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| Andrew Lack |
NBC News chairman Andrew Lack is leaving the company at the end of May. Following his departure, Telemundo chairman Cesar Conde will become chairman of NBC Universal News Group, which will encompass NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC. Lack had served as president of NBC News in the 1990s, leaving the network for stints as chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment and CEO of Bloomberg’s media group. He returned to NBC in 2015, and while his stewardship of MSNBC and such iconic NBC properties as “Today” and “Meet the Press” has been generally successful, his second stint at the network has also been marked by such controversies as Matt Lauer’s departure from “Today” after sexual harassment claims as well as assertions by Ronan Farrow that NBC suppressed his reporting about Harvey Weinstein. NBC News president Noah Oppenheim and MSNBC president Phil Griffin will remain with the network, reporting to Conde.
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| Almar Latour |
Dow Jones has named Almar Latour chief executive of the company, as well as publisher of the Wall Street Journal, effective May 15. Latour, who succeeds William Lewis, is currently an executive vice president at Dow Jones and publisher for Barron’s Group, includes Barron’s, MarketWatch, Dow Jones Wealth and Asset Management Group, Mansion Global, and Financial News. His other positions with the company have included executive editor, editor-in-chief Asia and managing editor at WSJ.com. In February, News Corp announced that the Journal had more than two million digital subscriptions. Overall, Dow Jones digital-only subscribers grew 17 percent in 2019.
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| Diamond and Silk |
Diamond and Silk, the two North Carolina sisters who made a name for themselves with their pro-Trump commentaries on Fox News and its streaming outlet Fox Nation, are no longer appearing as part of the network’s programming, according to a report on The Daily Beast. While Fox has made no public comment about their future on the network, the pair have not put out an episode of their weekly Fox Nation program since April 7. (Earlier episodes, however, are still available for streaming on the platform.) Diamond and Silk have drawn negative attention over the past weeks for their comments on the coronavirus crisis, claiming, among other things, that the number of people reported to have died from the disease was inflated to undermine Trump, and that the virus is “something that was man-made.” Their biggest supporter remains firmly in their corner, however. “I love Diamond & Silk, and so do millions of people!” the Tweeter-in-chief posted last week.
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.
