Top News:
Adam Jacobson / Radio & Television Business Report:
Salem Media agrees to be acquired by The Christian Community Foundation, doing business as WaterStone, in a deal that will take Salem Media private — Salem Media Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by The Christian Community Foundation, Inc., doing business as WaterStone …
Discussion:
Inside Radio, @larryoconnor, @johnnycast60804, @ounkaonx, HotAir, Pulse 2.0, Radio Ink, Barrett Media, NewsMax.com, Salem Media Group, Inc., Radio World and Barrett Media
Rohan Goswami / Semafor:
Paramount sent a letter to California AG Rob Bonta last week saying “Paramount and WBD have every intention” to keep filling theaters in the state and worldwide — THE SCOOP — Paramount is racing to reassure Hollywood that its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery …
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
SAG-AFTRA's tentative contract lets studios use synthetic actors if they add “significant” value and requires bargaining if studios license performances for AI — The deal, unveiled on Monday, allows studios to use synthetic performers only if they bring “significant additional value” to a project.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Grazia Editor-in-Chief Hattie Brett is stepping down in September after an eight-year tenure during which the outlet launched brand extensions like Grazia CASA — Outgoing Grazia editor says magazine has undergone ‘true transformation’. — Grazia editor-in-chief Hattie Brett will leave …
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
More TV news anchors are considering digital options like video podcasts and YouTube shows, as lucrative TV contracts become less valuable and more scarce — As cost cuts roil the networks, A-list talent (and their agents) are mulling ways to go indie to make up for slashed salaries — a move that's not only risky but expensive.
Discussion:
@kylec.bsky.social, @wajali.bsky.social and @mehdirhasan.bsky.social
John Koblin / New York Times:
YouTube is shifting its creator monetization strategy by acting as a matchmaker between creators and sponsors, as Netflix and TikTok increasingly woo creators — The company is trying to help streaming influencers, who are increasingly being wooed by competitors like Netflix and TikTok.
Discussion:
Tubefilter, Wall Street Journal, Social Media Today, MediaPost, Financial Post, WeRSM, PCMag and Communicate Online
Sarah Fielding / Fast Company:
BuzzFeed's shares jump 90.44% following the deal with Allen Family Digital; BuzzFeed plans to set up BuzzFeed Studios and Tasty as a new independent entity — Allen will become CEO, while founder Jonah Peretti will transition to a new role. BuzzFeed shares had been trading at under a dollar for most of 2026.
Discussion:
ExchangeWire.com, New York Times, U.S. Home, Barchart.com, Washington Times, International Business Times, Adweek, WPXI-TV, The American Bazaar, Yahoo Finance, Radio & Television …, The Information, Blockonomi, Axios, Newser, Pulse 2.0, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, Mumbrella, Dow Jones Newswires, Reuters, Baller Alert, Wall Street Journal, Just Jared, TheGrio, The Wrap, Deadline, The A.V. Club, Variety, Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter
Wall Street Journal:
Antenna: ad-supported tiers make up ~50% of all US premium subscription VOD sign-ups; ad tiers drove 78% of ~65M net subscriber adds in the past nine quarters — Advertiser spending on streaming is projected to hit $20 billion by 2029, as consumers flock to cheaper ad-supported plans
Discussion:
eMarketer and Jamnews in English
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
In a meeting, the BBC announces a pay freeze for executive committee members, the organization's 12 highest-paid bosses, including the director general — Workers told to be realistic about outcome of union talks as corporation aims to make savings with job cuts
Sam Schube / Wall Street Journal:
A profile of Kareem Rahma, host of Subway Takes, which has 2M Instagram followers, as he prepares to launch 10-episode YouTube series Keep the Meter Running — Kareem Rahma is making programs for the one screen everyone's watching — | Photography by Tonje Thilesen for WSJ. Magazine
Discussion:
Cultured Mag and Deadline
Tim Starks / CyberScoop:
Google launches Intrusion Logging, a feature developed with Reporters Without Borders and others to log sophisticated attacks, on Android 16 Pixel devices — Intrusion Logging marks the first feature from a major device vendor to aid with forensic detection of sophisticated threats, Amnesty International said.
Discussion:
Amnesty International …, The Hacker News and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
Ofcom is investigating GB News over a Trump interview from November for “due impartiality and material misleadingness”, after initially declining to investigate — Ofcom will probe GB News over a Donald Trump interview after all. — The UK regulator, which has been in something …
Discussion:
The Standard, The Daily Sceptic, @alanvibe, @stopfundinghate, @thenewworldmag, @meralhece, @jamiesont, @annettedittert, @arusbridger, @mrjohnnicolson, @stewartpurvis, @prestonjbyrne, @dominicwaghorn, @michaelsavage, @stewartpurvis, @gordy_mc1ntosh, The National, Telegraph, The Guardian and The New World
