Current and former staff at Boston public media outlet GBH criticize top salaries after 31 people were laid off; nine execs earned $300K+ in base pay in 2023 (Aidan Ryan/The Boston Globe)

Mediagazer: Current and former staff at Boston public media outlet GBH criticize top salaries after 31 people were laid off; nine execs earned $300K+ in base pay in 2023 (Aidan Ryan/The Boston Globe)

Top News:

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: National Amusements ends talks with Skydance; Shari Redstone will likely seek a sale of just National Amusements, without including Paramount directly— Shari Redstone's NAI decided to stop discussions with Skydance, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion: Fast Company, New York Times, Deadline, The Guardian, Reuters, Variety, New York Post, IndieWire, The Wrap, CNBC, Bloomberg, Next TV, CBS News, TrekMovie.com, Los Angeles Times, The Information, Quartz, The Hollywood Reporter, @megjameslat, @loudmouthjulia, @richlightshed, @mattbelloni, @tim_bays, @philthepill.wtf, @jbflint and Media Play News

Discussion:

Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline: Shari Redstone, Paramount End Merger Talks With Skydance As Two Sides Unable “To Reach Mutually Acceptable Terms”

Callum Jones /
The Guardian: Paramount tycoon Shari Redstone pulls the plug on proposed Skydance merger

Dawn Chmielewski /
Reuters: Shari Redstone ends talks with Skydance for Paramount merger, source says

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Shari Redstone's National Amusements Says It Has Ended Talks With Skydance About Paramount Merger

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Shari Redstone kills Skydance bid for Paramount Global

Brian Welk /
IndieWire: Paramount-Skydance Isn't Happening — Shari Redstone just shut down what looked like a done deal.

Lillian Rizzo /
CNBC: National Amusements stops discussions with Skydance on Paramount deal, sources say

Anthony Pascale /
TrekMovie.com: Paramount/Skydance Deal Officially Dead; Yet Another Bidder Emerges

Meg James /
Los Angeles Times: Paramount Global sale collapses after Shari Redstone pulls support for David Ellison deal

Sahil Patel /
The Information: Shari Redstone's National Amusements Ends Sale Talks with David Ellison's Skydance

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: No Deal: Shari Redstone Ends Talks On Skydance Offer for Paramount Global

Meg James /
@megjameslat: Paramount Global sale collapses after Shari Redstone pulls support for David Ellison's Skydance deal. Eleventh hour drama adds to the challenges facing media company. https://www.latimes.com/...

Julia Alexander /
@loudmouthjulia: This book is going to be so damn good. @richlightshed: @MattBelloni Hard position for a $PARA board member — if you vote for Skydance, even if you truly believe it creates superior long-term value, the near-term dilution ensures you will be spending a lot of time in Delaware Court [image]

Matthew Belloni /
@mattbelloni:

Tim Baysinger /
@tim_bays: Absolutely bonkers

Phil Santiago /
@philthepill.wtf: Can't wait for Paramount to eventually be owned by the company behind Cuisinart. [embedded post]

Joe Flint /
@jbflint: Add another chapter! National Amusements ends slow dance with SkyDance from @jtoonkel

Washington Post:

The Baltimore Sun's union says the paper's new ownership has “tossed aside” ethical standards, reusing a below-standard Sinclair Broadcast Group story and more— “Ethical standards,” the Sun's union says, “have been tossed aside under new ownership.”

Discussion:
Popular Information, Washington-Baltimore …, @strannik_reb45, @jamieson, @tvnuggetfinder, @healthcarerenew and CNN

Discussion:
Popular Information: Sinclair injects deceptive attacks on Biden's age into dozens of local broadcasts @strannik_reb45: The fact that the new Baltimore Sun owner has been putting nakedly partisan articles in the paper isn't exactly unexpected - no one would ever accuse Sinclair of respecting news ethics - but @WBNG32035 was right to call it out. https://wbng.org/...

Dave Jamieson /
@jamieson: Baltimore Sun Guild says in a statement that under new owners The Sun has been publishing articles from Sinclair without notifying Sun staffers. ‘We are concerned that the nature of the relationship between Sinclair and The Sun has not been made clear to us or to our readers.’

Dave Jamieson /
@jamieson: Sinclair's David D. Smith bought The Sun earlier this year, bringing “more crime and conservatism” to the storied paper https://www.npr.org/... @tvnuggetfinder: Now that the evil Sinclair empire (@komonews in Seattle) owns the Baltimore Sun, it is forcing the paper to publish content from its Channel 45 there. The Guild is not happy! Nor should they be. Their demands: https://www.facebook.com/... @healthcarerenew:

Chris Isidore /
CNN: UAW President Shawn Fain under investigation by federal monitor

Washington Post:

Sources: Jeff Bezos has been closely engaged with Will Lewis, as the WaPo's new publisher developed the plan to create a “third newsroom” for new audiences— Critics raise concerns about the values of a new team of executives. Meanwhile, the business woes are real. What does Jeff Bezos want?

