Top News:
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
CBS News declines to renew the contract of 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, six months after Bari Weiss pulled her segment on a Salvadoran prison — Sharyn Alfonsi, whose segment on a brutal Salvadoran prison was pulled abruptly in December, said that CBS News and its top editor, Bari Weiss, had let her contract expire.
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Status, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill, @kylegriffin1, Staff Stories, @sammyroth.bsky.social, @scottnover, @grynbaum, @benmullin, @paulksmith.bsky.social, Washington Times, @abbeyarletto.bsky.social, Adweek, @juliannemcshane.bsky.social, National Enquirer, Benjamin Mullin on LinkedIn, Jeff Jarvis on LinkedIn, New Republic, HuffPost, Newser, Bloomberg, New York Post, @dave1agar.bsky.social, The Present Age, @hfgarcia.bsky.social, Raw Story, NBC News, @susanrinkunas.com, Washington Post, U.S. Home, The Wrap, Mirror US, Mediaite, @cultexpert.freedomofmind.com, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, The A.V. Club, @newsguyusa@flipboard.social, The Daily Beast, @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social, @froomkin.bsky.social, Variety and TVNewsCheck
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Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
Condé Nast and the NewsGuild of New York reach a deal over the 2025 termination of four staff after a confrontation with a Condé executive, and will pay $400K — The publishing giant is allowing workers to resign as active employees and paying a financial settlement.
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Sources: NPR lays off 10 journalists, including some veteran reporters, and gives buyouts to at least 18 news staffers to save $8M amid federal funding cuts — NPR has laid off 10 journalists, including some veteran reporters, in an attempt to save money and reorganize the newsroom.
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MPR News, @audiosand.bsky.social, @micahloewinger.bsky.social, @edeggans.bsky.social, @jimkanemedia.bsky.social, @evanlgeorge.bsky.social, Cord Cutters News, Current, @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social, @titonka.bsky.social, @gbrumfiel.bsky.social, @gbrumfiel.bsky.social, @gbrumfiel.bsky.social, @gbrumfiel.bsky.social, @gbrumfiel.bsky.social, @gbrumfiel.bsky.social and Local News Initiative
Mariella Moon / Engadget:
Last.fm says it is now an independent company again, 19 years after being acquired by CBS, and plans to keep its current team and continue the service as normal — Don't worry: It will keep your profiles and scrobbles. — Last.fm is an independent company again, it has announced on its forum …
Discussion:
Last.fm Support Community and Pixel Envy, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Meta rolls out Plus plans for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp globally, and tests $7.99/month and $19.99/month Meta AI plans, and a $49.99/month creator plan — Meta is doubling down on its subscription offerings. On Wednesday, the social networking giant announced it's now rolling …
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Mashable, SammyGuru, Livemint, CNET, The Straits Times, Yahoo Finance, Tech Times, @warringtonruncorn.com, Spyglass, Dexerto, WeRSM, Motley Fool, Social Media Today, Agence France-Presse, @stinasdemons.com, Forbes, Android Authority, Thurrott, Nairametrics, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, MacRumors, The Tech Portal, @schwindter.bsky.social, Notebookcheck, 9to5Mac, @papergreat.bsky.social, Bloomberg, PYMNTS and Sherwood News, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon MGM Studios announces the GenAI Creators' Fund, greenlights three AI animated series for Prime Video, and launches an AI production platform with AWS — Amazon MGM Studios is touting the power of AI to help create “cinematic” entertainment in a big new initiative …
Patrick Maks / The Associated Press:
The AP agrees to provide OpenAI with AP's vote count data for use in ChatGPT and other services through the 2028 general election — The Associated Press today announced that it will provide its U.S. election results to OpenAI, reinforcing AP's vote count as the undisputed standard …
Discussion:
CyberScoop, @maxwelltani, Associated Press, Variety, Crypto Briefing, Election Law Blog and OpenAI, more at Techmeme »
Andrew Deck / Nieman Lab:
The Economist launches The Economist - Graphs, the first native ChatGPT app from a major news outlet, to visualize data from its Trump approval rating tracker — The app retrieves and visualizes polling data from The Economist's Trump approval rating tracker.
Discussion:
Seoul Economic Daily, Talking Biz News and @pressgazette.co.uk
Pamela McClintock / The Hollywood Reporter:
Advaya Capital acquires Comscore Movies, which collects box office data, for $70M in cash; it will be renamed Rentrak, and Chris Aronson will join the board — Longtime Hollywood studio distribution chief Chris Aronson has been part of the team working behind the scenes to make the deal happen.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Deadline and Media Play News
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Byron Allen formally closes on a majority stake in BuzzFeed, buying 40M shares at $3/share, with $20M in cash and a $100M note due in five years — Media entrepreneur and stand-up comedian Byron Allen now is the majority owner of BuzzFeed — the struggling digital media player that Allen plans …
Discussion:
Business Wire, Deadline and TheGrio
Reuters:
Companies are using AI at their global capability centers in India to bring more creative work in-house, cutting turnaround times and reliance on ad agencies — Global companies are using AI at their Indian hubs to bring more creative work in-house, cutting turnaround time and their reliance …
Loree Seitz / The Wrap:
Unscripted producer Wheelhouse acquires Anomaly Entertainment, best known for delivering a slate of unscripted programs for Discovery's annual Shark Week — Anomaly has produced 40 shows for Discovery's annual Shark Week — Unscripted producer Wheelhouse has acquired Matthew Kelly …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, C21Media, Variety and Deadline
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Nearly 200 journalists, academics, and advocates sign a letter against the Paramount-WBD merger, saying it would enable political meddling in editorial choices — Last month, thousands of Hollywood actors, directors, and producers signed an open letter vehemently opposing Paramount's proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Freedom of the Press …, @freedom.press, Freedom of the Press Foundation, @jayrosen.bsky.social, New York Sun, HuffPost, Barrett Media, @jfallows.bsky.social, @passantino.bsky.social, @jayrosen.bsky.social, @oliverdarcy.bsky.social, @oliverdarcy.bsky.social and New York Post
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