June 14, 2023
Chaotic Cable News Moves Reverberate through Networks
Top cable news outlets continue facing fallout from recent shifts in programming and management. Tucker Carlson received a cease-and-desist letter from his previous employer, Fox News. Following his firing, Carlson took to Twitter to launch a new program, which Fox lawyers have claimed violated his contract.
Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced the departure of CNN Chairman Chris Licht. The former CNN head was criticized for the recent removal of on-air talent and the network’s declining ratings. The move was made one day after a scathing profile in The Atlantic unfavorably portrayed Licht’s leadership.
Newsrooms Reduce Staff amidst More Media Downsizing
More newsrooms are reducing staff to cut costs as economic uncertainty persists across the media landscape. A new report shows in 2023 there have been more announced media-related job cuts year-to-date than any other time on record.
Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida announced new restructuring that would remove more than 10% of its newsroom staff. Polling and data shop Morning Consult announced the closing of its newsroom, and The Athletic—the sports subscription site owned by The New York Times—is laying off nearly 20 reporters.
Digital and Social Media Platforms Eye New Potential
Online platforms are seeing new potential as they adapt to rapidly changing expectations and regulations. New focus group data from the Pew Research Center provide insight in what users want from social media, from time limits to age requirements. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a code of conduct to strengthen information integrity around the world.
Despite regulatory setbacks in the U.S., TikTok is rapidly expanding its e-commerce platform in hopes of reaching $20 billion in sales. Thousands of communities on Reddit are protesting the platform’s new policy to charge third parties for data access through its API.
Sequence Summaries: Cable Chaos, Newsroom Reductions, and Platform Potential
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