Discussion:
@ashleyrparker, @farhip, @washingtonpost, @farhip, @elaheizadi, The Daily Beast, Poynter and MediaPost

Discussion:

Ashley Parker /
@ashleyrparker: Instead of all the breathless reporting, read this from @ElaheIzadi + @sarahellison on the current situation at The Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... 🧵(1/2)

Paul Farhi /
@farhip: It's a credit to the Post's management that stories like this appear in the Post. No burying the bad news. @washingtonpost: Critics question the values of William Lewis and a new team of Washington Post executives. Meanwhile, the business woes are real. What Jeff Bezos wants from and for The Post has remained the compelling question through a week of internal turmoil. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Paul Farhi /
@farhip: Another great story about the ⁦@washingtonpost⁩ 's travails by ⁦@ElaheIzadi⁩ and ⁦@sarahellison⁩, this one summarizing the current state of play. Almost everything worth knowing is right here. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Elahe Izadi /
@elaheizadi: “The Post at a crossroads: Existential questions in a dire season for news” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Our latest story takes a look at this moment for The Washington Post. With @sarahellison

Tom Jones /
Poynter: After a week of chaos, Washington Post and embattled publisher try to move forward

Nieman Lab:

Journalists rejoice after Apple says iOS 18 will support call recording and transcription, and participants will be notified that they're being recorded— “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.” — The word you're looking for is “sherlocked.”

Discussion:
@bourgwick@heads.social, The Verge, @jherrerx, AppleInsider, @jenseniorny, @mishaalrahman, Vered Horesh on LinkedIn, @anne_loreto, @josephzeballos, @jasonwilson@mastodon.online, @petersterne, @jasonwilson@mastodon.online, @ursulaperano, @klundster, Fast Company, @joshhterry, @taylorlorenz and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Jesse Jarnow /
@bourgwick@heads.social: had apple introduced a recording function 15 years ago, there's a good chance i wouldn't have bailed on their phones, but also wouldn't have discovered that skype (& zoom) let me strip my own voice out of interview tapes, making for less-painful listening & easier podcast/audio editing. …

Jack Herrera /
@jherrerx: PR people take note, Apple has just found a world-historical way to build good-will among journalists.

William Gallagher /
AppleInsider: Sherlocked by Sequoia: What apps Apple may have killed in macOS and iOS 18

Jennifer Senior /
@jenseniorny: High time. Raise your hand if TapeACall has failed to capture a major interview and you've been in the mortifying position of asking your subject to recreate the contents of a once-spontaneous interview.

Mishaal Rahman /
@mishaalrahman: Though call recording is yet another feature that many Android devices have had for years, iOS 18 seems to allow it in the U.S., unlike the Google Phone app on Android devices. Although the Google Phone app already notifies call participants that they're being recorded, it still

Vered Horesh /
Vered Horesh on LinkedIn: 🚀 AI Evolution: Embracing Innovation with Responsibility 🚀 — Today, Apple's latest AI advancements …

Anne Loreto Cruz /
@anne_loreto: TapeACall found dead in a ditch:

Joseph Zeballos-Roig /
@josephzeballos: There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happens

Jason Wilson /
@jasonwilson@mastodon.online: This Neiman story on iOS 18's recording and transcription features includes a whole bunch of posts from rejoicing journalists whoare somehow still using junkware like Tape-a-Call and Otter. I'm begging reporters to buy an in-ear pick-up mic, install Whisper, and keep interview recordings from ever leaving their own encrypted storage https://www.niemanlab.org/...

Peter Sterne /
@petersterne: It is impossible to overstate how much this will improve journalists' lives. https://www.theverge.com/... [image]

Jason Wilson /
@jasonwilson@mastodon.online: Apart from anything else, in a world where Whisper exists, paying for Otter (an inferior product) is just profligacy

Ursula Perano /
@ursulaperano: GOODBYE OTTER AI AND YOUR DUMB SUMMARIES

Kathryn Lundstrom /
@klundster: lmao not on this stagnant media salary. canceled, thx for the mems, tapeacall

Michael Grothaus /
Fast Company: Will my iPhone, iPad, and Mac run the new Apple Intelligence AI? Full list of supported devices

Josh Terry /
@joshhterry: Ever since Otter Pro limited the amount of transcriptions it can do per month to just 10 (for something that costs $120 a year!!), I've been looking for an off-ramp

Bloomberg:

Source: Spotify plans to launch a higher-priced premium plan later in 2024, charging $5+ more per month for better audio, playlist and library tools, and more— The plan will cost at least $5 more per month and include access to high-fidelity audio and new playlisting tools.

