Top News:
Kathryn Wilkens / Mediaite:
At CPAC, FCC Chair Brendan Carr boasted “Trump is winning”, citing PBS and NPR defunding and the departures of Joy Reid, Chuck Todd, Stephen Colbert, and others — During a Friday CPAC appearance, FCC Chair Brendan Carr bragged that he's remaking the media by pushing out left-leaning figures …
Discussion:
Status, The Hill, @jayrosen.bsky.social, @brendancarrfcc, twitchy.com, @mehdirhasan, NPR, The Wrap, @newnarrative.bsky.social, @mehdirhasan, @acyn, Washington Examiner and RedState
Todd Spangler / Variety:
A MoffettNathanson chart showed Netflix delivered 48 cents of revenue per hour viewed in 2025, below competitors, giving it room for its price hike this week — As the “KPop Demon Hunters” Oscar-winning hit song “Golden” says: “We're goin' up, up, up.” — It's not rocket science.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT, Yahoo Finance, The Motley Fool, The Hans India, Todd Spangler on LinkedIn, TODAY.com, Proactive, POST Wrestling, Mercury News, The Shortcut, Daring Fireball, TheDesk.net, Barron's Online, The Mac Observer, The Independent, Watcher Guru and MacRumors
Isabella Simonetti / Wall Street Journal:
A profile of Fortune editor Nick Lichtenberg, who uses AI to research and write articles; AI-assisted stories made up ~20% of Fortune's web traffic in H2 2025 — A Fortune editor has cranked out more than 600 stories using the technology; 'this won't be seen as some people's idea of journalism'
Discussion:
@jeremymbarr, @olgakhazan, @grossdm, @michaelroston, Marisa Kabas on LinkedIn, @PeteTucker@mastodon.social, @meghanbobrowsky, @gwill2k.bsky.social, @jfeej.bsky.social, @marisakabas.bsky.social, @charlottealter, @minakimes.bsky.social, @marisakabas.bsky.social, Yahoo Finance, @joshsternberg.com and Fortune
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Maxwell Zeff / Wired:
How some independent tech reporters are using AI, which they say allows them to do more reporting and recreate newsroom resources like editors and fact-checkers
How some independent tech reporters are using AI, which they say allows them to do more reporting and recreate newsroom resources like editors and fact-checkers
Discussion:
@joshdaws, @doog, @jasminewsun, @alexeheath, @zeffmax, @vcunningham, @lizzieohreally.bsky.social, Jordan Mitchell on LinkedIn, @geek4dogs, @joannastern, @kevinroose, @jasminewsun, @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @knibbs.bsky.social, @karlbode.com, Talking Biz News, Business Insider and r/Journalism
New York Times:
Sources: Versant is one of multiple suitors in talks to buy Vox Media's podcast network as it seeks to diversify its revenue; NBCU invested $200M in Vox in 2015 — Versant, the parent company of CNBC and MS NOW, is looking to continue expanding its business beyond cable TV.
Discussion:
@mediaevan, Adweek, Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, Awful Announcing, The Wrap, The A.V. Club and Mediaite
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Internal figures show Business Insider's paid subscribers have consistently declined, from about 185K at the end of 2022 to 135K at the end of 2025, a 27% drop — Barbara Peng was elevated in November 2023 from president to chief executive, and she later tapped Jamie Heller in September 2024 …
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
A US judge grants DirecTV a temporary restraining order blocking the Nexstar-Tegna merger, finding DirecTV's position that it violates antitrust laws persuasive — A federal judge in California has granted DIRECTV a temporary restraining order in a legal challenge brought against Nexstar Media Group's $6.2 billion merger with TEGNA.
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Spotify and record labels seek a $322M judgment from Anna's Archive for scraping Spotify and an injunction requiring hosting providers to disable access — Spotify and major record labels are seeking a $322 million default judgment from Anna's Archive, which hasn't responded to court proceedings …
Discussion:
Music Ally, @whoa-magic.lol, Digital Music News, Music Business Worldwide, CMU and heise online
Reuters:
Meta's longtime content policy chief Monika Bickert is leaving the company to teach at Harvard; she will stay at Meta until August to work on a transition plan — Meta's long-time content policy chief Monika Bickert, who oversaw the writing and enforcement of Facebook's content policies …
David Smith / The Guardian:
Jane Fonda led a Kennedy Center rally Friday with ~100 invited guests, including journalists Jim Acosta and Joy Reid, to protest free speech threats under Trump — Actor outside Kennedy Center urges Americans to ‘stand tall against authoritarianism’ and resist free-speech threats
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
The Writers Guild Staff Union, on strike for almost six weeks, has offered a contract proposal to WGA West management, seeking a response by Monday at midnight — Tensions are starting to boil over between the Writers Guild of America West and its striking staffers, who have been without paychecks for going on six weeks.
Discussion:
Page Six, The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter
Indiegraf:
Indiegraf acquires Hearken, which was founded in 2015 by Jennifer Brandel to help newsrooms build trust by involving the public in the reporting process — We're excited to announce that Indiegraf has acquired Hearken, an organization that has spent over a decade leading the industry in the shift from reach to relationships.
Discussion:
Indiegraf and Jennifer Brandel on LinkedIn
Reuters:
Sources: US DOJ has sent subpoenas in its Paramount WBD acquisition probe, seeking information on how the deal would affect studio output, theaters, and more — The U.S. Department of Justice has sent subpoenas in its investigation of Paramount Skydance's (PSKY.O) acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery …
Discussion:
@filmbrainbmb.bsky.social, @ericfinalfantasy.bsky.social, @karlbode.com, Deadline, Benzinga and Media Play News
