 |
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.
 |
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.
 |
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.
Underscore Media, a new creator-led media venture dedicated to New York sports, is built around three established New York sports personalities, Sal Licata, Jimmy Traina, and John Jastremski.
McClatchy, which owns 29 daily papers across 14 states (including The Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee and Kansas City Star), launches a wave of layoffs that extends to at least 13 of those papers... The Toledo Blade, which was founded in 1835, is set to shut down on Dec. 31, unless owner Block Communications manages to find a buyer for it... A bill awaiting approval by California governor Gavin Newsom would give local newsrooms a boost. 
Fox News Media issued a pretty sparse release to announce the departure of one of its stars. “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” it reads.
Brunswick Group partner John Simons has joined CNN as senior director of business & media. He held top jobs at Time and the Wall Street Journal.
WNET, the nation’s largest public media company, names Edward O’Keefe its next president and CEO, effective September 21. O’Keefe succeeds Neal Shapiro, who becomes president emeritus and will retire at the end of the year... The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, which would empower news publishers and other content providers to defend themselves by mandating transparency for all bots crawling their sites, in introduced in the House by Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC)... Google gets socked by European Union regulators with a $1 billion fine for using the platform’s dominance as a search engine to illegally undercut competition.