Discussion:

Murray Stassen /
Music Business Worldwide: Spotify to launch pricier Premium music tier that includes high-fidelity audio (report)

Elias Leight /
Billboard: Spotify Plans High-End Tier for Audiophiles: Report @autismcapital: Spotify is introducing a $5/month more expensive plan offering higher quality music after people online were saying Apple Music was better. Honestly, YouTube Premium comes with YouTube Music and it's really not that bad. 🤷 ♂️ [image]

Derek Malcolm /
Digital Trends: Spotify HiFi could finally be coming, but it'll cost you

Lucas Shaw /
Lucas Shaw on LinkedIn: Spotify is about to introduce a new plan for its most active users. — Fans will be able to listen to high-fidelity audio and get access to new tools for playlisting... for a price. …

Kris Holt /
Engadget: Spotify's HiFi plan could finally arrive this year, but you may need to pay extra

Joe Weisenthal /
@thestalwart: Doesn't matter what Spotify charges, or what premium services or anything. I'll keep paying that. Whatever

Andrew Romero /
9to5Google: Spotify HiFi offering will come as an add-on at $5 per month, reports say

Oscar Gonzalez /
Gizmodo: Spotify Reportedly Adding Pricey HiFi Audio Tier Later This Year

Dylan Smith /
Digital Music News: HD Audio At Last? Spotify Is Finally Set to Release An Upgraded Listening Add-On ‘Later This Year,’ Report Says

Jaspreet Singh /
Reuters: Spotify to introduce expensive plan later this year, Bloomberg News reports

Adweek:

Comscore: Roku is the most popular CTV OS by time spent, with 49% of the total market, and The Roku Channel is most popular FAST service by total hours— Roku leads Pluto TV and Tubi among free, ad-supported TV streamers — A new report from measurement firm Comscore has shed light …

Discussion:
Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn, David Eilenberg on LinkedIn, The Desk and StreamTV Insider

Discussion:

Mark Stenberg /
Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn: New: A new Comscore, Inc. report found that The Roku Channel is the most popular FAST service, topping competitors like Tubi and Pluto. …

David Eilenberg /
David Eilenberg on LinkedIn: Celebrating a terrific milestone for all of us here at Roku! Thrilled to be able to provide so many top-quality entertainment options to our viewers for free. …

Bloomberg:

Docs and sources detail how Russian operative Artem Kureyev helped run influence operations in Europe for years, including contacting journalists about Ukraine— - Agent had frequent contacts with journalists about Ukraine — US and EU are stepping up efforts to combat disinformation

Discussion:
@GaryRLundberg@newsie.social, @rvps2001@mastodon.social, @KimPerales@toad.social and Semafor

Discussion:

GaryRLundberg /
@GaryRLundberg@newsie.social: I hope this story gets picked up widely. — How a Russian Operative Worked to Shape Moscow's Story in Europe — “Artem Kureyev, identified as a Russian Federal Security Service agent in an Estonian court case in 2022, has had frequent contacts with at least half a dozen European journalists … @rvps2001@mastodon.social: 🇷🇺 🇪🇺 A Russian intelligence operative who's leading a Kremlin disinformation campaign in Africa has helped run influence operations in #Europe for years, according to documents seen by Bloomberg and government officials familiar with the matter. — https://www.bloomberg.com/... …

Kim Perales /
@KimPerales@toad.social: #Putin is succeeding, he knows how to recruit & the inducement to capture them (some US assets may have been bought cheaply). — Kureyev, an FSB agent, has had frequent contacts with at least half a dozen European journalists, covered travel costs for some of them to visit occupied territories in #Ukraine *appears to have offered to pay for planted articles. …

The Boston Globe:

Current and former staff at Boston public media outlet GBH criticize top salaries after 31 people were laid off; nine execs earned $300K+ in base pay in 2023— When GBH laid off nearly three dozen workers last month, chief executive Susan Goldberg cited flat revenue and rising costs that left …

Discussion:
@chipgoines, @dankennedy_nu, @aidanfitzryan, Inside Radio and Radio Ink

Discussion:

Chip Goines /
@chipgoines: For an apples-to-watermelons comparison, I looked up how many @boston_police officers made over $300k last year. There's 50 officers (Commissioner Cox is under the threshold by 4 cents) making that much and many still earning over $250k. #bospoli https://www.bostonglobe.com/ ...

Dan Kennedy /
@dankennedy_nu: While @GBH was laying off 31, the high salaries of 16 top execs were left untouched. Top-paid host Jim Braude, who makes $345k, tells @aidanfitzryan: “We all would've been willing to take pay cuts to save costs if we had been asked.” #journalism #boston https://www.bostonglobe.com/ ...

