A look at the potential threats posed to US journalists by Donald Trump's possible second term, and proactive safeguards for news outlets (Joel Simon/Vanity Fair)

Mediagazer: A look at the potential threats posed to US journalists by Donald Trump's possible second term, and proactive safeguards for news outlets (Joel Simon/Vanity Fair)

Top News:

Washington Post:

After raising complaints, Trump says he will participate in the ABC debate with Harris on September 10 and the rules “will be the same as the last CNN debate”— The ABC News-hosted debate is set to take place Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, Trump said Tuesday.
Discussion: CNN, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Raw Story, Mediaite, Newser, Reuters, New Republic, The Daily Beast, New York Daily News, HuffPost, Wall Street Journal, Poynter, Fox News, News Talk WBAP-AM, Politico, Black America Web, KVUE-TV, CBS News, Vanity Fair, New York Post, The Wrap, Fortune, New Jersey Online, Deadline and Daily Kos

Discussion:

Kathleen Culliton /
Raw Story: 'Can't control himself': Michael Cohen shares ‘weird’ reason Trump should debate Harris

Isaac Schorr /
Mediaite: Trump Says He Has Agreed To ABC Debate With Kamala Harris In Rant Slamming ‘Nastiest and Most Unfair’ Network

Dave Goldiner /
New York Daily News: Trump claims deal reached for Sept. 10 debate on ABC with muted microphones

Ron Dicker /
HuffPost: ‘Morning Joe’ Pundit Nails Trump Dilemma As Harris Aims To Unmute Debate Mics

Eugene Daniels /
Politico: Is this thing on? Harris and Trump battle over hot mics at debate.

Zack Linly /
Black America Web: Kamala Harris Campaign Wants To Keep Trump Debate Mics On At All Times Amid Allegations He's Scared To Face Her

Josh Christenson /
New York Post: Trump takes up Harris campaign's dare to debate without ‘muted microphones’

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Tussle Over Muted Microphones at ABC News Debate

Stephanie Lai /
Fortune: Harris campaign says Trump's team is afraid to let him debate without mute button

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: “Stop Hiding Behind The Mute Button”: Kamala Harris' Campaign In Debate Dispute With Trump Campaign Over Shutting Off Mics

Variety:

Jason and Travis Kelce sign a deal with Amazon's Wondery for rights to their popular New Heights podcast; a source says the three year deal is worth $100M+— Three-year pact gives Wondery rights to ad-sales, distribution and more to NFL stars' weekly show

Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, The Information, Sabrina Yaghoubzadeh on LinkedIn, @morningbrew, @deadline, Los Angeles Times, Ray Harkins on LinkedIn, Grant Derkac on LinkedIn, @highyieldharry, @vinny_daniel0, New York Post, Brad Haugen on LinkedIn, @adamsinger, Bobby Gay on LinkedIn, Josh Mandell on LinkedIn, Barrett Media, The Hill, Front Office Sports, SheKnows, Forbes, Sportico, The Media Leader, The Ankler, UPROXX, E! Online, Awful Announcing, The Wrap, Maggie Clifton on LinkedIn, USA Today, TMZ.com, Bloomberg, RADIO ONLINE, The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal, Page Six, Deadline, TVNewsCheck, Rolling Stone, New York Daily News, Us Weekly, The Verge and KNSD-TV

Discussion:

Caitlin Huston /
The Hollywood Reporter: Travis and Jason Kelce's ‘New Heights’ Podcast Moves to Wondery in Nine-Figure Deal

Martin Peers /
The Information: Amazon's Swiftie Moment

Sabrina Yaghoubzadeh /
Sabrina Yaghoubzadeh on LinkedIn: Big things are happening at Wondery! I'm beyond thrilled to announce our exciting new partnership with New Heights! 🏈 — https://lnkd.in/... @morningbrew: Recent major podcast deals: • Joe Rogan (Spotify) $250M • Alex Cooper (SiriusXM) $125M • SmartLess (SiriusXM) $100M • Kelce Brothers (Amazon) $100M • Dax Shepard (Amazon) $80M It's good work if you can get it [image] @deadline: The show follows the NFL stars' personal and sporting lives, plus insight on football and pop culture. It is a regular top sports podcast on Apple and Spotify. Wave will continue to provide production services MORE: https://deadline.com/...

