Media News

News about the media.

After Merger, Comes the Cutting

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Article in Reuters by Deborah Mary Sophia and Neil J Kanatt, 10/1/26

Headline:  “David Ellison’s appointment of Kreiz brings cost-cutter to Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery”

“. . .David Ellison’s choice of Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz as his co-captain at the new Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery signals what the media behemoth will care about most: running a lean, cost-efficient ​business that can pump more money out of its storied franchises. . .”

“That skillset positions Kreiz well to take on the task of knitting together two legacy media giants saddled with roughly $80 billion in debt while delivering the $6 billion in cost-savings promised from the industry-shaping merger. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/david-ellisons-appointment-of-kreiz-brings-cost-cutter-paramount-warner-bros-2026-10-01/

Citizens Worried About Press Freedom

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Article in UPI by By Jill Keppeler, 9/29/26

Headline: “Percentage who say U.S. media have ‘a lot’ of freedom hits new low”

“. . .Slightly more than two in three Americans now say that U.S. news media have “a lot” of freedom, a new low, a Gallup poll released Tuesday said.

“The percentage shows a marked political divide. . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/09/29/perception-of-press-freedom-hits-new-low/5151790716634/

 

Carr Accident

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Article in Status, by Oliver Darcy, 9/29/26

Headline: “Comcast’s Carr Calculation”

Subhead: “While the company announced plans to spin off NBCUniversal, Status has learned executives are weighing whether to hang on to their local television stations rather than risk a fight with Trump’s FCC.”

“Earlier this summer, when Comcast announced that it would spin off its NBCUniversal assets into a separate company, most of the industry assumed that the conglomerate’s owned-and-operated television stations would be divested with the rest of the media portfolio. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.status.news/p/comcast-nbc-stations-spinoff-fcc-brendan-carr

Report on Opposing Side?

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Article in Mediaite by Zachary Leeman, 9/25/26

Headline: “New York Times Hits Back at Critics Slamming Their Reporter for Attending Briefing With Iranian President”

“. . .The backlash got loud enough that New York Times spokesperson Nicole Taylor dropped a statement pushing back:

” ‘Our reporter Farnaz Fassihi is being unfairly criticized for attending a briefing with Iran’s president and foreign minister, a meeting she attended along with editors and reporters from major American and British new outlets. This is what newsgathering looks like; reporting conversations conducted with Iranian government officials is standard, legally protected journalistic work. Never before has a head of government attended the U.N. General Assembly while at war with the United States; our reporting on Tehran’s proposals provides the public with insight into Iran’s negotiating strategy and prospects for peace.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/new-york-times-hits-back-at-critics-slamming-their-reporter-for-attending-briefing-with-iranian-president/

Streaming Killing Public Media?

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Article in The Guardian by Mark Sweney, 9/19/26

Headline:  “‘A losing battle’: will UK public service broadcasters survive amid US onslaught?”

Subhead:  “Jobs and programme budgets in firing line at BBC, Channel 4 and ITV as they are outgunned by YouTube and Netflix“

“‘I wouldn’t be surprised if the BBC or Channel 4 disappeared,’ says one of the thousands of TV staff at risk of redundancy, as British broadcasters face what has rapidly become a fight for survival against US digital rivals.

“’My generation grew up with Netflix and YouTube … Honestly, I feel like it is a losing battle.’

“Over the course of the summer the crisis facing the UK’s biggest public service broadcasters (PSBs) – the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV – has reached fever pitch amid announcements of deep job cuts and talk of business models unfit to face up to the deep-pocketed streamers. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/sep/19/uk-public-service-broadcasters-us-bbc-channel-4-itv-netflix-disney-amazon

Local News, New Flight Path

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Article in Poynter 9/16/26,by Stephanie Edgerly and Tim Franklin

Headline:  “Local news audiences aren’t disappearing, but their habits are changing fast”

Subhead:  “A three-year Medill survey found declining TV and radio use, growing reliance on smartphones and creators, and deep skepticism about AI in news”

“In 2024, the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University conducted its first in-depth survey of Chicago-area news consumers to understand how smartphones and social media were remaking the relationship between audiences and local news. . .”

“This article was originally published by Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative. . .”

Read the full  article at:

https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/medill-survey-local-news-consumption-2026/

Radio Active Magazine 9/8/26

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Headline:  “Today’s Radio Active Magazine & Media & Democracy for Sept. 19: ‘The impact of news media on the Japanese political economy’

Tune in to http://KKFI.ORG for thelive episode 6:00 PM CST.

“The impact of news media on the Japanese political economy is the theme of to night’s Radio Active Magazine, to be released a week from Saturday, Sept. 19, as ‘Media & Democracy’ on Audioport for Pacifica.

This features a presentation by Rachel Clark about news media in the US and Japan and their impact on the political economy.

The podcast with a video and highlights is available in the article on “The impact of news media on the Japanese political economy” on Wikiversity:

AI as Media Tool

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jem Bartholomew, 8/27/26

Headline: “Should the Press ‘Run Toward’ AI?”

Subhead: “A new book argues that news organizations should enthusiastically adopt AI to improve their journalism. Critics aren’t so sure.”

“. . .Rosenstiel, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, argues that journalism is ‘failing democracy’ and should ‘become more focused on helping people live their lives than on merely getting their attention. . .”

“. . .instead of using datasets for one-off enterprise stories, journalists should work to combine multiple streams of information into a single, constantly updating hub—taking on the role of data wranglers, one might say—and then enable audiences to navigate that resource themselves, for instance with an AI chatbot. This, he argues, could help put newsrooms back at the center of their communities. The idea is about ‘extending the reach of human journalism using technology as a tool,’ he told me. ‘I’m not advocating having AI write stories.’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/should-the-press-run-toward-ai-tom-rosenstiel-new-book-next-journalism-how-press-must-change-serve-democracy.php

Media Jobs Drought

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Article in The Wrap by Casey Loving, 8/28/26

Headline: “Longtime WNBC Investigative Reporter Reveals Network Eliminated Her Position, Cites Changing Media Landscape”

Subhead: ” ‘ No, I’m not retiring,’ Sarah Wallace says while teasing her next move”

“After parting ways with New York-based news station WNBC, longtime investigative journalist Sarah Wallace wants to clear the air: She’s not retiring.

“Instead, the seasoned journalist, whose resume boasts 19 Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, revealed in a direct-to-camera social media video on Friday that her position was entirely eliminated from the company, citing the changing media landscape as the cause for her career change. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/longtime-wnbc-investigative-reporter-position-eliminated/

Media Sharks Want to Feed

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 8/24/26

Headline: “Opinion | Why the media has reason to focus on Natalie Harp story”

Subhead:  “Influential aide to President Trump who shapes information he receives wrote personal letters, defended him on social media after Jan. 6”

“Perhaps the most publicized name on the national political scene over the past couple of weeks has been Natalie Harp, the White House aide who never seems more than a few steps away from President Donald Trump.

“And there’s a good reason for all the attention and coverage she is receiving. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/why-the-media-has-reason-to-focus-on-natalie-harp-story/