DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter is seen outside her home after U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden met with former President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Carter in Plains, Georgia, U.S., April 29, 2021. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were the longest-married presidential couple, having wed in 1946 when he was 21 and she was 18. "The best thing I ever did was marry Rosalynn," Carter told the C-SPAN cable TV channel in 2015. During that time, Rosalynn Carter sought to support her husband by speaking in 112 cities in 34 states during a 44-day tour. In the White House, she became honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health, key to passage of a 1980 act that helped fund local mental health centers.

Persons: Rosalynn Carter, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Jimmy Carter, Evelyn Hockstein, Carter, Rosalynn, Roslynn, Ronald Reagan, Ted Kennedy, Reagan, Eleanor Rosalynn Smith, Alice Smith, I've, Carters, Will Dunham, Diane Craft, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Former U.S, Carter, Carter Center, Humanity, SPAN, Democrat, Republican, Hollywood, Democratic, Mental Health, Washington, Maranatha Baptist Church, Gannett Co, National Women's Hall of Fame, Thomson Locations: Carter, Plains , Georgia, U.S, Former, Washington, Georgia, California, America, Tehran, Plains, Edgar, Atlanta

☆ US newspaper giant pauses AI-written articles after social media mockery
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gannett has paused the use of AI to write sports articles after readers pushed back. AdvertisementAdvertisementA US newspaper giant has paused the use of AI to write articles after they were savagely mocked on social media. A spokesperson for Gannett confirmed to Insider that the company had paused the use of LedeAI tools to write articles, a move initially reported by Axios. Some of its AI-generated articles were mocked on social media for their repetition and jarring cliches. In April, Insider's global editor-in-chief Nicholas Carlson said the company would start using AI to generate outlines for stories and craft headlines, for example.

Persons: Axios, Nicholas Carlson Organizations: Gannett, Columbus Dispatch, Westerville, Worthington, Dispatch, Des Moines Register, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, CNET, New York Times, Bloomberg Locations: Arizona Republic, Florida

☆ USA Today-publisher Gannett raises profit targets as ad demand rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The corporate flags for the Gannett Co and its flagship newspaper, USA Today, fly outside their corporate headquarters in McLean, Virginia, July 23, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing/File photo(Reuters) - USA Today-publisher Gannett Co boosted its annual earnings expectations on Thursday, as advertising demand recovers from post-pandemic lows. Gannett’s revenue from advertising and marketing services fell 8% to $353.3 million in the second quarter ended June 30 from a year earlier. Analysts on average expect 2023 profit of $8.2 million, according to Refinitiv data. The company reiterated annual revenue between $2.75 billion and $2.80 billion, above estimates of $2.74 billion.

Persons: Larry Downing Organizations: Gannett Co, USA, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, U.S ., Google, Gannett Locations: McLean , Virginia, U.S

Gannett said this leaves Google with "exorbitant monopoly profits," and "dramatically less revenue" for publishers and its ad technology rivals. "Digital advertising is the lifeblood of the online economy," Gannett Chief Executive Mike Reed said in an opinion published in USA Today. Like many newspaper publishers, McLean, Virginia-based Gannett has struggled with falling ad revenue as more Americans, estimated at 86%, get news online. Gannett said digital advertising is a $200 billion business, up nearly eightfold since 2009, but newspaper ad revenue fell nearly 70% over that time. The case is Gannett Co v Google LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Persons: Gannett, Mike Reed, Jonathan Stempel, Louise Heavens, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang Organizations: YORK, Gannett, U.S ., USA, Google, Alphabet Inc, European Union, U.S . Department of Justice, Gannett Co, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, USA, View , California, U.S, Texas, McLean , Virginia, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York

☆ Gannett sues Google, alleging it has an online ad monopoly
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the United States, is suing Google, alleging the tech giant holds a monopoly over the digital ad market. Gannett argues in court documents that Google and its parent company, Alphabet, controls how publishers buy and sell ads online. “The result is dramatically less revenue for publishers and Google’s ad-tech rivals, while Google enjoys exorbitant monopoly profits,” the lawsuit states. Google controls about a quarter of the US digital advertising market, with Meta, Amazon and TikTok combining for another third, according to eMarketer. That means publishers often rely at least in part on Google’s advertising technology to support their operations: Gannett says Google controls 90% of the ad market for publishers.

Persons: CNN —, Gannett, Michael Reed, ” Reed, ” Dan Taylor, ”, ” Taylor Organizations: CNN, CNN — Gannett, Google, USA, Meta, Gannett, ” “, European Union, Justice Department Locations: United States, New York

☆ Gannett tiptoes into generative AI, giving humans the last word
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Their caution follows well-publicized generative AI gaffes at media outlets including CNET and Men’s Journal. Generative AI is a sticking point in some negotiations with the company, the union said. Other news outlets are approaching generative AI with varying levels of commitment and caution. Bloomberg, which competes with Reuters, is developing its own generative AI model, BloombergGPT, which it trained on financial data. The New York Times, Washington Post and Bloomberg declined to provide additional comment on their plans.