Wendy Lee /
Los Angeles Times: ‘New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce’ podcast lands deal with Amazon's Wondery

Ray Harkins /
Ray Harkins on LinkedIn: I am not a football dude but even I know the impact that this show has had on the industry and for sports podcasting in general. …

Grant Derkac /
Grant Derkac on LinkedIn: I cannot be more excited and honored to welcome New Heights to Wondery! We are so thrilled to be working with Jason, Travis, Aaron Eanes … @highyieldharry: How is everyone getting a $100 million podcast, does anyone want to gimme a meager $10 million podcast?

Vinny Daniel /
@vinny_daniel0: We are finally starting to see the commercialization of alternative. Podcasters getting NBA contracts

Jaclyn Hendricks /
New York Post: Inside Travis Kelce's ever-growing financial empire after $100 million Amazon deal

Brad Haugen /
Brad Haugen on LinkedIn: A lot of people will say that the Kelce Brothers podcast grew because of the Taylor Swift effect. There's probably some truth to that …

Adam Singer /
@adamsinger: Building an (interested) audience is still way undervalued by most people. Different than just ‘having followers.’ The leverage it affords is crazy, if you've used the internet long enough you understand. If you're scratching your head you'll get there eventually...

Bobby Gay /
Bobby Gay on LinkedIn: Exciting news in the podcast world today! Shoutout to Aaron Eanes, Andre Eanes, Maggie Clifton and all others for bringing this deal to life …

Josh Mandell /
Josh Mandell on LinkedIn: Cause players gonna play, play, play, play, play...and it'll be discussed on New Heights...which as of today, is a part of the Wondery fam! 🏈 🎉 …

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Amazon's Wondery podcast studio inks deal with Kelce brothers

Kristyn Burtt /
SheKnows: Travis Kelce's Taylor Swift Relationship Might Have Indirectly Helped His $100 Million Podcast Deal

Conor Murray /
Forbes: Jason And Travis Kelce Sign Reported $100 Million Podcast Deal With Amazon's Wondery

Jason Clinkscales /
Sportico: Travis, Jason Kelce Bring ‘New Heights’ Podcast to Wondery

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: Kelce brothers touchdown huge podcast deal with Amazon

Sean McNulty /
The Ankler: ☀️Next Steps for SKYDANCE/PAR with Edgar Out

Robby Kalland /
UPROXX: Travis And Jason Kelce Reportedly Signed A Podcast Deal Worth Over $100 Million With Amazon

Olivia Evans /
E! Online: Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce Score Eye-Popping Podcast Deal Worth at Least $100 Million

Ben Axelrod /
Awful Announcing: Kelce brothers reach $100 million-plus deal with Amazon for ‘New Heights’

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: Kelce Brothers Ink ‘New Heights’ Podcast Deal With Amazon's Wondery Worth Over $100 Million

Maggie Clifton /
Maggie Clifton on LinkedIn: As part of our new media management firm, Brick Media, I have been fortunate enough over the past serveral months to work alongside …

Glenn Erby /
USA Today: Jason and Travis Kelce sign $100 million deal With Amazon for ‘New Heights’ Podcast

Ashley Carman /
Bloomberg: NFL's Kelce Brothers Sign $100 Million Podcast Deal With Amazon

Dan Ladden-Hall /
The Daily Beast: Kelce Brothers Sign $100M+ Deal for Their ‘New Heights’ Podcast

Anne Steele /
Wall Street Journal: Kelce Brothers Sign Amazon Podcast Deal Worth More Than $100 Million

Francesca Bacardi /
Page Six: Travis, Jason Kelce sign ‘New Heights’ podcast deal worth more than $100M

Todd Spangler /
TVNewsCheck: Kelce Brothers Sign Deal With Amazon's Wondery for ‘New Heights’ Podcast Worth More Than $100 Million

Jami Ganz /
New York Daily News: Travis, Jason Kelce's ‘New Heights’ inks $100M deal with Amazon's Wondery

Tufayel Ahmed /
Us Weekly: Travis and Jason Kelce Sign 9-Figure Deal for Their ‘New Heights’ Podcast: Report

Axios:

Gallery Media Group CEO Ryan Harwood says GMG, which owns PureWow and 50+ lifestyle brands primarily on social media, aims to end 2024 with $50M in revenue— - Its executives credit cautious spending, smart owners and a relentless focus on their consumers.

New York Times:

Edgar Bronfman Jr. drops his 11th-hour bid to take control of Paramount and buy National Amusements; sources: Bronfman couldn't offer proof of financing in time— Mr. Bronfman has frantically put a bid together over the last week even as Paramount raised questions about his financing.

