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Axel Springer, the German media company that also owns such US-based properties as Politico, Insider and Morning Brew, is looking to get out of the print business altogether. Mathias Döpfner, the company’s chief executive, said in note to staffers that print versions of the company’s newspapers (which include Europe’s biggest-selling tabloid, Bild) would be eliminated in coming years. “Journalism on printed paper will no longer exist at some point—our printed newspapers will also cease to exist,” Döpfner said. He added that artificial-intelligence products would take over from the some of the company’s journalists. This all comes as Axel Springer posts positive financials. The Wall Street Journal reports that in 2022 the company’s sales jumped 13 percent to €3.9 billion ($4.2 billion).
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TikTok unveils what it says is an attempt to cut back the amount of time that teens spend on the platform. Under the plan, all TikTok users under 18 will have their accounts default to one-hour-per-day screen time limit. There is a way around that barrier, however. When those users hit the 60-minute barrier, they will simply need to enter a passcode to extend their time on the app. Once they hit the 100-minute mark, they will be prompted to select a daily screen time limit for themselves. The company has also made some changes to the app’s Family Pairing feature that will allow parents to filter out video with certain words or hashtags, set a custom daily time limit for their teen, and mute TikTok notifications sent to their teen.
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| Jesse Angelo |
Vice Media global president of news & entertainment Jesse Angelo is following former CEO Nancy Dubuc out the door. Angelo, who was publisher and CEO of the New York Post before coming to Vice in 2019, is starting up his own company, Checker Media, which will develop and fund original intellectual property and consult with companies on creative projects and products. Vice chief financial officer Bruce Dixon and chief strategy officer Hozefa Lokhandwala are now co-CEOs of Vice Media Group, and chief operating officer of news and entertainment Cory Haik is leading efforts across the company’s content divisions. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Vice is looking into strategic alternatives for the company, which could include a sale or further investment.
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. 
