Journalists in western North Carolina hustled to cover Hurricane Helene's aftermath with sparse internet access, and radio broadcasts became crucial connectors (Angela Fu/Poynter)

Mediagazer: Journalists in western North Carolina hustled to cover Hurricane Helene's aftermath with sparse internet access, and radio broadcasts became crucial connectors (Angela Fu/Poynter)

Top News:

Bloomberg:

YouTube channel Dude Perfect hires former NBA executive Andrew Yaffe as CEO; Yaffe had been the NBA's head of social, digital, and original content— - Ex-NBA executive Andrew Yaffe to lead digital media company — The channel has more than 60 million followers on YouTube
Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: YouTube's Dude Perfect Taps NBA Exec Andrew Yaffe as CEO

Lucas Shaw /
Lucas Shaw on LinkedIn: Fresh off raising more than $100 million, Dude Perfect had hired a new CEO: NBA executive Andrew Yaffe. …

Chad Coleman /
Chad Coleman on LinkedIn: Big time! Welcome to the crew, Andrew 🚀

Andrew Yaffe /
Andrew Yaffe on LinkedIn: I am so excited to join Dude Perfect as its first-ever CEO. What they've built over the last 15 years is an unbelievable platform …

Dan Primack /
@danprimack: Andrew Yaffe has spent the last decade expanding the audience for the NBA across digital and social platforms. Now he's tackling a company with an even larger online fan base on YouTube: Dude Perfect. https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Disney to Combine Hulu, ABC's Scripted Drama and Comedy Teams Under Simran Sethi

New York Times:

Diamond Sports Group, which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, says in 2025 it will stop carrying all but one of the 12 MLB teams it now televises— Embattled broadcaster Diamond Sports Group says in 2025 it will stop carrying all but one of the 12 MLB teams it now televises …

Discussion:

Matthew Keys /
TVNewsCheck: Diamond Sports To Drop Most MLB TV Deals

Jeff Fletcher /
Orange County Register: Angels say they don't expect Diamond Group bankruptcy to disrupt broadcast experience for fans

Daniel Kaplan /
Awful Announcing: Bally Sports rejects all of its MLB team contracts, except for Atlanta Braves

Anthony Crupi /
Sportico: Diamond Sports Group Plans to Drop All MLB Teams Except Braves

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Diamond Sports to drop most Major League Baseball TV deals

Vince Tuss /
@vtuss: MLB sandbagged by a broadcaster? Quelle surprise ...

Joel Luckhaupt /
@jluckhaupt.bsky.social: Welp. Looks like we'll probably have a different sports book name next year on the Reds broadcast or something. [embedded post]

John Finn /
Streaming Better: Bally Sports Set To Drop All Remaining MLB Teams Except Atlanta Braves

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: Bally Sports Will Drop TV Rights to 11 MLB Teams As Its Bankruptcy Continues

Anthony Crupi /
@crupicrupicrupi: Diamond Sports counsel tells the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas that it plans to drop nearly all of its remaining MLB contracts, with a plan to retain only the Atlanta Braves.

Matthew Keys /
@matthewkeyslive: Diamond Sports Group plans to drop all Major League Baseball telecast agreements, except for its contract with the Atlanta Braves. https://thedesk.net/...

Eric Fisher /
Front Office Sports: DSG Could Drop Seven MLB Teams, Paving Way for Manfred's Media Plan @2xaught7.bsky.social: And there it is, Cardinals fans: no more Bally's for your club. Only the Braves will remain on the DIamond Sports entity. [embedded post]

Jason Collette /
@jasoncollette.bsky.social: If you thought last winter's free agency market was slow and boring, this winter shall be a blast as 11 teams look to recalibrate their tv revenue stream [embedded post]

New York Times:

Q&A with The New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin about building relationships with sources, challenges of the media beat, social media, and more— To report on the business of media, the journalist Ben Mullin says he is “endlessly curious” about the people populating his own industry.

Discussion:
@benmullin and @semaforcomms

Variety:

WBD and All Elite Wrestling sign a multiyear deal, sources say worth $150M+ per year; AEW shows remain on TBS and TNT and stream live on Max in the US in 2025— All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has officially signed a new multi-year multimedia rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Discussion:

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Warner Bros. Discovery Strikes Multi-Year Renewal With All Elite Wrestling

Hannah Miller /
Bloomberg: Warner Bros., AEW Wrestling Deal Includes Max Streaming

Joseph Staszewski /
New York Post: AEW's new TV rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery comes with intriguing Max twist

Mark Caplan /
Mark Caplan on LinkedIn: Excited for the company to finally be able to announce! — WBD Networks to Continue to Be Home to Fan-Favorites AEW Dynamite and AEW Collision …

Bennett Wolin /
Bennett Wolin on LinkedIn: Five years ago, I was part of the team that launched a new wrestling league (AEW) on TNT. Today, we celebrate the anniversary of our first show on the network. …