Discussion:
Deadline, Digiday, CBS News, Financial Times, Next TV, The Special Committee …, New York Post, CNBC, AV Club, Barrett Media, The Streamable, Business Insider, Bloomberg, Media Play News, WORLD SCREEN, Broadband TV News, Deadline, The Media Leader, The Guardian, @benmullin, @mediaevan, @royprice, @sarafischer, @benmullin, @beckyquick, Music Business Worldwide, Advanced Television, Business Insider, Screen, TVNewsCheck, Cord Cutters News, Axios, Variety, The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, The Desk, Reuters and @oliverdarcy@threads.net

Discussion:

Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline: Paramount Stock Has Down Day As Edgar Bronfman's Exit Dashes Hopes Of Bidding War

Tim Peterson /
Digiday: Future of TV Briefing: ViX COO Rafael Urbina on why TelevisaUnivision's streamer is loading up on live sports

Anna Nicolaou /
Financial Times: Edgar Bronfman Jr abandons $6bn Paramount bid

Jon Lafayette /
Next TV: Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s Bid for Paramount Fades to Black The Special Committee of the Board …: Paramount Global's Special Committee Announces End Of “Go-shop” Process

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Paramount stock tumbles after Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s surprise exit from bidding war

Mary Kate Carr /
AV Club: Skydance wins battle of the billionaires for control of Paramount Business Insider: Meet David Ellison, the 41-year-old son of billionaire Larry Ellison set to take over at Paramount

Hannah Miller /
Bloomberg: Edgar Bronfman Drops Out of Bidding War for Paramount Global

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: Paramount Global Ends ‘Go-Shop’ Window, Says Skydance Media Acquisition Should Close in 2025

Mansha Daswani /
WORLD SCREEN: Edgar Bronfman Jr. Ends Paramount Bid

Robert Briel /
Broadband TV News: Edgar Bronfman withdraws bid for Paramount

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: Bronfman withdraws bid for Paramount, paving way for Skydance deal

Kalyeena Makortoff /
The Guardian: Path clears for Paramount merger with Skydance after Bronfman drops bid

Evan DeSimone /
@mediaevan: Welp, that was fun for a minute. https://www.nytimes.com/...

Roy Price /
@royprice: Congratulations to the Ellisons and Redbird. Time for Paramount to move ahead. Their first project can be a miniseries based on the sale process!

Sara Fischer /
@sarafischer: That was a wild ride ... Edgar Bronfman Jr. dropping his bid for @paramountco / NAI after 11th hour Hail Mary. Statement below: [image]

Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: 🚨 statement from Edgar Bronfman Jr. 🚨 story here w/@LaurenSHirsch: https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]

Becky Quick /
@beckyquick: BREAKING NEWS: Edgar Bronfman Jr. is dropping out of the bidding for Paramount. $PARA Statement from him tonight: “Tonight, our bidding group informed the special committee that we will be exiting the go-shop process. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to participate. We

Mandy Dalugdug /
Music Business Worldwide: Paramount-Skydance merger moves forward as former Warner Music boss Edgar Bronfman Jr. drops $4.3bn bid

Shubhangi Goel /
Business Insider: Edgar Bronfman Jr. drops his $6 billion Paramount bid

Jeremy Kay /
Screen: Edgar Bronfman Jr. withdraws Paramount Global offer, paving way for Skydance Media

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: SOLD Pluto TV & Paramount+ Have Been Sold to Skydance As All Other Bidders Drop Out

Sara Fischer /
Axios: Edgar Bronfman Jr. drops bid for Paramount

Cynthia Littleton /
Variety: Paramount Global Closes Door on ‘Go-Shop’ Period as Edgar Bronfman Jr. Drops Last-Minute Bid for Studio The Wrap: Edgar Bronfman Jr. Drops Out of Paramount Bidding Process, Leaving Skydance as Winner of Hollywood Studio

Lauren Thomas /
Wall Street Journal: Edgar Bronfman Drops Bid for Paramount, Paving Way for Skydance Deal

Zoe G. Phillips /
The Hollywood Reporter: Edgar Bronfman Drops Paramount Bid

Dawn Chmielewski /
Reuters: Media exec Bronfman pulls out of race to acquire Paramount

Oliver Darcy /
@oliverdarcy@threads.net: News: Edgar Bronfman Jr. backs out of bid to acquire Paramount: “Tonight, our bidding group informed the special committee that we will be exiting the go-shop process. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to participate.”

