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The last print edition of ESPN the Magazine will come out in September, according to a report on TheWrap. ESPN said that the decision reflects changing “consumer habits” and that the same content would continue to be available online. The company also says that no immediate layoffs are planned. “The only change here is that we are moving away from printing it on paper and sending it in the mail, following September’s release of The Body Issue,” ESPN’s statement said. “Our data shows the vast majority of readers already consume our print journalism on digital platforms, and this approach will maximize our reach and impact. In the future, we will explore releasing tentpole collections such as Body in special, differentiated print formats.” ESPN the Magazine started up in 1998.
Amazon and Sinclair Broadcast Group may be joining forces to purchase the 21 Fox regional sports networks that Disney is auctioning off. Disney was required to sell off the RSNs as part of its acquisition of numerous Fox assets. The New York Post cites sources who say that the conservative TV station owner is looking for Amazon to provide enough cash to fill in the gap between Sinclair’s $4 billion market cap and the roughly $9 billion deal it is said to be preparing for the networks. Other potential parties to the deal include Major League Baseball, which is said to be considering a stake as a minority equity partner with Sinclair following the abandonment of its own plans to take control of the RSNs.
The Economist Group has announced that Lara Boro will become its new chief executive. She is to take up the position later this year, when current chief executive Chris Stibbs will step down. Boro comes to The Economist Group from Informa, where she is currently CEO, Informa Intelligence. She was previously CEO, International at Top Right Group (formerly EMAP) and has held senior roles at CPA Global, the Financial Times and Mondex International. The Economist Group chairman Lord Paul Deighton said that Boro “has great experience in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business information markets, and is ideally suited to leading the Group through its next phase of development.” In addition to The Economist magazine, the company’s businesses include research and analysis division The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
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.