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Warner Bros. Discovery And All Elite Wrestling Reach Multi-Year Renewal, Shoring Up TNT And TBS Lineups And Adding Max Simulcasts

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery Ink New Rights Deal, Including Pay-Per-View Events on Max

Variety:

Memo: Disney's ABC News and local TV stations cut staff; source: about 75 staffers will be let go, split about evenly between national news and the TV stations— Employees were notified Wednesday of the staff reductions, according to a person familiar with the matter …

Discussion:
Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, Los Angeles Times, @jbflint, The Desk, The Wrap, TVNewsCheck, Bloomberg and Deadline

Discussion:

Kevin Eck /
Adweek: Layoffs Reported at ABC Stations

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: ABC News hit with 75 layoffs as corporate parent Disney slashes costs: ‘Tough decisions’

Stephen Battaglio /
Los Angeles Times: More cuts at Disney as ABC News and TV stations shed 75 jobs

Joe Flint /
@jbflint: Layoffs at ABC News and station group. New president Almin Karmehmedovic says in staff email that “we must occasionally make tough decisions, adding that the unit is challenged to shape a team that “embraces the new media landscape and evolves along with it.” 75 people let go.

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Disney Lays Off Roughly 75 Staffers Across ABC News, Owned Stations

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: ABC News And Stations Job Cuts Impact 75 Employees

Wired:

Q&A with Bobbi Althoff about The Really Good Podcast, her rise to fame as part of “Mommy TikTok”, chaos after her Drake interview, brand deals, and more— From Mommy TikTok to that Drake interview and beyond, the podcast host is proof you can brute-force your way to online fame …

Discussion:
WIRED on LinkedIn, Simon Owens on LinkedIn, Vanity Fair, @laurengoode@threads.net and @katiedrumm

Discussion:
WIRED on LinkedIn: From Mommy #TikTok to that #Drake interview and beyond, Bobbi Althoff, podcast host of ‘The Really Good Podcast’, is proof you can brute-force …

Simon Owens /
Simon Owens on LinkedIn: This is interview is a great case study on how to capitalize on viral moments: Bobbie Althoff was able to leverage some early success on TikTok …

Arimeta Diop /
Vanity Fair: Bobbi Althoff Talks Divorce and Big Influencer Money—and a Little Bit of Drake

Lauren Goode /
@laurengoode@threads.net: This interview between @katiedrumm and @bobbi is incredible and you must read it, just trust me https://www.wired.com/...

Poynter:

Journalists in western North Carolina hustled to cover Hurricane Helene's aftermath with sparse internet access, and radio broadcasts became crucial connectors— Local journalists are working to reach isolated communities to fill in information gaps — while dealing with damage in their own lives

Discussion:
The Asheville Citizen Times, @ellekehres, @cislmunc, @poynter, @amariscastillo, @poynter, @solomonlexib, @poynter, Poynter, Radio World, The Urban News, NewsLab, NPR and Asheville Watchdog

Discussion:
The Asheville Citizen Times: Sign up for text message updates and crucial information in Hurricane Helene's aftermath

Elle Kehres /
@ellekehres: I published a commentary for @radioworld_news about the impact of #HurricaneHelene on North Carolinians, and how local radio broadcasters continue to offer their communities a lifeline in times of crisis. When all else fails, radio is there. #NCStrong https://www.radioworld.com/... @cislmunc: 🗣️ “We feel like it's our job as a public service to make sure that folks have that information.” — @LillyKnoepp After Hurricane Helene hit Western NC, local reporters are working to meet their communities' info needs, despite limited power and Wi-Fi. https://www.poynter.org/... @poynter: 1/ When Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina, already isolated communities became information black holes. Local journalists have been a lifeline, working through widespread outages and collapsed infrastructure to fill information gaps. https://www.poynter.org/...

Amaris Castillo /
@amariscastillo: Local journalists are working to reach isolated communities to fill in information gaps — while dealing with damage in their own lives from Hurricane Helene. Reporting by my colleague, Angela Fu: https://www.poynter.org/...

@poynter:
3/ @angelanfu spoke with Elkins, a reporter from @BlueRidgePublic, and the managing editor of the nonprofit @avlwatchdog. Read the story: https://www.poynter.org/...

Lexi Solomon /
@solomonlexib: So insanely proud of these folks. Shoutout @BlueRidgePublic @asheville @AvlWatchdog and the many others doing this very important work while going through trauma themselves. https://www.poynter.org/...

@poynter:
2/ Radio has been vital in the wake of communications outages. Poynter faculty member Tony Elkins said he lost power early Friday. He recalled going radio signal by radio signal on Saturday, just trying to pick up anything he could until he found people talking about the storm.