RELATED:
Bloomberg: Sources: Paramount is moving ahead with asset disposals, including a potential sale of 12 TV stations that it considers non-core, which could fetch $500M to $1B

Discussion:
Adweek, The Wrap, @michellef_davis, @matthewkeyslive, The Desk and Cord Cutters News

Discussion:

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Paramount Exploring Sale of 12 Local TV Stations | Report

Michelle F. Davis /
@michellef_davis: scooplet: Paramount has hired a bank to help it find buyer(s) for a dozen independent TV stations, some which used to be The CW Network affiliates. The potential sale is part of a plan to dispose of noncore assets to raise cash. story with @chrispalmeri https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Matthew Keys /
@matthewkeyslive: Paramount has hired an investment bank to consider selling 12 independent and low-power TV stations, including outlets in San Francisco, Seattle, Indianapolis, Tampa, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Detroit https://thedesk.net/... $PARA

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Paramount hires bank to weigh sale of non-core TV stations

Bloomberg:

Sources: Disney is in contract renewal talks with DirecTV that could see ABC, ESPN, and other channels blacked out as early as September 1 if no deal is reached— DirecTV is looking to ease contract terms that have long required cable and satellite-TV distributors to charge customers …

Discussion:

Andrew Bucholtz /
Awful Announcing: DirecTV-Disney carriage talks spotlight next crucial TV model divide

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Disney and DirecTV Trade Barbs as Carriage Talks Come Down to the Wire

Joe Wright /
@sctvman: Last agreement was 5 years ago. Only the ABC O&Os involved in this, but it was a a major pain when this almost happened to DirecTV customers in 2019.

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Disney And DirecTV Lock Horns In Carriage Renewal Talks: Will The Result Be A Bold New Pay-TV Plan Or Just Private Equity “Spin”?

Chris Palmeri /
Chris Palmeri on LinkedIn: While always a feature of the pay-TV universe, the fights between cable and satellite-TV distributors and the media giants that supply them programming seem to be getting fiercer. …

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Disney Alleges DirecTV ‘Has Not Engaged in Earnest’ With Various TV Deal Options as Contract Expiration Looms

John Ourand /
@ourand_puck: Puck subscribers knew about these talks more than a week ago. #NotSoHumbleBrag https://puck.news/...

James Faris /
Business Insider: DirecTV is on the warpath against Disney in a battle it says is existential for cable TV

Ananya Gairola /
Benzinga: DirecTV And Disney Talking Over Flexible Netflix-Like Channel Packages, But Fallout From Failed Talks Could Cause ESPN Blackout Next Week

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: Cheaper Sports Only Packages Coming to YouTube TV, DIRECTV, & Others? Disney is Reportedly Open to It

Christopher Palmeri /
TVNewsCheck: DirecTV Looks To Rewrite Pay TV Rules In Disney Networks Talks

Phillip Swann /
The TV Answer Man!: Report: DIRECTV Could Lose Disney, ESPN This Sunday In Carriage Row

Nilutpal Timsina /
Reuters: DirecTV looks to renew pay-TV rules in Disney talks, Bloomberg News reports

The Moscow Times:

Interfax: Russia's FSB files criminal charges against a DW reporter and a journalist for Ukraine's 1+1 TV channel for illegally crossing the border into Kursk— Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday that it has filed criminal charges against a Deutsche Welle reporter …

Discussion:
Reuters, @cforcd, @rsf_inter, Agence France-Presse, TASS, Deutsche Welle and Reuters

Discussion:

Rachel Armstrong /
Reuters: Reuters journalist in critical condition after strike on Ukraine's Kramatorsk @cforcd: ⚡️ How russian propaganda justifies the killing of a British news agency employee in Kramatorsk [image] @rsf_inter: 🔴 #RUSSIA: “I felt a terrible pain in my abdomen.” Russian journalist Irina @Babloyan fell ill very suddenly in late 2022. While the medical results were lost, the symptoms are consistent with poisoning. She testifies for #RSFTalks ⬇️ [video]

Nicholas Simon Connolly /
TASS: FSB launches investigations into two more reporters for illegally crossing Russian border

Advanced Television:

WBD's Max says it will launch CNN International in 22 European countries on August 29 and will include CNN's simulcast of the ABC News presidential debate— Max, Warner Bros Discovery's streaming platform, will launch the CNN International 24/7 live channel feed in 22 European countries across Spain …

Discussion:
The Desk, Broadband TV News, WORLD SCREEN and Deadline

Discussion:

Kristin Brzoznowski /
WORLD SCREEN: CNN International To Stream On Max In Europe

Vanity Fair:

A look at the potential threats posed to US journalists by Donald Trump's possible second term, and proactive safeguards for news outlets— The former director of the Committee to Protect Journalists lays out the grave threats that American news outlets might confront—and offers proactive safeguards.

