Top News:
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Spotify adjusts its “plays” metric for podcasts to only appear on episodes with at least 50K plays, updating at specific milestones, like 100K or 1M plays — Spotify announced last week that it would roll out public play counts on all podcasts as a way of “helping attract new fans.”
Discussion:
Spotify for Creators and The Verge
Washington Post:
More than 500 Voice of America contractors are expected to lose their jobs by June 30; Kari Lake says 584 total employees were terminated across USAGM — More than 500 of the news service's contractors could be out of a job on June 30. — More than 500 Voice of America contractors …
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, Media Matters for America, The Guardian, Washington Times, @matthewkeyslive, @savevoanow, @w7voa, @herbscribner, @fatimatlis, @davidfolkenflik, @sarahellison, @scottnover, Washington Examiner, TVNewsCheck, Michael Abramowitz on LinkedIn, The Desk, Bloomberg and @w7voa@journa.host
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Kelly Kasulis Cho / Washington Post:
A profile of Ulviyya Ali, a VOA journalist in Azerbaijan until February, who has been jailed, like others in the country, on charges of currency smuggling — Ulviyya Ali reported for Voice of America for years. Trump's moves to dismantle the U.S.-funded outlet may have put her at greater risk, activists say.
Reuters:
Charter says it will acquire Cox Communications for $21.9B, valuing Cox at $34.5B including debt and uniting two of the biggest US cable and broadband operators — Broadband and cable TV provider Charter (CHTR.O) is in advanced talks to combine with Cox Communications in a deal that values Cox …
Discussion:
CNN, MediaPost, TV Tech, Bloomberg, NBC News, Adweek, UPI, TVNewsCheck, Fast Company, Variety, The Information, Sports Business Journal, Dylan Jones on LinkedIn, Media Play News, The Verge, KARE-TV, Deadline, New York Times, Benzinga, ZeroHedge News, Fortune, Barron's Online, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, Axios, CNBC, Cord Cutters News, Reuters and @claireatki, more at Techmeme »
Variety:
A look at the pay packages of some top media and entertainment executives in 2024; seven of the 10 examined executives got raises despite lackluster earnings — Top execs kept raking in the bucks last year, even as many of the companies they led struggled to stay aloft
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck
Mike Scarcella / Reuters:
Filing: advertisers ask a US judge to dismiss X's lawsuit accusing them of boycotting the company, arguing X failed to show that they acted with any common plan — Major companies that curtailed advertising on Elon Musk's social media platform X over concerns about its ability …
Discussion:
Marketing Charts, BMI, Futurism and Business Insider
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
C-SPAN plans to debut Ceasefire, its first new weekly show in 20 years in the fall, envisioned as conversations between lawmakers on opposite sides of the aisle — “Ceasefire” will be the low-key public affairs channel's first new weekly show in two decades. The question is whether Republicans and Democrats will show up.
Discussion:
Mock Paper Scissors, TVNewsCheck, C-SPAN.org, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter
Advanced Television:
Dailymotion acquires Archery, the company that develops Mojo, an AI-assisted video creation and editing app, which has been downloaded 50M+ times — Dailymotion, the video platform owned by Canal+, has acquired Archery, the company responsible for developing Mojo, the AI-assisted video creation …
Discussion:
Bichoï Bastha on LinkedIn, Bruno Latapie on LinkedIn and @jean_patry
Jordyn Holman / New York Times:
Q&A with PBS' Paula Kerger on why it's hard for PBS to plug budgetary gaps created by the loss of federal funding, its importance as a creative incubator, more — Paula Kerger, the chief executive of PBS, is used to fights over the public broadcaster's funding.
Discussion:
Amy Wigler on LinkedIn, @hofrench.bsky.social, Inside Radio and NPR
Roberto Ferdman / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at Maine-base Civic Sunlight, which sends newsletters with AI-generated summaries of city council meetings and has partnered with local legacy news orgs — Twists and turns for a surprisingly well-received experiment in Maine. — When Tom Cochran and David Mortlock started kicking around ideas …
Columbia Journalism Review:
How publishers are navigating their relationship with platforms amid generative AI's rise, based on interviews with 34 news and tech industry representatives — This research is generously funded by the Tow Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. — Introduction
Bloomberg:
Sources: DOJ is conducting a criminal antitrust probe into whether Live Nation and AEG illegally colluded on concert refunds at the start of the COVID pandemic — The US Justice Department is conducting a criminal antitrust probe into how companies responded to mass concert cancellations …
Discussion:
@matthewstoller, @benbrodydc, The Hollywood Reporter and Reuters
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