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☆ Katherine Maher Named C.E.O. of NPR
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

NPR announced on Wednesday that Katherine Maher would be its next chief executive, picking a leader with an extensive track record in the nonprofit world but without one in the realm of public radio. Ms. Maher was previously the chief executive of the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the popular online resource Wikipedia by raising money and providing technology infrastructure, among other services. She is the chief executive of Web Summit, an organization that holds technology events around the world. Jennifer Ferro, the chair of NPR’s board, said in a statement that Ms. Maher stood out because of her experience tackling “issues around reliable and accessible information,” adding that the search focused on candidates who could “reach audiences on new and existing platforms.”Ms. Maher, 40, will take over at NPR during a critical period. Listenership of traditional radio is waning as Americans adopt alternatives like Spotify and other on-demand services, pressuring NPR to reach its audiences in new formats.

Persons: Katherine Maher, Maher, Jennifer Ferro, Ms Organizations: NPR, Wikimedia Foundation, Web

The announcement ends uncertainty about the extent of the cuts, after negotiations were held between the union and Times management. Dr. Soon-Shiong wrote in a note to staff that he and Mr. Merida had “mutually agreed” that Mr. Merida should leave. News of the layoffs — which will shrink the newsroom to the size it was when Dr. Soon-Shiong bought it — was delivered on Tuesday in a brief email to affected employees. “We are saddened to have to take this step and thank you for your work for the Los Angeles Times,” the email said. The cuts affected many departments at The Los Angeles Times, including its business desk, its Washington bureau and its “Fast Break” desk, which covers breaking news.

Persons: Kevin Merida, Shiong, Merida, Shani Hilton, Sara Yasin, — Organizations: The Times, Times, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times Locations: Merida, Washington

The move came after the Arena Group, which publishes the magazine under a complicated management structure, had its license to operate the publication revoked. It was unclear whether Sports Illustrated would continue publishing, or whether its owner, Authentic Brands Group, would strike a new agreement with the Arena Group or find a new company to operate it. For decades, Sports Illustrated was a weekly bible for sports fans and a financial engine for the Time Inc. empire. Like many publications, the magazine had struggled to shift to the digital media world from print publishing. In 2019, the media conglomerate Meredith sold Sports Illustrated to Authentic Brands Group, which is primarily a licensing company that acquires the rights to celebrity brands, for $110 million.

Persons: Meredith Organizations: Arena Group, Authentic Brands, Sports, Time Inc

There’s an old saying about the news business: If you want to make a small fortune, start with a large one. As the prospects for news publishers waned in the past decade, billionaires swooped in to buy some of the country’s most fabled brands. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, bought The Washington Post in 2013 for about $250 million. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotechnology and start-up billionaire, purchased The Los Angeles Times in 2018 for $500 million. Marc Benioff, the founder of the software giant Salesforce, purchased Time magazine with his wife, Lynne, for $190 million in 2018.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Patrick Soon, Marc Benioff, Lynne Organizations: Amazon, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times

Mr. Zaslav, who took over Warner Bros. But the tumultuous personnel changes at CNN under Mr. Zaslav’s leadership make clear that a Zaslav friendship, no matter how deep or longstanding, has its limits. Jeff Zucker, replaced as CNN’s chief executive by Mr. Licht, frequently described himself as Mr. Zaslav’s best friend. Don Lemon, the longtime host, socialized with Mr. Zaslav in New York and the Hamptons. CNN ousted Mr.

Persons: Chris Licht, David Zaslav, Zaslav, Zaslav’s, Jeff Zucker, . Licht, Don Lemon, Lemon Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Discovery, Hamptons Locations: New York

Killing an all-but-completed movie would alienate the people Zaslav — or at least Hollywood — needed most: the people who made the movies. Under fire, Zaslav defended the decision in an earnings call with analysts, saying he shelved “Batgirl” to protect the DC brand. More quietly, Zaslav also sought cover in the authority of Bryan Lourd, the powerful co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency and a leading arbiter of Hollywood mores. As Zaslav told it to several associates, Lourd had supported the decision, observing that it wasn’t in the interest of C.A.A. “We have made unpopular decisions because they were necessary.”Hollywood was in trouble before David Zaslav came to town.

