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Gizmodo, the tech media website, is purchased by French digital publisher Keleops. According to a memo to staff from Jim Spanfeller, the CEO of Gizmodo’s current owner, G/O Media, the deal came with a promise from Keleops to “keep Gizmodo’s entire staff intact” as well as “a sale valuation that represents a substantial premium from our original purchase price for the site.” Keleops operates the consumer tech sites Journal du Geek, 01net, Press Citron and iPhon. The company says that the acquisition of Gizmodo is expected to effectively double its current audience size, in addition to “fostering deeper brand awareness and engagement.” G/O Media, which is owned by private equity firm Great Hill Partners, was initially cobbled together out of several websites that were formerly Gawker Media properties. It has recently shed several of its holdings, including The Onion, Jezebel, Deadspin and the A.V. Club. “Acquiring Gizmodo represents a strategic move for Keleops as we continue to strengthen our presence and leadership in the tech media industry,” said Keleops CEO and founder Jean-Guillaume Kleis.
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The Wall Street Journal is going in for a little bit of rebranding. The rebrand, which includes a new tagline, “It’s Your Business,” is an attempt to develop a “reader-first strategy” for the paper, according to WSJ editor-in-chief Emma Tucker. A major part of the rebrand is expected to entail a shift toward reaching younger audiences. Backed by what Axios reports is a “multimillion-dollar investment in paid marketing,” the campaign is aimed at “shifting the perception of the Journal that prospects may have,” said Dow Jones CMO Sherry Weiss. It comes as the paper is involved in several other changes, which include staff layoffs, and the creation of a “National Affairs team,” focused on tackling such “big topics” as abortion, race and immigration.
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The Heinz Endowments approves a $250,000 grant to the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University in Pittsburgh to support its latest initiative, the Next Generation Newsroom. The Newsroom is a teaching program designed to support local news outlets and early-career journalists. Content developed from the Newsroom will be shared across the 29 members of the Center’s Pittsburgh Media Partnership, which has a combined reach of 6 million. The Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh is donating $25,000 to the same project. “Robust local journalism is crucial to a healthy and thriving community, and we appreciate the Center for Media Innovation's commitment to equipping young journalists with the tools they need to navigate a rapidly changing sector,” said The Heniz Endowments program director for sustainability Matt Barron. The Center will formally debut the Next Generation Newsroom at Newsapalooza, a first-of-its-kind event for Pittsburgh in celebration and support of journalism, which will be held from Sept. 26 to 28, at Point Park University and its Pittsburgh Playhouse.
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.
