 Vincent Sadusky |
Univision Communications has named Vincent Sadusky CEO. Sadusky is on the board of Hemisphere Media Group, a broadcast and media company targeting Latin American and U.S. Hispanic audiences. Until last year, he was CEO at Media General. Sandusky also served as CFO at Telemundo, the NBC Universal unit that is one of Univision’s main competitors. In March, Univision scuttled plans for an initial public offering that had been seen as a way to provide an exit route for the company’s private-equity owners. In the wake of the IPO’s collapse, the company replaced CFO Francisco Lopez-Balboa with Peter Lori, and CEO Randy Falco announced plans to retire. Univision is currently in the midst of a business review that is expected to lead to cost-cutting and job losses.
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Rather than comply with the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation, which is meant to protect the privacy of people visiting websites, such publications as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune are opting to cut off access to users in EU countries. A&E Television Networks has blocked several of its websites, including those for its History and Lifetime channels. According to a study conducted by information security solutions firm Alert Logic, there is still a considerable amount of confusion as regards the specifics of GDPR. The main GDPR compliance hurdles cited in the study are lack of expert staff (43 percent), lack of budget (40 percent), and a limited understanding of GDPR regulations (31 percent). But blocking users does not automatically get companies off the hook as regards GDPR violations. Julian Saunders, CEO of software startup Port, told Bloomberg that companies “still hold data on EU citizens and therefore they are required to comply and respond to subject access requests like everyone else.”
 Debra Lee |
BET CEO Debra Lee is stepping down. Lee has been credited with reshaping the company by acquiring more original programming and emphasizing family entertainment. Hired as the company’s first VP and general counsel in 1986, she was promoted to president and COO in 1996 and has also been chairman and CEO since 2005. Scott Mills replaced her as the Viacom unit’s president in December, but Lee stayed on as chairman/CEO. Lee will continue her role on corporate and non-profit boards, and her work with Time's Up and The Recording Academy Diversity & Inclusion Task Force.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
Trump Media & Technology Group is discussing a spin-off of the Truth Social platform following the expected closing of its $6B merger deal with TAE Technologies... Condé Nast sells off Them, the digital LGBTQ-focused platform it launched in 2017, to Equalpride, publisher of Out, The Advocate, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness and Pride.com... CBS News has parted ways with longevity influencer Peter Attia, one of the 19 contributors that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss brought on as part of her plan to present a wider variety of voices on the platform. 
Symbolic.ai forms a partnership with News Corp to begin using the company’s AI-native publisher platform in the newsrooms of News Corp publications to augment research, writing and publishing... Mediaite launches a newsletter that promises to give readers a summary of—media newsletters... The Fund for American Studies launches the Journalism Excellence Fellowship, a program that will provide promising young journalists the opportunity to work alongside top writers, reporters, and media professionals.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has roots going back to 1786, is going out of business, the paper’s owners, Block Communications, announced on Jan. 7... GQ editor Will Welch is stepping down to take on a new Paris-based role with the musician Pharrell, who is also men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton... Semafor says it has raised $30 million on a $330 million valuation, following its first profitable year. 