Persons: Zaslav, Wiedenfels, Batgirl ”, Michael Keaton, ”, Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Walter Hamada, Courtenay Valenti, Bryan Lourd, Lourd, Leslie Grace, “ Bryan Lourd, ’ ”, David Zaslav, “ Organizations: DC Comics, Hollywood, DC, Warner Brothers, Creative Artists Agency, Discovery, McKinsey, W.B.D Locations: Scotland, New York, Hollywood, W.B.D

The company owns and operates several digital media outlets, including Gizmodo, Quartz and Deadspin. News of the site’s closure bookended a revolution of feminist writing on the internet that Jezebel helped kick off when it launched in 2007. A wave of sites, including DoubleX, from Slate, and Reductress, followed, many of them adopting Jezebel’s incisive focus on gender politics and racism. Anna Holmes, who founded Jezebel and left the publication in 2010, woke up to the announcement of the site shuttering on Thursday and said she was still processing the news. Ms. Holmes, 50, said that she was hired by Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker Media, to launch the publication in 2007.

Persons: Spanfeller, “, Jezebel, Anna Holmes, ”, Holmes, Nick Denton Organizations: O Media, Slate, Gawker Media

☆ Disney Adds 5 Million Streaming Subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Robert A. Iger approaches the first anniversary of his return as chief executive of the Walt Disney Company, he delivered a strong earnings report on Wednesday, telling investors that the company added roughly five million subscribers to its streaming services in the last three months. In a statement, Mr. Iger acknowledged that Disney still had “work to do,” but highlighted the company’s “significant progress” over the last year in reorganizing itself. “These efforts have allowed us to move beyond this period of fixing and begin building our businesses again,” Mr. Iger said. The results, for services including Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, could help Disney stave off Nelson Peltz, an activist investor who has been pushing the company to come up with a plan to replace Mr. Iger, improve the profitability of the streaming services and reinstate the company’s dividend. Disney’s stock was up about 4 percent in after-hours trading.

Persons: Robert A, Iger, ” Mr, Nelson Peltz Organizations: Walt Disney Company, Disney, ESPN

“The longer-form videos on YouTube are actually in decline year over year,” Mr. Lynch said. Some invested heavily in building in-house studios or bought them, as Vox Media did when it acquired the film and TV producer Epic in 2019. Perhaps the most ambitious of these studios was Condé Nast Entertainment, a prominent division within Condé Nast in charge of developing articles from publications such as The New Yorker, Wired and Vanity Fair — intellectual property, in Hollywood parlance — into major motion pictures and TV shows. “Cat Person,” a film based on a viral New Yorker short story that explores uncomfortable relationship dynamics, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year. And online viewership is increasingly shifting to platforms like TikTok and YouTube, where shorter content is king and monetization elusive.

Persons: ” Mr, Lynch, Condé Nast, Dawn Ostroff, Agnes Chu, David Grann, Robert Redford Organizations: YouTube, Hollywood, Vox Media, Condé Nast Entertainment, Yorker, Wired, CW, Spotify, Disney, Sundance, Globe Locations: ”, Condé, Hollywood

But the action that will have longer-term ramifications for the league, and the media and entertainment landscape, is happening off the court. The companies holding the rights to show N.B.A. Discovery, the parent company of TNT — are collectively paying the league $24 billion over nine years for that privilege. Interest rates are high, Wall Street is demanding profitability over growth, and streaming has reconfigured the entertainment industry. The result of the N.B.A.’s negotiations will say a lot about the future of broadcast networks, the cable bundle, streaming services and the sports media ambitions of technology companies.