Aidan Ryan /
@aidanfitzryan: Following cuts at GBH, employees have pointed out the pay gap between execs and rank-and-file staff, many of whom were among the 31 workers laid off. I dug into tax filings and spoke to employees about pay at GBH and in public media more broadly https://www.bostonglobe.com/ ...

TechCrunch:

News reader Particle, which uses AI to summarize stories, raised a $10.9M Series A led by Lightspeed and announces Reuters as a news source for its service— Traffic is down, newsrooms are undergoing layoffs, and publishers fear that AI technologies will only make matters worse.

Discussion:

Sara Beykpour /
@pandemona: Today we're announcing that @Particle_news has raised $10.9mm in Series A funding, led by @mignano at @LightspeedVP, fueling our mission to deliver the best, personalized news experience. [video] @rafat: I am so so genuinely curious: why do founders/startups keep trying to solve this “news problem” AND why do reputed VCs keep funding it? What problem are they solving AND what returns can VC expect? This will be gone in two years. https://techcrunch.com/...

Jason Goldman /
@goldman@threads.net: Heyyyyyy been using this app daily; it's a delight. Happy to be an investor.

Sara Beykpour /
@pandemona: Additionally, we have established a deal with @Reuters to be a source of news content for our service, helping deliver current information about topics in the news.

Eric Newcomer /
@ericnewcomer: genuinely curious how particle thinks that it is going to deliver on driving value to journalists “And AI also has the power to eliminate layers of operational inefficiency, ensuring more of the value in media goes to the people who matter most. In the case of the news, that's

Gabriel Brotman /
Gabriel Brotman on LinkedIn: Excited to announce Axel Springer's investment in Particle, an innovative startup creating new AI-powered experiences for everyone to read and discover the news. …

Gabe Brotman /
@gbrotman: Excited to announce @axelspringer's investment in @particle_news, an innovative startup creating new AI-powered experiences for everyone to read and discover the news. 🧵(1/6)

Scott Belsky /
@scottbelsky: Particle is a new daily app for me. In an era where news is increasingly slanted in one direction, Particle leverages AI to synthesize different viewpoints together and personalize your experience. Reading “one take” as news will be a relic of the past. 🙌 @particle_news team

Sara Beykpour /
@pandemona: We are thrilled that @Axel_Springer has also joined this round, underscoring how important strong partnerships are to Particle.

Steve Jang /
@stevejang: congrats to @pandemona and @noradio on partnering with @lightspeedvp and @mignano and filling up the batteries at @particle_news with $10.9M! stoked to continue our support at @kindredventures of their vision for AI-enabled news service! more details below plus a waitlist

Eric Newcomer /
@ericnewcomer: @pandemona if AI delivers people better news and information, I'm all for it. clearly lots of opportunity when it comes to inhaling and synthesizing public datasets etc. but everything we've seen so far with the internet and technology has basically been cannibalizing novel reporting. how

Adweek:

The New York Times and Instacart announce a two-year partnership to let users order ingredients for New York Times Cooking recipes with Instacart— It's part of a growing trend of retail media-publisher partnerships — Shoppers can now order ingredients for New York Times Cooking recipes thanks …

Discussion:
Ad Age, Laura Jones on LinkedIn, The New York Times Company and AdExchanger

Discussion:

Erika Wheless /
Ad Age: Why New York Times Cooking is partnering with Instacart

Laura Jones /
Laura Jones on LinkedIn: From my first interview with Instacart, I have been dreaming of a partnership with The New York Times Cooking, my go-to source for meal plan inspiration. … The New York Times Company: New York Times Cooking and Instacart Launch Innovative Shoppable Recipes Integration

Variety:

David Nevins has stepped down as CEO of North Road Co., the media venture Peter Chernin launched in 2022 and which has been acquiring production companies— Nevins formally joined North Road Co. company last July. The company's initial focus has been on acquiring distinctive production banners …

Discussion:
Deadline

Discussion:

Nellie Andreeva /
Deadline: David Nevins Exits As CEO Of Peter Chernin's The North Road Company

Press Gazette:

The UK's Future launches Elevate, which offers ad-serving tech to publishers and helps them sell their online ad inventory through programmatic and direct sales— Future plc has launched a new brand called Elevate based around selling its own advertising technology to other publishers.

Discussion:
Future, @futureplc, Ad Age and Digiday

Discussion:
@futureplc: Today we've unveiled Future Elevate, a suite of premium services aimed at expanding the revenue streams of publishers by leveraging Future's deep expertise in operating, growing and monetizing a diverse portfolio of specialist content! Learn more here: https://futureplc.com/... [image]

Garett Sloane /