 Ryan Lizza |
New Yorker Washington reporter Ryan Lizza, perhaps best known for a story in the magazine that is credited with ending the brief White House career of Anthony Scaramucci, is the latest media figure to be leveled by the continuing string of sexual harassment allegations in the industry. “The New Yorker recently learned that Ryan Lizza engaged in what we believe was improper sexual conduct,” a magazine spokesman said. “We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza.” Lizza disputes the magazine’s description of his firing: “I am dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate,” Lizza said in a statement. “The New Yorker was unable to cite a company policy that was violated.” A statement from Wigdor LLP, the law firm representing Lizza’s accuser, took issue with that depiction of what transpired: “In no way did Mr. Lizza’s misconduct constitute a ‘respectful relationship’ as he has now tried to characterize it. Our client reported Mr. Lizza’s actions to ensure that he would be held accountable.” According to the firm, the accuser prefers to remain confidential.
 CJ Kettler |
C.J. Kettler has been named president of King Features Syndicate, which is part of the Hearst Entertainment & Syndication group. King distributes comics, columns, puzzles and games to print and digital outlets worldwide and is one of the largest licensors of brands and comics characters. It is home to such characters as Popeye, Betty Boop, Prince Valiant, Mandrake, Krazy Kat, Flash Gordon and Cuphead. Kettler comes to King from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, where she was EVP, chief consumer brands and strategy. She has also held senior management positions at MTV Networks, Vestron, Solera Capital, LIME and Travelzoo. “With her wealth of digital media and production experience, CJ will further develop King Features’ iconic characters for the next generation of viewers on multiple media platforms,” Hearst Entertainment & Syndication President Neeraj Khemlani said.
 Miguel Monteverde |
Miguel Monteverde has joined Rumble, a video platform that connects creators, publishers and brands, as chief operating officer. Monteverde will oversee Rumble’s day-to-day operations, including securing and managing media partnerships for the company. A founder of Green Mountain Advisors, Monteverde previously was at Discovery Communications, where he most recently held the post of SVP, digital media. He was also the general manager of TV Everywhere, Discovery’s portfolio of U.S. video streaming services. “The Rumble platform has always provided a compelling solution for these companies and with Miguel now on board, we are even better equipped to help them grow their video revenue.” said Chris Pavlovski, founder and chief executive officer of Rumble.
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.
