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Penske Media, which publishes titles including Variety and Deadline, has acquired a 51 percent stake in Rolling Stone. Singapore-based BandLabs Technologies retains its 49 percent share of the magazine. Jann Wenner, the magazine’s co-founder, is staying on as editorial director, and Gus Wenner will keep the positions of COO and president as well as becoming a member of Penske’s advisory board. While details of the deal have not been officially disclosed, a report from the Financial Times said that it values Rolling Stone at more than $110 million. Penske Media owner Jay Penske said his goal was to make sure that Rolling Stone “continues to ascend for decades across multiple media platforms.”
 Bill DeBlasio |
New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio says that government-supported media might be one solution to the recent woes hitting journalism, the New York Post reports. “Do I trust the public sector to create fair and responsive media more than a bunch of rich individuals from multinational corporations?,” DeBlasio said in an interview conducted by reporters from the recently shut down websites DNAinfo New York and Gothamist and posted on Medium.com. “Of course.” DeBlasio’s comments follow a piece published last month in the New York Daily News, in which New York City Councilmember Rory Lancman wrote “it’s time for New York City to get back into the business of funding local journalism.” The city was in that business with radio station WNYC until it was sold off in 1995.
 Charlie Rose |
The National Press Club Board of Governors has unanimously voted to rescind the Fourth Estate Lifetime Achievement Award it presented to Charlie Rose in 2014. The award goes to a journalist who “has achieved distinction for a lifetime of contributions to American journalism.” The board concluded the actions described in the charges made against Rose represent neither the values of the National Press Club nor the criteria for the award. In a statement posted on the NPC website, the board reaffirmed its commitment to the right of all journalists to pursue their work free from harassment or discrimination.
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. 
Symbolic.ai forms a partnership with News Corp to begin using the company’s AI-native publisher platform in the newsrooms of News Corp publications to augment research, writing and publishing... Mediaite launches a newsletter that promises to give readers a summary of—media newsletters... The Fund for American Studies launches the Journalism Excellence Fellowship, a program that will provide promising young journalists the opportunity to work alongside top writers, reporters, and media professionals.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has roots going back to 1786, is going out of business, the paper’s owners, Block Communications, announced on Jan. 7... GQ editor Will Welch is stepping down to take on a new Paris-based role with the musician Pharrell, who is also men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton... Semafor says it has raised $30 million on a $330 million valuation, following its first profitable year. 
