Industry News
New CNN Chief Tries to Increase Viewership with Sponsored Show Segments
To increase viewership after a highly polarized Trump-era, the new CNN Chief, Chris Licht, is looking to increase viewership through creating new show segments with ad sponsors, investing in CNN’s international channels, and is also considering a premium section of CNN’s website that would only be available to paying subscribers.
Only Nine U.S. Newspapers Sell 100,000+ Copies a Day
A report from the PressGazette shows U.S. newspaper circulation has fallen 12% in 2022 with only nine publications selling 100,000+ copies a day. The biggest percent decrease in circulation was the Philadelphia Inquirer (-20%) and the Tampa Bay Times (-26%). The New York Post, ranked at number five with an average of 142,382 daily print circulation, had the lowest percent decrease at 2%.
Digiday Podcast: Bustle’s Charlotte Owen is on a Mission to Turn Around Elite Daily
Bustle’s Editor-in-Chief, Charlotte Owen, has recently been promoted to editor-in-chief of BDG’s Elite Daily where she is working to expand and increase Elite Daily’s viewership and brand awareness. On the podcast with Digiday, Owen speaks about her media strategies that are helping to turn the brand around: profiling the unexpected, expanding the narrative and breaking through the boring.
Axios: The Benefits of Bundling Newsletters
In March, Axios decided to package its AM and PM newsletters, along with the newly launched, end-of-day newsletter called Finish Line, in one bundle called the Daily Essentials. With one sign-up for The Daily Essentials, users would receive all three newsletters. Goo said this new model increased open rates and avoided a substantial decrease in number of subscribers. Further, the content is just different enough throughout each newsletter, that the value adds up. The next packaged newsletter the outlet is working on is Macro, a combined business and finance newsletter from its former newsletters Markets and Closer.
Career Moves
Alex Wagner Succeeds Rachel Maddow at MSNBC
Political journalist veteran, Alex Wagner, is to succeed Rachel Maddow at MSNBC as the weekday host of its 9 p.m. hour. Wagner previously worked at MSNBC for several years as a host of its daytime show and has most recently as a senior political analyst and primetime guest anchor.
Former Gannett CEO is New Reuters News president
Thomson Reuters named former Gannett (owner of USA Today) president, Paul Bascobert as president of Reuters News. Bascobert also worked at Bloomberg Media and at Dow Jones where he was the chief marketing officer. At Reuters, he succeeds Michael Friedenberg, who was the president for three years.
BuzzFeed Names Karolina Waclawiak as Editor in Chief
Buzzfeed named its top culture editor, Karolina Waclawiak, the new editor-in-chief. Waclawiak has been at the company for six years and enters the new role as Buzzfeed has lost 80% of its value since going public in December 2021.
Former Wall Street Journal Editor Moves to NBC News as Senior Business Editor
Rich Bellis, formerly of the Wall Street Journal moves to NBC as a senior business editor working on the business and innovation desk.
The Los Angeles Times Invests in Social Media Content Creation Team
The Los Angeles Times created a six-person social media content creation team to target a younger, more diverse audience that typically wouldn’t read The Los Angeles Times. The new team, called 404, will be on Instagram and TikTok and will include a variety of content creators.
Publication Spotlight
Harvard Business Review Contributed Content
After some recent inquiries about contributed content and where / how to place them, we’re putting a spotlight on Harvard Business Review and its process for guest submissions. HBR covers topics in communications, leadership, strategy, workplace issues, management, diversity and inclusion and more, and regularly invites contributed content to support these ideas from the world’s brightest business and communication leaders. When looking for the right fit, HBR looks for the following qualities:
- Expertise
- Evidence
- Originality
- Usefulness
- Writing that’s persuasive
Additionally, the editors say the argument of the post should be made in the first paragraph, if not the first sentence; and that the article should read like a New York Times or Wall Street Journal Op Ed piece and make an argument. To read the full list of qualities and requirements to submit a contributed article, read here. To submit an article for a client, do so here.