Media

Semafor reports: If Vivek Ramaswamy wants to appear on Newsmax, he should pay to do it. That was the message that network chief Chris Ruddy delivered to the Republican presidential candidate during a private call earlier this summer, according to two people to whom the candidate described the conversation. Ramaswamy had complained that the right-leaning network was sticking him in …

Media Matters reports: On July 12, Newsmax hosts Eric Bolling and Dick Morris floated the idea that former President Donald Trump should skip the upcoming Republican primary debate on Fox News and instead “schedule a town hall or some other forum on Newsmax, to compete with Fox News” in the same time slot. Both Morris and Bolling are former Fox …

Axios reports: MediaNews Group, the local newspaper company owned by Alden Global Capital, has shut down all of its comment sections as of July 1st, due to difficulties in moderating them, executives told Axios. MediaNews Group, also known as Digital First Media, is home to hundreds of weekly newspapers and dozens of daily newspapers, including major regional outlets such as …

The Desk reports: Nexstar Media Group has fired one of its Michigan-based television news directors who orchestrated a memo urging reporters under his watch to lessen their coverage of Pride Month events because the stories were upsetting some viewers. On Thursday, WOOD-TV (Channel 8, NBC) News Director Stanton Tang learned of his dismissal during a one-on-one meeting with the station’s …

Mediaite reports: Tucker Carlson is reportedly raising funds for a new media venture in the wake of his Fox News ousting, and many of his former staffers at the network are reuniting with him for the project, according to a new report. Puck News’s Dylan Byers reported on Wednesday that Carlson is currently raising funds for the venture and that …

Rolling Stone reports: Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News laid bare how the network communicated behind the scenes about broadcasting 2020 election misinformation, ultimately leading the network to fork over a massive settlement. Newsmax could be next, as voting technology company Smartmatic has subpoenaed several of the right-wing cable network’s current and former employees for work and personal …

The Desk reports: The news director of a Michigan NBC affiliate ordered her reporters to ease up on coverage of LGBT-focused stories during Pride Month, saying the news pieces were upsetting some of the station’s conservative viewers. The memo, penned by WOOD-TV (Channel 8) Assistant News Director Amy Fox, followed several reports that focused on a celebration hosted in the …

Axios reports: Fox News has sent a “cease and desist” letter to Tucker Carlson as he ramps up a competing series on Twitter that drew a combined 169 million views for its first two episodes, Axios has learned. The contract battle between Fox and its former top host — who was taken off the air in April, after the network’s …

Puck News reports: After a year of leadership missteps, programming misfires, a disastrous Trump town hall and the near-total decimation of staff morale in the wake of a chilling all-access Atlantic story, Chris Licht will be vacating the C.E.O. position. In the next 48 hours, I’m told, Warner Bros. Discovery will announce that Licht will be stepping down as chairman …

The New York Times reports: Chuck Todd said on Sunday that he was stepping down from NBC’s “Meet the Press” after nine years in the moderator’s chair and would be succeeded by the network’s chief White House correspondent, Kristen Welker. In remarks at the conclusion of the show on Sunday, Mr. Todd, 50, said he was conscious that many leaders …

Media Matters reports: Newsmax used footage of an Iowa building collapse while discussing a drone strike in Russia during a Tuesday broadcast. The error occurred during the latest edition of The Record With Greta Van Susteren where she broke down the latest news of the strike that hit Moscow on Tuesday, the first to hit a civilian area in Russia …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: The Philadelphia Inquirer and outside cybersecurity experts continued Sunday to scramble to restore systems after an apparent cyberattack disrupted operations over the weekend. The Inquirer had been unable to print its regular Sunday newspaper, and it was not clear until late Sunday afternoon that it would be possible to print Monday’s editions of The Inquirer and …

Reuters reports: Vice Media Group, popular for websites such as Vice and Motherboard, filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday to engineer its sale to a group of lenders, capping years of financial difficulties and top-executive departures. Vice said that the lender consortium, which includes Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital, will provide about $225 million in the …

The Huffington Post reports: Ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson and CNN anchor Don Lemon seemed to have had little in common until now: The fallen cable news stars reportedly just hired the same lawyer to navigate their departures. Multiple outlets say Los Angeles attorney Bryan Freedman is representing both. Freedman has facilitated favorable breakup terms for hosts before, including …

The New York Times reports: Don Lemon is out at CNN. CNN said on Monday that it was parting ways with Mr. Lemon, a star anchor who was a fixture of the network’s prime-time lineup before enduring a short but controversial tenure as a morning show co-host. “CNN and Don have parted ways,” the network said in a statement on …

First, last month’s report by CNBC: BuzzFeed is shrinking its money-losing news organization, the company announced Tuesday, amid what people familiar with the matter describe as broader investor concern that the division is weighing down the company. Several large shareholders have urged BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti to shut down the entire news operation, said the people, who asked …

CNBC reports: DirecTV said Wednesday it reached a deal with Newsmax Media to once again carry the right wing network in its satellite-TV and streaming packages. DirecTV had not carried Newsmax on its services since late January, when carriage negotiations broke down between the two companies. Newsmax had earlier alleged at the core of the dispute was “political discrimination,” with …

Florida Politics reports: Republican lawmakers sidestepped decades of constitutional precedent and a wave of public opposition Tuesday to advance legislation aimed at weakening legal protections for journalists writing about public figures. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines for the measure (SB 1220), one of several bills Gov. Ron DeSantis has prioritized this year targeting long-held First …

Reuters reports: A Brooklyn federal jury on Thursday convicted a former 21st Century Fox executive and acquitted another after a trial over an alleged scheme to bribe South American soccer officials to secure lucrative broadcasting rights. Jurors found Hernan Lopez guilty but acquitted Carlos Martinez on the same charges. South American sports marketing company Full Play Group SA was also …

The Associated Press reports: In defending itself against a massive defamation lawsuit over how it covered false claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election, the network is relying on a nearly 60-year-old Supreme Court ruling that makes it difficult to successfully sue media organizations for libel. Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, two favorites of many Fox News …