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The Los Angeles Times is shutting down three of the local papers that it published under the Times Community News brand. The final editions of the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader were published on April 18, while the La Cañada Valley Sun will put out its last issue on April 23. As a result of the closures, 14 staffers will be laid off. With circulations of about 5,000 each, the papers were included as inserts in copies of the Times as well as being distributed at local businesses. The Times said that ad sales and readership for all three had long been slumping, and that the plunge in revenue resulting from the coronavirus crisis was the last straw. The other Times Community News group papers, the Daily Pilot and TimesOC, will continue publishing in Orange County.
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| The Duke and Duchess of Sussex |
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially ended their royal duties on March 31, and now they have cut off their relationship with the British tabloid press. In a letter to The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Mirror and The Express, the no-longer royals set what they term “a new media relations policy” toward those publications. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be engaging with your outlet,” the letter from their office says. “There will be no corroboration and zero engagement. This is also a policy being instated for their communications team.” However, the letter also emphasizes that “this is not in any way a blanket policy for all media.” Not surprisingly, there has been a fair amount of pushback to the announcement. Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray called the statement “a clear attempt to undermine certain sections of the UK media who often ask uncomfortable questions.”
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Vogue is partnering with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and repurposing the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund to provide support for those in the American fashion community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To promote the effort, they are launching “A Common Thread,” an initiative focused on telling stories about how the American fashion community is coping with the crisis, how businesses have been affected, and how the industry can move forward. “This crisis has already affected the entire fashion community—from designers and their employees to retail workers up and down the economic scale,” said Vogue editor-in-chief and Condé Nast artistic director Anna Wintour. To contribute to the fund, click here or text THREAD to 44-321.
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.
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. 
