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| Michael Kaminer |
Michael Kaminer, who was responsible for the Observer’s “Power List” for the past 13 years, has cut ties with the publication. He told O’Dwyer’s that he felt it was time to move on after the Observer changed its list and selection process. Kaminer founded Michael Kaminer Public Relations in 1992 and sold it 2006. It was a pioneer at marketing LGBT clients to mainstream media and was among the first firms to recognize the potential of web/internet marketing. Kaminer went on to handle PR for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, promoting brands such as Aloft, Element, Four Points by Sheraton and Luxury Collection. He says he plans to continue reporting for the New York Times, Mansion Global/Dow Jones, and outlets including Travel + Leisure.
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The New York Times Company continues the march toward its goal of 15 million subscribers by the end of 2027. The Times added 460,000 digital-only subscribers in Q3, which the company says it its biggest three-month jump in years. Advertising revenue went up 20.3 percent from 2024, hitting $98.1 million. Revenues rose 9.5 percent to $700.8 million. While operating costs spiked up 5.8 percent, adjusted operating profit jumped as well, to $131.4 million, resulting in an 18.7 percent adjusted operating profit margin. The number of total subscribers to all of the Times’s products, including the news report, Cooking, Games, Wirecutter and The Athletic, is now at 12.33 million, with more than half of the paper’s subscribers paying for more than one of those products. The company’s growth plans lean heavily on the bundling of subscriptions. The sun continues to set on print subscriptions, though. At 570,000, they were down 50,000 from the third quarter in 2024.
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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. The borderlands—23 counties in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas with a population of more than 11 million—has historically dealt with inconsistent news coverage and gaps in meeting community information needs. Organizations receiving the funds include The Border Chronicle, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, Puente News Collaborative and San Antonio Area Foundation. “Small newsrooms in this region struggle with limited resources while confronting exceptional challenges, including safety concerns, trauma, and difficulties accessing information from governments on both sides of the border” said Silvia Rivera, director of local news at MacArthur. This is the Foundation’s initial funding for the region, with plans for future support.
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.
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. 
