 Joshua James |
Valence Media has made an investment in news startup Zig, joining such previous investors as Live Nation, former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, Universal vice chair Ron Meyer and Quincy Jones. Zig, which was launched earlier this year, offers users a personalized news feed, incorporating content from such providers as the New York Times, CNN, TMZ and People magazine. It can be accessed either by website or mobile app. Zig CEO Joshua James says that the app, which had just 48 users at launch, now has an audience of over 1 million users. Valence Media was launched in February, merging the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, dick clark productions and television and film studio MRC.
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BizBash, a trade media company that focuses on event and meeting professionals, is bringing back the print magazine it killed in 2016, starting with its 2018 Holiday/Fall Venues issue. In addition to the relaunched magazine, the company has a digital presence that includes a podcast, an augmented-reality app and a website. BizBash CEO and founder David Adler says that print offers a welcome contrast to what he calls the “chaotic mess” of the online world. “Our new print issue brings to life a trend we have seen in the event industry over the past few years—people are craving offline, in-person, real life experiences,” he said.
 Clifford Levy |
New York Times Metro section editor Clifford Levy told staffers in a memo last week that “engaging readers (and listeners and viewers) on our digital platform” has become a major priority. Pursuing that engagement is leading the section to take a look at the approach of its current staffers to determine “the extent to which Metro’s current staffing addresses those needs.” The memo goes on to says that staffers whose work and vision don’t align with the section’s new mission will be offered buyouts—if they are Guild-represented reporters and editors who have worked at the section for a least a year. The memo comes in the wake of a WWD report that said Hearst chief content officer Troy Young was in the process of evaluating the digital savvy of editors at Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar.
Underscore Media, a new creator-led media venture dedicated to New York sports, is built around three established New York sports personalities, Sal Licata, Jimmy Traina, and John Jastremski.
McClatchy, which owns 29 daily papers across 14 states (including The Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee and Kansas City Star), launches a wave of layoffs that extends to at least 13 of those papers... The Toledo Blade, which was founded in 1835, is set to shut down on Dec. 31, unless owner Block Communications manages to find a buyer for it... A bill awaiting approval by California governor Gavin Newsom would give local newsrooms a boost. 
Fox News Media issued a pretty sparse release to announce the departure of one of its stars. “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” it reads.
Brunswick Group partner John Simons has joined CNN as senior director of business & media. He held top jobs at Time and the Wall Street Journal.
WNET, the nation’s largest public media company, names Edward O’Keefe its next president and CEO, effective September 21. O’Keefe succeeds Neal Shapiro, who becomes president emeritus and will retire at the end of the year... The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, which would empower news publishers and other content providers to defend themselves by mandating transparency for all bots crawling their sites, in introduced in the House by Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC)... Google gets socked by European Union regulators with a $1 billion fine for using the platform’s dominance as a search engine to illegally undercut competition.
