SCOTUS Reinstates FCC Media-Ownership Changes
The Supreme Court April 1 issued a unanimous decision in Prometheus Radio Project vs FCC, upholding 2017 changes to the Federal Communications Commission’s media cross-ownership rules, including the repeal of a 1970s-era rule that banned the ownership of a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same market, writes the News Media Alliance.
“We commend the Supreme Court for reversing the Third Circuit Court’s decision in this case,” said News Media Alliance President and CEO David Chavern. “The cross-ownership ban is a prime example of an outdated regulation that had shackled the newspaper industry for far too long. The repeal of the ban will generate much needed investments and cross-platform synergies that will help sustain local news media at a monumental time in our country’s history when local news is needed more than ever.”
GoFundMe Launched for Media Executive’s Family
Pete Rosengren, vice president of sales and digital strategy at Daily Herald Media Group (Arlington, Illinois), died March 28 while trying to save two children from drowning at a Florida beach. Rosengren was 42. Rosengren “hurried into the Gulf of Mexico to help his sons and other children being carried out to sea,” says the Daily Herald. “They were caught in a rip current and Pete went out to rescue them,” said David Vaughan, beach safety director for South Walton Fire District at Miramar Beach, east of Destin, the paper reported. A GoFundMe page has been created to raise funds for his family. More than $149,000 has been raised so far. “Pete was always there for others — employees, peers, family and friends. That was his DNA,” said Scott Stone, president and chief operating officer at Daily Herald Media Group.
Getty Images Buys Unsplash
Getty Images has bought image platform Unsplash. Getty Images said it would fund the transaction from existing cash balances and the deal was expected to close at the close of March, said Getty in a news release. Through the combination of the Getty Images, iStock and Unsplash brands, Getty Images will be positioned to “reach and enable creativity and communications across the full spectrum of the world’s growing creative community,” says the release. “We could not be happier to welcome Unsplash to the Getty Images family,” said Craig Peters, Getty Images CEO. Unsplash founders Mikael Cho, Luke Chesser and Stephanie Liverani will continue to operate the Unsplash business.
Stacker, LMC partner
Stacker and the Local Media Consortium have formed a partnership that will help LMC members around the country gain free access to hundreds of original data-driven stories for their local coverage each month, says a news release from LMC. “As newspapers across the country face smaller budgets, providing readers with relevant feature coverage at both the local and national level has become increasingly difficult. Through this new partnership, Stacker and the LMC hope to provide a cost-effective solution to address these gaps,” says the release.
Launched in 2017, Stacker’s newsroom combines data analysis with editorial context, drawing on authoritative sources and subject matter experts, says the release. Publishing partner sites include MSN, Tribune Publishing, Hearst Newspapers and Lee Enterprises.
Microsoft Beta Tests Auto Ads; CarMax Buying Edmunds
Microsoft is doing a beta test of automotive ads, the company announced. The product is available in the U.S. and U.K. For its part, Google announced a test of automotive ads in January as part of Google My Business. In other car-related news, used auto retailer CarMax is buying the remaining stake in Edmunds, an online guide for auto info. In January 2020, CarMax invested $50 million to acquire a minority stake in Edmunds.
Nonprofit Idaho Capital Sun Launches in Boise
March 31 saw the launch of the Idaho Capital Sun, a nonprofit online news outlet based in Boise. The outlet is affiliated with the States Newsroom, a network of independent partner news sites. Editor-in-Chief Christina Lords was the top editor for the Idaho Statesman, owned by McClatchy. She was fired from that position after “lamenting on social media that she could not secure Microsoft Excel software for one of her reporters,” according to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
Meredith Division Launches Bookazine Cover Wrap Ad Format
MNI Targeted Media (MNI), a division of the Meredith Corporation and its media strategy and buying company, has launched a proprietary bookazine cover wrap advertising format, serving as an extension of its targeted cover wrap advertising offerings to bookazines produced by Meredith Premium Publishing. Bookazines fuse together the format of a book and magazine to provide readers with a collectors’ item with insight into a single topic, as CNN explains. In recent years, publishers have turned to bookazines for a more relevant and cost-effective print solution, says a news release from MNI Targeted Media. Leveraging its bookazine cover wrap format, MNI launched Reimagine, a branded cover wrap campaign. MNI will promote its programmatic media buying platform, MNIx, using its new bookazine cover wrap format on Cooking Light, Life and Essence.
More news
- Twipe has its first U.S. customer: Advance Local. Twipe is a Belgian technology company based in Leuven, offering digital publishing and an analytics SaaS platform.
- Torstar has acquired entertainment publication Cineplex Magazine. Torstar’s businesses include the Toronto Star, six regional daily papers in Ontario, and more than 70 weeklies in Ontario.
- Lee Enterprises provided an update April 5 on its digital transformation and growth strategy. Also, Lee is offering a local business stimulus program in its markets, Tulsa World reported.
- The daily print editions of the Opelika-Auburn News and its other Alabama Group offerings including the Dothan Eagle will be printed in Montgomery by Gannett Publishing Services, the Opelika-Auburn News reported.
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