Amaris Castillo /
Poynter: A photojournalist reported on dozens of hurricanes over the years. Then Hurricane Helene flooded his home. NewsLab: Through widespread outages and collapsed infrastructure, North Carolina journalists hustle to cover Helene's aftermath

Steve Harrison /
NPR: Hurricane Helene upends election planning in some parts of North Carolina

Keith Campbell /
Asheville Watchdog: City of Asheville's updates on Helene's aftermath

TechCrunch:

TechCrunch unveils a redesign with a better UI, fresh color palette, more modern aesthetic, and new ways to show breaking news, after its last redesign in 2018— Sometimes, you have to start from scratch to make something amazing. Sometimes, you already have most of the ingredients …

Discussion:
@zeffmax

Discussion:

Max Zeff /
@zeffmax: New site new site new site

Business Insider:

Q&A with Matthew Yglesias about leaving Vox, launching his own Substack, and more; Yglesias says Slow Boring has ~18,000 subscribers paying ~$80 per year— - Matthew Yglesias, a prolific political writer, co-founded Vox in 2014. Six years later, he left to run his own Substack newsletter.

Discussion:

Manuel Roig-Franzia /
Washington Post: Technology columnist Taylor Lorenz leaves The Washington Post

Peter Kafka /
@pkafka@threads.net: Not sure about “has to” happen. A great thing about the internet is that it's really good about connecting people passionate about their niche. And there are still free/affordable options for generalists. I think the two can coexist quite nicely. Also don't know you put it back in the bottle: how do convince matt to forgoe that revenue? …

Renee DiResta /
@renee.diresta@threads.net: “There's an incredible niche-ification of media writ large. And this is kind of an example of that — that by unbundling, a certain number of us have been able to unlock a lot of economic value. And now some people like Bari Weiss are re-bundling.” …

Peter Kafka /
@pkafka: Two versions of my chat with @mattyglesias: Here's an excerpt about running a small, lucrative ($1.4mm) business on substack: https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...

Peter Kafka /
@pkafka: And here's the whole megillah, where we talk about being a policy person in Trump times, why everyone hates the media, and the age-old Big Media Reach vs Substack $ question. https://podcasts.apple.com/...

Peter Kafka /
@pkafka@threads.net: I pay for a couple news subscriptions - substack or otherwise - and my employer pays for a few more. I'm lucky - and it's also my job to consume this stuff. But I think it's wrong to lump matt and most substackers in the “news” category. I think for most people it's something they feel passionate about, for better and for worse. …

The Hollywood Reporter:

Nielsen: the vice presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz drew 43.15M US viewers across 15 networks, down 25.5% from the 2020 vice presidential debate— Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced off in the CBS News-produced debate. — The lone debate between …

Discussion:
CNN, Variety, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, Axios, New York Post, Forbes, Bloomberg, Deadline, DNyuz, Media Play News and Mediaite

Discussion:

Michael Schneider /
Variety: Vance-Walz Debate Draws 43.2 Million Viewers, Down 25% From 2020 VP Faceoff

Stephen Battaglio /
Los Angeles Times: Walz-Vance debate draws 43.1 million viewers, down from 2020 VP matchup

Sara Fischer /
Axios: VP debate draws over 43 million viewers, down 25% from 2020

Josh Christenson /
New York Post: More than 43 million tuned in to JD Vance-Tim Walz vice presidential debate

Molly Bohannon /
Forbes: 43 Million People Watched Vice Presidential Debate On TV

Christopher Palmeri /
Bloomberg: Vance-Walz Debate Draws 43 Million Viewers, Below 2020 Level

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: JD Vance-Tim Walz VP Debate Draws Just Over 43 Million Viewers, Far Short Of 2020 Audience -Update

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: Nielsen: 43.1 Million Viewers Watched Vance-Walz Vice Presidential Debate, Down 25% From 2020

MediaPost:

Sources: ad-tech startup Hudson MX, controlled by UK holding company Ascential, discontinues operations; Ascential had been trying to find a buyer for Hudson MX— Editor's Note: An initial version of this story incorrectly reported that Comcast's FreeWheel division had acquired certain assets …

Financial Times:

Amazon plans to increase the number of ads on Prime Video in 2025 after not seeing a sharp drop in subscribers since adding advertisements in January 2024— Ecommerce group attempting to win over more brands as it steps up push into ad-funded streaming services in 2025

Discussion:
Ars Technica, The Information, Quartz, Engadget, The Media Leader, @raydouglasuk, Deadline and Digiday, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Scharon Harding /
Ars Technica: Amazon will “ramp up” Prime Video ads in 2025

Bruce Gil /
Quartz: Expect more ads on Amazon Prime Video

Lawrence Bonk /
Engadget: More ads are coming to Amazon Prime Video

Jack Benjamin /
The Media Leader: Amazon Prime Video now reaches 19m in the UK

Ray Douglas /
@raydouglasuk: Amazon to increase number of advertisements on Prime Video, writes @DanielThomasLDN Revenues from its digital advertising business rose a fifth year on year to $12.8bn during the second quarter of 2024 FT https://www.ft.com/...

Jesse Whittock /
Deadline: Prime Video Reveals Ad-Supported UK Reach Of 19 Million In First Disclosure Of Its Kind

Seb Joseph /