Persons: LeBron James, Nikola Jokic Organizations: Basketball, Disney, ESPN, ABC, Warner Bros, TNT

☆ BuzzFeed in Advanced Talks to Sell Complex, Backtracking on Digital Media Bet
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

BuzzFeed is in advanced talks to sell Complex Networks, the streetwise digital media company behind the popular ComplexCon cultural festival, at less than half the price it paid for the company two years ago, a sign of the industrywide troubles afflicting digital media. BuzzFeed paid about $300 million for Complex in 2021. Buzzfeed is planning to keep First We Feast, the division of Complex responsible for the popular “Hot Ones” interview franchise, after the transaction, one of the people said. When BuzzFeed went public two years ago, it made Complex a centerpiece of its pitch to investors. Complex was reliably profitable, a milestone that had eluded many in the digital media industry, and its portfolio of brands seemed a natural fit for BuzzFeed’s focus on young audiences.

Persons: BuzzFeed, Buzzfeed Organizations: Networks, LiveNation Entertainment, Main Street Advisors, YouTube

Jon Stewart’s show on Apple’s streaming service is abruptly coming to an end, according to several people with knowledge of the decision, the result of creative differences between the tech giant and the former “Daily Show” host. Mr. Stewart and Apple executives decided to part ways in recent days, two of the people said. The Apple show, “The Problem With Jon Stewart,” debuted to some fanfare two years ago as Mr. Stewart’s return to the talk show format after a six-year hiatus. But Mr. Stewart and Apple executives had disagreements over some of the topics and guests on “The Problem,” two of the people said. Mr. Stewart told members of his staff on Thursday that potential show topics related to China and artificial intelligence were causing concern among Apple executives, a person with knowledge of the meeting said.

Persons: Jon Stewart’s, Stewart, Jon Stewart, ”, Stewart’s Organizations: Apple, Comedy Locations: China

☆ WNYC Parent to Cut 12% of Work Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York Public Radio, the parent organization of the WNYC news station, said on Tuesday that it was planning to cut its work force by about 12 percent. LaFontaine Oliver, New York Public Radio’s president and chief executive, said in a memo to employees that a “free fall in the advertising market” had led to the decision to cut staff. “I know this news is hard to hear, and knowing macroeconomic factors have led to this moment doesn’t soften the blow when national trends land on your own doorstep,” Mr. Oliver said. New York Public Radio, a nonprofit, operates WNYC, the classical music station WQXR and the Gothamist local news site. New York Public Radio is also planning to eliminate a majority of open positions, Mr. Oliver said in his memo.

Persons: LaFontaine Oliver, ”, “, ” Mr, Oliver, Oliver didn’t Organizations: New York Public Radio, WNYC, New, New York Public, . New York Public Radio, Staff Locations: New York, .

☆ Rupert Murdoch’s Retirement Raises the Curtain on His Last Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Rupert Murdoch’s announcement on Thursday that he was stepping back from day-to-day oversight of his media empire cleared the way for his eldest son, Lachlan, to claim sole oversight of the businesses. The move made it clear that Rupert Murdoch would like to see Lachlan run the companies. But it didn’t answer the question of who will control the trust that votes the family’s shares after the elder Mr. Murdoch, 92, dies. At that point, his four eldest children will have to work out his ultimate successor among themselves — and they appear to be divided. Hours after Mr. Murdoch’s announcement on Thursday, some media executives who have worked with him argued that Mr. Murdoch would not have stepped down without some greater gambit in mind that further solidifies Lachlan’s control over the companies.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch’s, Lachlan, Rupert Murdoch, Murdoch

☆ U.S. Judge Denies States’ Bid to Block Biden Rule on E.S.G.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Biden administration rule that allows employee retirement plans to consider environmental, social and governance issues in investment decisions survived a legal challenge by 26 states on Thursday. Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, said in a 14-page opinion that he would not block the rule, part of the so-called E.S.G. investment trend that places emphasis on companies’ records on labor issues, social justice and environmental factors. Judge Kacsmaryk’s opinion found fault with the lawsuit, filed in January by Republican-led states claiming that the rule violated the federal law governing retirement plans. investing generally or ultimately agree with the rule to reach this conclusion,” Judge Kacsmaryk wrote.

