 |
Alden Global Capital’s bid to acquire Tribune Publishing has been successful. Tribune shareholders approved the deal, which is valued at $630 million, on Friday. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who, in addition to owning the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union Tribune controls 24 percent of Tribune’s stock, abstained from voting on the transaction. Alden, which currently owns such papers as the Boston Herald, Denver Post and San Jose Mercury News through its Digital First Media chain, already owned one-third of Tribune. The company is known for aggressive cost-cutting measures at its papers. The deal has been opposed by many Tribune employees as well as outside observers, but the search for an alternate buyer failed. “The purchase of Tribune reaffirms our commitment to the newspaper industry and our focus on getting publications to a place where they can operate sustainably over the long term,” said Alden president Heath Freeman in a statement.
 |
| Bob Garfield |
New York Public Radio fires Bob Garfield, who has co-hosted its “On The Media” program for 20 years, over what NYPR calls a “pattern of behavior that violated New York Public Radio’s anti-bullying policy.” According to a statement from NYPR, Garfield had been investigated over similar charges in 2020. After having found that he violated the anti-bullying policy, the company says it issued him “a warning about the potential consequences if the behavior continued, and a meaningful opportunity to correct it.” On his Twitter feed, Garfield said, “I was not fired for ‘bullying’ per se, but for yelling in five meetings over 20 years.” Brooke Gladstone, who co-hosted the program with Garfield, is now handling the hosting duties solo. “We recognize Bob’s contributions to our industry and our listeners,” New York Public Radio said. “We also affirm New York Public Radio’s commitment to providing an inclusive and respectful environment for our employees, guests and listeners.”
 |
| Byron Allen |
Allen Media Group has filed a $10 billion racial discrimination suit against McDonald’s, charging that the fast-food chain “intentionally discriminated against Entertainment Studios and Weather Group [both of which are part of AMG] through a pattern of racial stereotyping and refusals to contract.” A press release from AMG claims that out of a $1.6 billion annual television advertising budget, McDonald’s spends just $5 million on African American-owned media. As a point of comparison, it notes that McDonald’s CFO Chris Kempczinski takes home about $11 million a year. AMG also says that its 23 broadcast television stations and its cable networks, which include Comedy.TV and The Weather Channel, are relegated to an “African American” marketing tier with a much smaller budget and less favorable pricing than its general market tier. “This is about economic inclusion of African American-owned businesses in the US economy,” said AMG founder, chairman and CEO Byron Allen. The suit comes as McDonald’s announced an initiative to increase its advertising dollars in diverse-owned media companies and content creators.
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. 
