Protocol layoffs raise some troubling questions

When Protocol, a new site focusing on technology coverage, launched in February, expectations were high. After all, the man behind the site—Robert Allbritton, who owns it through his holding company, Capital News—also helped create Politico, one of the most successful digital media companies of the last 20 years or so. And it sounded like Protocol was going to duplicate the Politico model: hire a bunch of talented writers away from leading publications, set them loose on a topic, and then rely on a combination of advertising and high-end subscription revenue to pay the bills. Lather, rinse and repeat until it works. Except that’s not what happened. This week, Protocol laid off 13 of its employees, according to one report, and it appears that more than three-quarters of that total—or 10 staff in all—were reporters and editors. The site’s entire complement of editors and reporters numbered about 25 before the layoffs, according to Protocol‘s About page, which means that Allbritton just laid off almost half of the site’s newsroom. Obviously, no one in the media industry could plan for the pandemic, and it has thrown a wrench into the revenue plans of virtually every news publisher out there, big or small. Companies have been cutting salaries, putting reporters and editors on paid leave, and taking other steps to curb their spending in the hope that they can survive the virus-triggered downturn in advertising. But it’s difficult to think of a publisher that has taken the kind... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-04-23 11:45:31 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Protocol layoffs raise some troubling questions"


A nine-day fortnight is improving our culture and our bottom line

Encore Digital Media is three months into a flexible working initiative and the early signs are good. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2019-10-28 15:29:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this


What marketers need to know about the publishing revolution: Hear from Vox, WSJ, NYT, Hearst, Essence, Condé Nast and more

For publishers, this is a time of radical reinvention marked by a breakneck pace of innovation—and for the marketers that partner with them to connect with consumers, keeping up with the changing landscape is an endless challenge. To help make sense of everything that’s happening... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-25 16:35:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Zuckerberg faces Congress as Facebook prepares to debut news tab: Thursday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-24 10:29:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Direct Line Group is shifting digital ad spending to targeted TV ads

Insurance group Direct Line dumped a large chunk of its digital media for TV in 2017 and could move even more over. The company is one of the largest TV advertisers in the U.K. As Direct Line upped its spending on TV, the business cut the number of display and programmatic online video ads it... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-10-24 04:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Little, Brown scoops book by 'Trump resistance' White House insider

Little, Brown is publishing a book from the anonymous senior official who wrote a New York Times op ed claiming to be part of “the resistance" inside Donald Trump's White House. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 07:27:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Media experts on the future of publishing: Hear from Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, NYT, Vox, WSJ and more

For publishers, this is a time of radical reinvention marked by a breakneck pace of innovation. To make sense of the changing landscape for both digital-native and traditional publishers, Ad Age is convening a high-level gathering of some of the best minds in the business. At Ad Age Publishing:... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-22 14:50:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The 2019 Publishing Hot List: The Print and Digital Media Brands Paving a Way to Profitability

Media is dying? Don't tell that to the winners of this year's Publishing Hot List. Whether legacy media outlets or digital upstarts, these publishers are creating groundbreaking work, finding new revenue streams and otherwise nimbly adapting to an unstable landscape. Even as the president... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-10-21 00:00:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Media experts on the future of publishing: Hear from Condé Nast, Essence, NYT, Vox, WSJ and more

For publishers, this is a time of radical reinvention marked by a breakneck pace of innovation. To make sense of the changing landscape for both digital-native and traditional publishers, Ad Age is convening a high-level gathering of some of the best minds in the business. At Ad Age Publishing:... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-18 16:17:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘We realized we could pull it off’: 2 years in, Bayer is on track to take all digital media buying in-house by 2020

Bayer is on its second year of in-housing programmatic. At Digiday's Media Buyer Summit this week, the company shared how it set up its team. The post ‘We realized we could pull it off’: 2 years in, Bayer is on track to take all digital media buying in-house by 2020 appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-10-18 04:01:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this


FUSE Media 2019 Speakers from Hearst, Annex Business Media, Industry Dive, Farm Journal & More

FUSE Media Summit is coming up next month, and we're preparing to delve into the most pressing topics for digital media executives today. From productization and marketing automation to data privacy and the consumer experience, there’s a lot to discuss over just 2 1/2 days. Here's a look at the... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2019-10-17 18:06:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The state of brand suitability

According to new State of the Industry research from Integral Ad Science and Digiday, brand suitability — a term describing a marketer’s desired targeting parameters, including subjective variables like location and demographics — is emerging as a top concern for digital media pros. The post... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-10-17 02:26:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How Digital Media Could Help Decide the 2020 Election Winner

Digital media is poised for a major role in the 2020 election season. While we all know that elections are decided based on numerous factors, no one can deny that messages conveyed to would-be voters via media (whether it's paid, earned or owned) plays a major role in swaying the minds of the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-10-16 15:10:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this


This week's agency moves, hires, and partnerships: October 14, 2019

Serviceplan Group Middle East hired Akhilesh Bagri as executive creative director. Previously, he held positions at BBDO, JWT, Leo Burnett and FP7 on brands including HSBC, Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Emirates Airlines, HSBC, Sony, PepsiCo, Nestle and Mars. Gabriel Guedelha joins The Via Agency as... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-14 19:04:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Media Mergers Aren’t New. So Why Are Publishers Consolidating Now?

Perhaps it was promising, years ago, to see the media industry booming thanks to investments by venture capital-backed funders and large media conglomerates hoping to cash in early on promising new digital media titles. But now, it's the time in the industry's life cycle for those same flashy... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-10-14 15:22:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Digital media companies consolidating should boost their forays into Hollywood

The recent media mergers could help the combined companies to secure more production deals with streaming services. The post Digital media companies consolidating should boost their forays into Hollywood appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-10-09 04:01:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘It can be demotivating’: Digital media’s all-stock deals are the new normal

With banks more reluctant to lend, venture capitalists aren't interested in buying digital media companies that aren't growing quickly. The post ‘It can be demotivating’: Digital media’s all-stock deals are the new normal appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-10-09 04:01:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Media Mergers Highlight Arbitrary Private Valuations

A slew of digital media acquisitions over the past few weeks shows how unreliable private valuations can be. The only Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-10-08 16:38:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this


NBA is in a no-win situation as protest tweet sparks China furor

The NBA finds itself caught between two cultures, after a tweet about Hong Kong protests sparked criticism from China that threatens the U.S. basketball league’s expansion efforts in its most important international market. The controversy erupted after Daryl Morey, general manager of the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-07 16:50:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this


TikTok users are surprised to find themselves in ads for the app

Elijah Jay is wants nternet stardom, almost anywhere he can get it, just not as a TikTok salesman. But that’s exactly what he became when the social media company used one of his videos in an ad that ran on Snapchat. Jay's video, in which he performs a balloon-swallowing stunt, has been seen by... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-07 09:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bleacher Report now has three hit animation series

Sports coverage is such a saturated area that digital media publishers like Bleacher Report must constantly hunt new ways to drive new audiences, while sustaining existing ones. Making the series a parody has gone down well with fans, and helped it differentiate. The post Bleacher Report now... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-10-04 04:00:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this