Persons: Biden, Judge Matthew J, Kacsmaryk, hadn’t, ” Judge Kacsmaryk Organizations: Republican Locations: U.S, Amarillo , Texas

☆ Cable TV Is on Life Support, but a New Bundle Is Coming Alive
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A funny thing happened in recent weeks, as the media industry wrung its hands over the long-anticipated death of the lucrative cable-TV bundle: Hundreds of thousands of people turned to a different bundle. When the standoff between Disney and the cable giant Charter left him among nearly 15 million cable subscribers without ESPN and many other channels, he took matters into his own hands. At Charter’s suggestion, Mr. Antoniacci, 74, downloaded FuboTV, a streaming service that offers channels including ESPN. “It has almost everything that I require,” said Mr. Antoniacci, who signed up for a free trial. “It’s a cable substitute, and it appears to be working,” he added.

Persons: Christopher Antoniacci, Anna Maria, Antoniacci, ”, “ Organizations: Disney, ESPN Locations: Fla

☆ Disney and Charter Reach Agreement, Ending Cable Standoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Disney and Charter said Monday that they had reached a deal to resolve their programming dispute, ending a skirmish that raised questions about the future of cable television. The two sides said their new deal meant that Charter’s nearly 15 million cable TV subscribers would be able to watch programming from Disney’s channels, which include FX and ESPN. The agreement was reached hours before the kickoff of Monday Night Football, one of the most popular telecasts in the United States. For more than a week, Disney and Charter, one of the biggest cable companies in the United States, had been locked in a high-stakes struggle over the terms of their distribution agreement. The two sides couldn’t reach a deal, and Disney’s shows were pulled off Charter’s cable service before Labor Day, when many Americans were expecting to tune into college football and the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

Persons: Bob Iger, Chris Winfrey Organizations: Disney, Charter, FX, ESPN, Labor, U.S Locations: United States

A new biography of Elon Musk portrays the billionaire entrepreneur as a complex, tortured figure whose brilliance is often overshadowed by his inability to relate on a human level to the people around him — his wives, his children and those on whom he relied to help build the space exploration and electric car businesses that made him the wealthiest man on Earth. Mr. Musk’s life so far — his difficult childhood in South Africa, his stormy romantic relationships, his success as a visionary who created SpaceX and Tesla, and his impetuous decision to buy Twitter — is detailed through scores of interviews with his family, friends, business associates and Mr. Musk himself. The book, which will be released on Tuesday, is by Walter Isaacson, the journalist whose previous works have chronicled the lives of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin. It opens with a quote from Mr. Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who once said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Jobs, “, ” Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Apple Locations: South Africa

☆ Comcast and Disney Agree to Speed Up Hulu Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The tug of war over Hulu, one of the world’s most popular streaming services, might be over sooner than expected. Brian Roberts, the chief executive of Comcast, said on Wednesday at an investor conference that his company had agreed to move up negotiations to sell its stake in Hulu to the Walt Disney Company, which owns the majority of the streaming service. Mr. Roberts said Comcast and Disney had agreed to conclude their negotiations over how much Hulu was worth at some point after Sept. 30, when a formal appraisal process for Hulu’s valuation would begin. That process had been expected to conclude at some point after January. “It will take a little time for this to play out, but both companies wanted to get it behind us,” Mr. Roberts said.

Persons: Brian Roberts, Roberts, ” Mr, ” Organizations: Hulu, Comcast, Walt Disney Company, Disney Locations: Hulu

☆ Why Charter and Disney Are Fighting, and What It Means for Viewers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

On its surface, the quarrel is about how much Disney can charge Charter for its content, and how much Charter’s customers will pay for access to Disney’s streaming apps. Charter is positioning the blackout of Disney’s channels, including ESPN, as a fight over the future of TV. Disney has said it has “proposed creative ways to make Disney’s direct-to-consumer services available to their Spectrum TV subscribers.”How has Disney responded? Until Disney and Charter reach an agreement, the company’s TV channels, including ESPN, will be dark for the 15 million people who subscribe to Charter’s Spectrum service. There’s a chance that with Disney’s channels on Spectrum going dark, Charter’s customers might just cancel their subscriptions and opt for alternatives.

