 |
President-elect Donald Trump has launched the latest offensive in his continuing war on the media by filing suit against pollster J. Ann Selzer, her polling firm, The Des Moines Register and Gannett, the Register’s parent company. The suit claims that coverage of Selzer’s poll, which showed a three-percentage-point lead for Kamala Harris just a few days before the election, was intended to boost the Democratic effort. It was therefore alleged to be a violation of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits deception when advertising or selling merchandise. The poll was based on telephone interviews with 808 likely Iowa voters. In the election, Trump won Iowa by a 13-point margin. The Register released the poll’s full data and details, as well as “a technical explanation” from Selzer. “We stand by our reporting on the matter and believe this lawsuit is without merit,” said Lark-Marie Anton, a spokesperson for Gannett.
 |
Forbes is going experiential in a big way. The media platform, which has been in the magazine business since 1917, is launching a private members’ club in Madrid’s financial district, targeting what a press release calls “an elite community of entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators.” The club is part of a drive to diversify the company’s revenue stream. According to Sherry Phillips, who was recently promoted from chief revenue officer to CEO of the company, the Madrid club—a partnership with SpainMedia, publisher of Forbes España— is its way of testing the waters before setting out on a wider rollout of similar clubs internationally. The seven-story Madrid club will leverage the Forbes brand through such amenities as a rooftop bar, a wine cellar and a restaurant headlined by Adolfo Santos, a Michelin-starred chef. “Forbes House represents the next step in our mission to convene high-impact communities and connect our global audiences with the tools and access they need to achieve success,” said Forbes president, licensing and branded ventures Peter Hung.
 |
“Sesame Street” will have to make plans to move any upcoming episodes out of its current cable and streaming neighborhood after Warner Bros. Discovery decides not to renew its distribution agreement with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit producer of the show. Sesame Workshop has partnered with HBO, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, since 2015. Under that agreement, HBO had exclusive rights for the show’s episodes for nine months, after which they were broadcast for free on PBS. In 2019, the show was moved to Max, HBO's streaming service. Despite the end of the contract, reeruns of the show will continue to run on Max until 2027. The future of the show remains uncertain. “Based on consumer usage and feedback, we’ve had to prioritize our focus on stories for adults and families,” a Max spokesman told the New York Times. “And so new episodes from ‘Sesame Street,’ at this time, are not as core to our strategy.”
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.
