Industry News
Jeff Bezos’s Owned Washington Post Plans Layoffs, Top Executives Impacted
The Washington Post has been dealing with decreased ad income and delayed online subscription growth, causing its owner, Jeff Bezos, to announce changes. The publication announced they were expecting layoffs early this new year, but only a single-digit proportion of the workforce would be impacted. However, the Post has lost several key executives in recent months, including its CIO, CCO, and CPO. Several of its best journalists have also moved on to work for other rival publications, causing many to worry about the outlet’s status.
CNBC Revamps Lineup Under Sullivan’s New Leadership
KC Sullivan, the new President of CNBC, has taken the reins and is already making changes to the network’s lineup which includes several moves and adjustments to big-time shows such as “The News with Shepard Smith”, “TechCheck”, “Squawk on the Street”, and “Worldwide Exchange”. Sullivan says the shift comes as “they must prioritize and focus on our core strengths of business news and finance.” Sullivan said he would address CNBC staff in a town hall meeting next month when he will share other new initiatives.
Vice Media Becomes the Latest Victim to Media Shakeup, Announces Sale
Vice Media, the global digital media and broadcasting company, recently announced that it is going up for sale. Vice is focused on youth-oriented and countercultural topics, building a reputation for its edgy, irreverent, and boundary-pushing content. However, in recent years, they have not been able to keep that momentum. The Vice leadership team has recently announced several layoffs and is looking for buyers to help the company grow as they have been struggling to find a competitive advantage in the current rocky media market.
Bloomberg Takes the Streaming World by Storm, Looks to Make More Documentaries
Bloomberg Media is investing in a stronger re-branded streaming channel by adding more documentaries and talk shows to its offerings, as the news publisher sees growth in the advertising-supported video despite headwinds in the ad market. The media company follows New York Times’ footsteps in rebranding its streaming channel and renaming it “Bloomberg Originals.” Bloomberg Originals will be the new streaming app, featuring content from Bloomberg TV and other Bloomberg feature programming.
Conservative Media Network “Newsmax” Gets the Boot from DirecTV
DirecTV, one of the largest satellite television providers in the United States, has decided to drop the conservative media network Newsmax. The move comes after several other cable and streaming providers, such as Comcast and YouTube TV also dropped the network. DirecTV was formerly owned by AT&T before the company sold a significant stake in the business to a private equity investor. The move by DirecTV to drop Newsmax has sparked important discussions about media censorship, freedom of speech, and the role of media companies in promoting accurate information. The debate is whether the removal of Newsmax violates viewers’ right to access the news and information they choose to watch or a request to uphold the value of media companies to fact-check and promote accurate information.
2023 Super Bowl Ads: Crypto Out, Culture Wars In?
The 2022 Super Bowl was defined by the wave of crypto ads, but this year’s Super Bowl LVII will have a much different theme. Reports say the commercials this year are shaping up to be defined by culture wars, with M&M’s responding to a FOX News Tucker Carlson segment, and ads for nonalcoholic beer, sugar-free soda and the issue of food waste all on tap to be spotlighted in commercials. Reports also say, staying true to Super Bowl form, ads are sure to have many A-list faces and brands, including appearances by Kevin Bacon, Serena Williams and Brian Cox.
Career Moves
Well-known television host, writer and political commentator Bill Maher is bringing his “Overtime” segment to CNN. The show will debut on Friday, February 3, 2023. Maher has been producing “Overtime” segments for years. An offshoot of the HBO show, the segments feature Maher and his panel of guests continuing to discuss newsy topics. The segment previously only streamed online. Maher is best known for his HBO weekly late-night series, “Real Time with Bill Maher”.
“CNN This Morning” Reportedly Finds Top Producer Role for High-Rated Show
CNN has reportedly found a new Executive Producer to oversee the network’s longtime morning show, “CNN This Morning”. The show is anchored by well-known CNN talent Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the new Executive Producer will be Chris Russell who previously worked as a producer for “CBS This Morning”, the program that newly minted CNN CEO Chris Licht helped create in 2011.
The Guardian Appoints NYT Alum to Discuss Changing Media Landscape
Margaret Sullivan, the former public editor at The New York Times, has joined The Guardian as a weekly columnist. In her new role, Sullivan will bring her expertise to shed light on the rapidly changing media landscape, writing about the challenges and opportunities facing journalists today, from the rise of misinformation to the impact of social media on newsrooms. Additionally, Sullivan is a teacher in the public policy school at Duke University.
CBS News Adds New Correspondent
Former Canadian news channel journalist Shanelle Kaul will join CBS News network as a correspondent. She previously worked at CP23, a leading Canadian news channel. Kaul was a journalism instructor at The Creative School at Ryerson University and a reporter/anchor at CTV News. She began her career as an editorial assistant, assignment coordinator, and morning news anchor at Global News.
The NY Times Adds New Reporter to its Supreme Court Team
Abbie VanSickle will join The New York Times Supreme Court reporting team, working alongside Adam Liptak, who is the Chief Supreme Court Correspondent. VanSickle will cover the inside world of the court, including politics and justices’ life. VanSickle has been reporting for The Marshall Project for the last five years and was a reporter for the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a 2019 finalist for Harvard’s Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.
