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| Sam Feist |
C-SPAN enlists CNN Washington bureau chief Sam Feist to come on board as its new CEO at the end of June. Feist joined CNN as an intern in 1989. In addition to heading the D.C. bureau since 2011, his positions at the news platform have included serving as its political director, the founding executive producer of “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” and producer of such shows as “Crossfire” and “Inside Politics.” In a memo to staff, CNN chief executive Mark Thompson called Feist a “CNN institution” and “one of the best-connected journalists in Washington.” Feist will become the third chief executive in C-SPAN’s history, replacing co-CEOs Susan Swain and Rob Kennedy, who had served in that role since 2012. C-SPAN chairman Pat Esser said in a statement that Feist is “an outstanding leader who is trusted and respected by both sides of the aisle and who has a deep respect for C-SPAN’s nonpartisan mission.”
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Fox Corporation, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have finally come up with a name for their joint sports streaming service. Venu Sports aims to be "an all-new streaming home where sports fans outside of the traditional pay TV eco-system can experience an incredible collection of live sports, all in one place," Venu Sports CEO Pete Distad said in a statement. The service, which is expected to launch this fall in the US, is slated to offer sports content from sources including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, college sports, UFC, PGA and FIFA World Cup. Details of the formation and launch of Venue are subject to regulatory approval and the finalization of definitive agreements between the parties.
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Real Simple magazine has teamed up with Pinterest on what it is calling a “shoppable” issue of the magazine. The magazine’s June “Best & Brightest” issue, which is online now and will be available on newsstands May 17, features more than 120 products that can be immediately purchased by readers via QR codes that link to Pinterest boards and then to the online retailer pages for each product. “We're thrilled to team up with Pinterest to help our readers get tried-and-true products into readers' homes," said Real Simple editor in chief Lauren Iannotti. The issue follows a “strategic partnership and licensing agreement” between Real Simple owner Dotdash Meredith, the IAC-controlled publishing company that also operates such publications as People, Food & Wine, Better Homes & Gardens, InStyle and Southern Living, and ChatGPT that will “enhance ChatGPT with DDM's trusted content, including time-tested recipes, expert health and financial information, leading style and entertainment content, and rigorous product reviews.”
The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI reach an agreement that will make a set of more than 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars available for use by Sora, OpenAI’s short-form generative AI video platform... CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has moved Tony Dokoupil, a co-host at “CBS Mornings” since 2019, into the anchor’s chair for the “CBS Evening News,” following the departure of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois... USA Today editor-in-chief Caren Bohan has left the paper.
Michael Kaminer, who was responsible for the Observer’s “Power List” for the past 13 years, has cut ties with the publication... The New York Times Company continues the march toward its goal of 15 million subscribers by the end of 2027... The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is providing more than $6 million in funding to eight organizations working to address the challenges local news and information environments face along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conservative outlets Fox News, Newsmax and the Daily Caller are holding back from signing Pete Hegseth’s edict restricting press access in the Pentagon... CBS News sees the first executive departure of the Bari Weiss era as head of standards and practices Claudia Milne exits... Indiana University shuts down the print version of The Indiana Daily Student.
Rothschild family plans to unload 26.7 percent stake in The Economist... STAT, a digital media company that focuses the life sciences, brings back Damian Garde, who anchored its biotech newsletter and podcast from 2016 to 2024... High Times officially resumes print publication (following its 2024 shutdown) with the release of a limited-edition, collectible 50th anniversary issue. 
CBS News is set to hand over its reins to The Free Press co-founder Bari Weiss as Paramount acquires her site for $155M... C-SPAN comes on board as an official media partner of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which is charged by Congress to lead the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence... A new Gallup survey says that the level of trust that US audiences have in the media has hit a new low.