Discussion:
@tilojung, @nanavsliars, @jodieginsberg and @joelsimonsays

Discussion:

Tilo Jung /
@tilojung: “Trump reportedly urged the postmaster general to raise postal rates as a way of punishing Amazon, whose founder, Jeff Bezos, also happened to own The Washington Post, which consistently investigated and found fault with his administration's policies.” https://www.vanityfair.com/... @nanavsliars: “Trump has twice discussed scenarios for jailing journalists in the course of leak investigations and implied that the threat of a prison rape could get them to cough up their sources.” Unfit to work at McDonald's, much less the Oval Office. #DemVoice1 https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Jodie Ginsberg /
@jodieginsberg: I spoke to my @pressfreedom predecessor @JoelSimonSays for this @VanityFair article on what a second Trump term might mean for journalists in the United States. https://www.vanityfair.com/...

TechCrunch:

India telecom Bharti Airtel partners with Apple to offer exclusive deals for Apple Music and Apple TV+ later this year; Airtel will shut down its Wynk music app— Apple has struck a deal with Airtel to provide the Indian telecom giant's subscribers with exclusive offers for its music streaming service.

Discussion:
Reuters, Digital Music News, Music Business Worldwide and Entrackr

Discussion:

Ashley King /
Digital Music News: Apple Music Tacks on Millions of New Subscribers in India After Bharti Airtel Deal

Tim Ingham /
Music Business Worldwide: Indian streaming service Wynk Music to shut down; subscribers pushed to Apple Music via new Airtel partnership

Harsh Upadhyay /
Entrackr: Airtel to shut down music streaming app Wynk Music

Billboard:

Spin returns to print as a quarterly magazine after being out of circulation since late 2012; Bob Guccione Jr., who founded the publication in 1985, is the EIC— After more than a decade out of circulation, SPIN is returning to print as a quarterly magazine, the media brand announced Tuesday …

Discussion:
@oneunderscore__ and Head Topics

The Guardian:

Venezuelan journalists are using AI avatars to host daily newscasts without putting themselves at risk, as President Nicolás Maduro cracks down on the media— Journalists are using artificial intelligence avatars to combat Maduro's media crackdown since disputed election

Discussion:

Grady Booch /
@grady_booch: Now, this is a use case I'd only seen in the movies.

Jeremy Werner /
Jeremy Werner on LinkedIn: There's a lot to unpack here. — “In the four weeks since Venezuela's disputed election, local journalists have come up with a distinctly 21st-century tactic … @niemanlab: “Being on camera is no longer sensible”: persecuted Venezuelan journalists turn to AI https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Andrew Blakeley /
Andrew Blakeley on LinkedIn: How about a potentially life-saving use of AI? — Journalists in Venezuela, who are critical of Maduro, are using AI avatars to bring unpublishable news …

Katherine Pennacchio /
LatAm Journalism Review: Journalists in Venezuela protect themselves with AI avatars that present the news

Axios:

Last week, BuzzFeed launched a BuzzFeed Arcade redesign, Vulture released an archive of its game Cinematrix, and Mashable partnered with Arkadium to offer games— - BuzzFeed launched a redesign for BuzzFeed Arcade, home to Pyramid Scheme, AI generators and other games.

Discussion:
Mashable, Vulture, @vulture, @mashable, @kerrymflynn and Kerry Flynn on LinkedIn

Discussion:

Shama Rahman /
Vulture: You'll Never Miss a Cinematrix Again @vulture: By popular demand, we've launched an archive of past Cinematrixes. Now grid enthusiasts everywhere will always be able to play the most recent 12 games, plus assorted fan favorites in our Permanent Collection: https://www.vulture.com/... @mashable: Gaming is coming to Mashable. You heard it here first. If solving your sudoku, finding just the right seven letters to complete your crossword, or guessing the Wordle after a single stab in the dark has ever brought you joy, our Mashable Games hub is for you. Through a [image]

Kerry Flynn /