Top News:

Similarweb: Google's AI tools are significantly cutting organic search traffic to news publishers; traffic to BI, HuffPost, and WaPo is down ~50% in three years — Chatbots are replacing Google's traditional search, devastating traffic for some publishers — The AI armageddon is here for online news publishers.
Discussion:
Adweek, TechCrunch, Newsbusters, @mcwm@threads.com, TVNewsCheck, @simonowens, @thespaceshipper.com, Quartz, One Man & His Blog, Beyond Search, @wavesblog.bsky.social, @dylanbyers, @jtoonkel, @bgurley, @lonseidman, @rustybrick, @carnage4life@mas.to, @lisadrewradio, @gzuckerman and PhoneArena, more at Techmeme »

Internal memo: Paramount Global is cutting its US-based staff by 3.5% and may also reduce its workforce outside of the US over time — Paramount Global is cutting its U.S.-based staff by 3.5%, the latest round of layoffs at the media company as it contends with the decline of the traditional pay-TV bundle and macroeconomic headwinds.
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Wrap, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Proactive, BioSpace, UPI, The A.V. Club, Cord Cutters News, CBS News, Deadline, Yahoo Finance, Entrepreneur, The Hollywood Reporter, NewsMax.com, Bloomberg and r/movies

CPJ says police have assaulted “more than 20” journalists, including by less-lethal projectiles, since LA protests began on June 6, echoing the 2020 US protests — Reporters say they were struck with less-lethal rounds fired by law enforcement. Advocates worry it will inhibit vital journalism.
Discussion:
CNN, BBC, New York Times, First Amendment Coalition, Columbia Journalism Review, The Hill, Media Nation, The Guardian, Wired, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Detroit Free Press, The Guardian, KFF Health News, TVNewsCheck, The National Interest, Reporters Without Borders, Committee to Protect …, Deadline, @rsf.org, @mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io, @tracyjan.bsky.social, MediaPost, @hbwhbwhbw.bsky.social, @yousefbaig.bsky.social, @scottnover.bsky.social, @scottnover.bsky.social, Committee to Protect …, PetaPixel, NBC News, Grabien, CBS News, MyNewsLA.com, Irish News, The Guardian and r/Journalism

Vanity Fair names Vogue creative editorial director Mark Guiducci as its global editorial director, replacing Radhika Jones and starting at the end of June — Mark Guiducci will be the first “global editorial director” at Vanity Fair.Amir Hamja for The New York Times — Vanity Fair has found its next editor.
Discussion:
Variety, @mediaevan, @lapresmidi, @katie_robertson, Mark Guiducci on Instagram, Condé Nast and The Hollywood Reporter

SmartLess podcast hosts create SmartLess Mobile, a phone company that will run on T-Mobile's network and target customers who can save money by taking less data — Actors see opportunity in mobile service with lower data — The hosts of SmartLess are starting a phone company.
Discussion:
Ad Age, The Hollywood Reporter, CBS News, SmartLess Mobile and @dannygroner.bsky.social

CPB CEO Patricia Harrison says three board members that President Trump tried to fire in April remain directors, after a US judge recognizes CPB's independence — Correction: A previous version of this article gave incorrect names of the fired CPB board members. They are Laura Ross, Diane Kaplan and Thomas Rothman.
Discussion:
Current, CPB, Inside Radio, TV Tech, Reuters, Radio Ink, Deadline, Radio & Television …, Diane Ravitch's blog and RADIO ONLINE

The Orlando Sentinel got a cease-and-desist from Florida's DCF that claims its reporter coerced families for a story on a foundation tied to Gov. DeSantis' wife — Florida's child welfare agency sent a letter to a Florida newspaper telling it to “cease and desist” its reporting on foster families …
Discussion:
Orlando Sentinel, @tyleraking.com, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @zuma888.bsky.social, @nytpitchbot.bsky.social, @joekrulder.bsky.social, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, Florida Politics, @michaelsderby.bsky.social, @willbunch.bsky.social, @jestastrophy.bsky.social, @skippyoz.bsky.social, @anthonylfisher.bsky.social, @SteveThompson@mastodon.social, @mmasnick.bsky.social, Mediaite, Alternet.org and Raw Story

SAG-AFTRA reaches a tentative deal with Activision, EA, Epic, Take-Two, and other game companies on the Interactive Media Contract, after months of strikes — The video game actors' strike may soon come to an end. — The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Verge, TheGamer, Push Square, MarketWatch, Polygon, Kotaku, Game Informer, TVNewsCheck, Aftermath, PocketGamer.biz, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Deadline, VentureBeat, GamesIndustry.biz, The Hollywood Reporter, PC Games Insider, Blue's News and PC Gamer, more at Techmeme »

Tencent Music agrees to buy podcasting startup Ximalaya for $1.3B in cash, plus some stock, in a bid to become China's Spotify; Ximalaya had 303M MAUs in 2023 — The company, a unit of WeChat-operator Tencent Holdings Ltd., will issue shares to its founders and other backers to help fund the acquisition, it said in a statement.
Discussion:
Yahoo Finance, Billboard, Benzinga, Digital Music News, Reuters, Music Business Worldwide and South China Morning Post

MLB acquires a minority stake in Jomboy Media and partners with the baseball-centered media company to collaborate on content activations, IP growth, and more — Jimmy “Jomboy” O'Brien has made it to the big leagues. — O'Brien's Jomboy Media has inked a strategic pact with Major League Baseball …
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, MLB.com, TVNewsCheck, Associated Press, @sportsrapport, @maxmannis, @brappy55, @jomboymedia, More Jomboy on YouTube, @jomboymedia, @brownsonjacob2, @mazznyc, @simmy_cohen, Sports Business Journal, MLB.com, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Sportico, Barrett Media and Front Office Sports

Warner Bros Discovery plans to launch HBO Max in 12 countries in July, mostly in Europe and some in Asia, bringing it to around 90 territories in total — Europe has been the fastest-growing international region for the streaming service, which is getting ready to accelerate its global growth strategy with the latest market debuts.

WPP Media expects ad revenue from user-generated content and platforms like YouTube and TikTok to surpass that from traditional media for the first time in 2025 — User-generated material to surpass advertising income from professional media amid change in viewing habits