Persons: Larry Downing, Renn Turiano, Turiano, ”, We’re, Paul Bascobert, Nicholas Diakopoulos, Ilana Keller, Gannett, Alessandra Galloni, Miranda Marcus, Marcus, “, we’re Organizations: YORK, Gannett, Gannett Co, USA, Gannett Co's, U.S, Reuters, ” Gannett, Northwestern University, CNET, Men’s, USA Today, Journalists, Asbury Park Press, Microsoft, USA Today’s, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, BBC News Labs Locations: McLean , Virginia, New Jersey, USA, Washington

☆ Journalists at the nation’s largest newspaper chain are walking off the job in a showdown with its CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The biggest newspaper chain in the country is about to be rocked by the biggest walkout of its staff in history. On Monday, hundreds of Gannett journalists plan to stage a one-day strike during the media company’s annual shareholder meeting. The journalists want shareholders to take a vote of no-confidence against Mike Reed, Gannett’s chief executive. In a Thursday statement, Gannett referenced some of the industry challenges it has faced and strongly contested the allegations the NewsGuild-CWA are leveling against it. “Our leadership is focused on investing in local newsrooms and monetizing our content as we continue to negotiate fairly and in good faith with the NewsGuild.

Persons: Mike Reed, Reed, “ Reed, ”, Jon Schleuss, “, ” Cheryl Makin, “ We’re, Kaitlyn Kanzler Organizations: CNN, Gannett, CWA, Austin American, Statesman, Rochester Democrat, Chronicle, Morale, Home News Tribune Locations: Arizona Republic, Rochester, axing

☆ Dogs Win the Super Bowl Ad Lineup, Surveys Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The winner of USA Today’s annual Super Bowl Ad Meter was a commercial for dog-food delivery company Farmer’s Dog Inc. that tracked one chocolate Lab’s relationship with its owner from puppyhood to old age. The USA Today rankings had some overlap with other results. Research by Ace Metrix, a unit of TV ad measurement firm iSpot.tv Inc., crowned Jeep’s Super Bowl commercial as the most likable of the night. Jeep had the game’s most likable ad, according to Ace Metrix. “In past years, we’ve seen the majority of Super Bowl conversation generated in the weeks leading up to the Big Game,” a Mars spokeswoman said.

☆ Bernard Kalb, longtime foreign affairs newsman, dies at 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

“You have a historical memory to call upon and you see the trust of American foreign policy and other foreign policy,” he said. “Anything that hurts America’s credibility, hurts America.”New York Times columnist William Safire praised the resignation. “In his final official act, Bernard Kalb rose above ‘State Department spokesman’ to become the spokesman for all Americans who respect and demand the truth,” Safire wrote. At CBS Marvin and Bernard were known as “The Kalbs,” but Bernard lived somewhat in the shadow of his younger brother. One widely circulated, but apocryphal, story had their mother calling the CBS foreign desk in New York and saying: “Hello, this is Marvin Kalb’s mother.

☆ Hundreds of Gannett Staffers Stage Daylong Strike to Improve Wages
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Alexandra Bruell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gannett, the parent of USA Today and local newspapers, this week posted another $54 million quarterly loss. More than 200 Gannett Co. staffers are staging a one-day strike Friday to push for better wages and benefits and protest layoffs and furloughs, among other cost-cutting measures at the news publisher. The striking staffers, from 14 of the company’s newsrooms, won’t work Friday, said a spokeswoman for the NewsGuild, a division of the Communications Workers of America union that represents members across Gannett publications. They include staff from publications in New Jersey, New York, Arizona and California, as well as members from Gannett’s Atlantic Digital Optimization Team, she said.

Most luxury brands could theoretically stop marketing since they can’t produce goods fast enough to meet current demand, but smart marketers are spending more to build long-term equity, Mr. Sproule said. “There’s no filtering, it’s direct-to-consumer, and we think that’s how consumers want to hear from luxury brands,” said Jeff Curry, vice president of marketing, communications and product, in describing Lucid’s marketing strategy. About 300 people who preordered the $300,000 Aston Martin 2022 V12 Vantage sports car attended dinner at the company's main factory in May. Executives said these events for existing customers and even paid events double as marketing functions, because they have the potential to raise luxury brands’ profiles among wealthy consumers. Separately, Aston Martin held a black-tie dinner for people who purchased the 2022 edition of its V12 Vantage sports car.

Search resuls for: "Gannett Co"

11 mentions found