Persons: Disney, “, There’s Organizations: Disney, Media, ESPN, Spectrum, ABC, Charter, U.S, Disney Channel, YouTube, U.S . Locations: Disney’s

☆ One of the Biggest Cable Companies Says Cable TV Isn’t Working
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of the biggest cable companies in the United States has a message for media companies: The traditional cable-TV model is broken, and it needs to be fixed or abandoned. Cable TV is too expensive for consumers and providers, Charter Communications, which has nearly 15 million pay-TV subscribers, said in a 11-page presentation to investors on Friday. The channels will not be available to Charter subscribers until both sides agree on how much Charter will pay Disney to carry its channels. Charter delivered a scathing indictment of the cable television industry, which has generated billions of dollars for companies like Disney and Charter for decades. It’s a notable acknowledgment from Charter, one of the companies that propelled much of that growth.

Persons: It’s Organizations: Cable, Charter Communications, Walt Disney Company, ESPN, FX, Disney, Charter Locations: United States

Mr. Thompson, 66, joins the network with more experience running a sprawling news organization than Mr. Licht, a former morning and late-night show producer. Mr. Thompson started as a trainee at the BBC in 1979 and ascended to the position of director general, the broadcaster’s top position, in 2004. He joined the Times Company as its chief executive in 2012, and was among a group of executives who revitalized the company financially by greatly expanding its digital subscription business. When Mr. Thompson took over at the Times Company, a subscriber-only paywall for the paper’s website was still in its infancy. “I just thought we weren’t doing it well enough,” he said.

Persons: Licht’s, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling —, David Leavy, Zaslav, Thompson, Licht, ” Organizations: CNN, BBC, Times Company

Mark Thompson, a former chief executive of The New York Times and leader of the BBC, is expected to be named the next top executive of CNN, according to three people with knowledge of the decision. Some senior executives at Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, have already been informed of the decision to hire Mr. Thompson, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because some executives at CNN hadn’t yet been informed of the decision. Mr. Thompson and a spokesman for Warner Bros. Ratings have plummeted, profits have slumped, and the network is still reeling from Chris Licht’s tenure as chief executive, which was terminated in June amid sagging staff morale.

Persons: Mark Thompson, Thompson, Chris Licht’s, Licht’s, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling —, David Leavy, David Zaslav Organizations: The New York Times, CNN, Warner Bros, Discovery, Warner Bros .

It is unclear how far along the talks are with Mr. Thompson and the other candidates. Mr. Thompson declined to comment. Semafor earlier reported CNN’s interest in Mr. Thompson. Since Mr. Licht’s departure, CNN has been run by four people, three of whom — Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling — are CNN veterans. The fourth, the CNN chief operating officer David Leavy, has been a longtime lieutenant to Mr. Zaslav, and was appointed shortly before Mr. Licht’s dismissal.

Persons: Mark Thompson, Thompson, David Zaslav, Chris Licht, Semafor, Licht’s, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling —, David Leavy, Zaslav Organizations: The New York Times, CNN, Warner Bros, Mr, Discovery

☆ Bloomberg L.P., a Financial Data Giant, Overhauls Its Leadership Ranks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Michael R. Bloomberg, the founder of the financial data colossus Bloomberg L.P., announced a new chief executive and president on Monday, a possible indication of who will take over for him when he steps away from the company. Mr. Bloomberg, 81, also announced plans to appoint a new board to steer the business, a purveyor of data terminals that generates more than $12 billion in revenue annually. Vlad Kliatchko, 54, Bloomberg’s chief product officer, was appointed chief executive of the company, Mr. Bloomberg said in a memo to employees Monday. Mr. Bloomberg said in his memo that he had no plans to step away any time soon, noting that he was not taking on any new title. Neither Mr. Zammitt nor Mr. Kliatchko is replacing anyone at the company; the last chief executive at Bloomberg, Dan Doctoroff, stepped down in 2014.

Persons: Michael R, Bloomberg L.P, Vlad Kliatchko, Bloomberg, Jean, Paul Zammitt, Zammitt, Kliatchko, Dan Doctoroff Organizations: Bloomberg

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