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Wednesday, February 6, 2019
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The New York Times is getting close to becoming a majority-digital companyIt now makes about 40 percent of its revenue from digital, and the path forward is clear and direct. By Joshua Benton. |
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Vox.com tries a membership program, with a twist: It’s focused on video and entirely on YouTube“I’m sure everybody in the industry would [agree] that YouTube can be a messy, nasty place. The membership is just this delightful two-way conversation, with people who are really there to support Vox.” By Laura Hazard Owen. |
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Anchor too? With a second big acquisition, Spotify shows it’s serious about podcasts — as both producer and platformDo we have to start saying “platisher” again? We might have to start saying “platisher” again. By Nicholas Quah. |
What We’re Reading
University of Southern California
A new USC initiative wants to change the way Americans see Africa →
From a related report: “Stories about Africa appeared infrequently on U.S. television: a mention appeared once in every five hours of TV programming. Viewers were seven times more likely to see references to Europe.”
The Information / Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan
How Netflix created a boom in the cartoon industry →
“The emphasis on cartoons reflects an often-overlooked reality about streaming services like Netflix: Viewership is heavily driven by children…Executives at another service say that families tend to cancel at nearly half the rate of the average subscriber.”
WNYC
Andrew Golis leaves Vox to become WNYC’s chief content officer →
“He will be responsible for setting a strategy and vision for how WNYC can more powerfully tell stories across platforms, positioning WNYC News as a model of how public radio newsrooms can help reinvigorate struggling local news ecosystems across the country.”
The Wrap / Jon Levine
Vice is closing in on a deal with Hulu for a new show, after HBO decides to ax its weekly news show →
“We now have paper. We now have pens. The pens are not on paper. At the same time, we are confident enough that production on that show is going to start today.”
Associated Press / David Bauder
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark donates $15 million for journalism ethics →
“Columbia, with one of the leading graduate journalism programs in the country, will get $10 million to establish the Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security. The Florida-based Poynter think tank will get $5 million, its largest single donation ever, to offer additional journalism ethics training.”
Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt
FT backs a new site aimed at young European entrepreneurs (and it’s trying to keep it free) →
“We didn't write that much about the start-up world, and secondly because we had a paywall which was a deterrent to some of the people in that sector. So I wondered whether it was possible to create a new media site for that younger generation of readers which we were not capturing so much at the FT.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Amanda Darrach
Amid buyouts, McClatchy’s CEO gets a monthly $35,000 housing stipend →
“In 2017, Forman's take-home pay from McClatchy was $1.7 million, excluding restricted stock. His newest contract with the company, dated January 25, 2019, includes a base pay of $1 million, a bonus of $1 million, and an additional $35,000 monthly stipend. According to Segal, this stipend will be used to pay for Forman's travel, housing, office, and security expenses.”
Vanity Fair / Joe Pompeo
Axios hires Jess Szmajda to lead its expansion into paid products →
Axios is preparing to roll out a paid subscription product and has hired Jess Szmajda as its CTO. “Szmajda will be the first female transgender CTO of a notable media property.”
France 24
Agence France-Presse extends its Facebook fact-checking partnership into Arabic →
“AFP — whose fact checks are used by Facebook in more countries than any other news organization — is the first to do so in the Arab world.”
The New York Times / Jaclyn Peiser
The New York Times now employs more journalists (1,600) than any other time in its history →
The company added 120 newsroom employees last year.
The Verge / Casey Newton
Facebook removes 22 more Alex Jones pages after its latest policy update →
It “removed 22 pages associated with far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, as part of a previously announced update in which the company is tightening rules for administrators whose pages have been previously banned.”