
Discussion:
CNN, Mediaite, The Wrap, Variety, Los Angeles Times, Breitbart, Le Monde, Roll Call, Entertainment Weekly, Benzinga, KTVU-TV, New Republic, Virginia Mercury, @edburmila.bsky.social, The Guardian, CNBC, New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story, WHEC.com, MM+M, The Lever, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The 19th, FierceHealthcare, NBC News, Alternet.org, Healthcare Dive, @jakesherman, NPR, Politico, Trending Politics …, The Independent, @thedesk.net, USA Today, STAT, @joel_montfort@threads.net, @BrianJopek@mastodon.world, TVNewsCheck, Rolling Stone, @ronfrankl.bsky.social, People, New York Daily News, @pnwdreadpirate.bsky.social, @petermorley.bsky.social, @davidmwessel.bsky.social, @ejfagan.com, @keithboykin.bsky.social, @timobrien.bsky.social, CBS News, Protect Our Care, Deadline, Business Insider, The Hollywood Reporter and New York Post
Charlotte Klein / New York Magazine:
Sources detail continued financial losses at WaPo, internal competition for the top newsroom job, and staff dissatisfaction with a new return-to-office policy — Even before 250,000 digital readers unsubscribed from the Washington Post in protest, the paper was on track to lose at least as much money as it lost last year: $77 million.
Discussion:
New York Post, @claeshs.bsky.social, @charlottetklein.bsky.social and @nymag
Bloomberg:
Source: Microsoft signs a deal with News Corp's HarperCollins to use nonfiction titles to train an unannounced AI model; HarperCollins says authors can opt out — - Nonfiction books will be used for training AI models — AI companies and publishers have butted heads in lawsuits
Discussion:
The Information, Music Ally, @nicolap.bsky.social, @amykristinsanders.bsky.social, The Guardian, The Verge, @kagan@wandering.shop, @samleecole.bsky.social, @tylerking.bsky.social, Publishers Weekly, @uwestenderphd.bsky.social, @adrienneleigh.bsky.social, @felixgillette.bsky.social, @parodius.bsky.social, @tylerking.bsky.social, The Bookseller, BGR and Library Journal infoDOCKET, more at Techmeme »
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