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 ]

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Upheaval at Sports Illustrated, Mergers in Digital Media | News & Notes

A staff uprising at Sports Illustrated... Following Tuesday's New York Post report that editor-in-chief Chris Stone is exiting Sports Illustrated after 27 years with the magazine, The Wall Street Journal added late Wednesday evening that the brand's new operator, TheMaven Inc., is planning to... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-10-03 20:41:59 UTC ]
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What recession? Holiday sales expected to rise amid boost in ad spend

Shoppers appear unfazed by a potential recession, tariff uncertainty and an impeachment inquiry in Washington. The National Retail Federation, which released its annual holiday sales forecast Thursday, says retail sales will increase between 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent during the last two months... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-03 19:49:51 UTC ]
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ANA’s annual meeting begins with major focus on multicultural marketing

For the past several years, Association of National Advertisers CEO Bob Liodice has kicked off the group’s largest conference of the year by ticking off a laundry list of issues plaguing the industry, including the opaque digital media supply chain, ad fraud and the ANA’s long-running fight with... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-03 15:40:12 UTC ]
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Vice Media to acquire Refinery29 in drive for female audiences

Vice Media Inc., the youth-oriented media company, agreed to acquire the online publisher Refinery29, seeking to reignite growth by reaching a young female audience. The deal marks the biggest move yet by Vice Chief Executive Officer Nancy Dubuc, who has been trying to revive the once... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-02 19:51:02 UTC ]
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MediaMath launches new platform to 'clean up' digital media supply chain

Partners on the initiative include the Rubicon Project, Telaria, Acoustic, Akamai, Business Insider, Crackle Plus, Havas Media, IBM Watson, Inscape/Vizio, IRIS.TV, News Corp, Octopus Interactive, Oracle Data Cloud, Publishers Clearing House and White Ops. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-10-02 16:44:44 UTC ]
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ANA’s annual conference starts. And Nike confronts a doping scandal: Wednesday 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 daily newsletter. You can also get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device. Meditations... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-02 10:00:00 UTC ]
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McClatchy tries nonprofit funding for education coverage

The local news publisher is betting that a non-profit partnership model pioneered by The Seattle Times can rally community support for its reporting and power digital subscriber growth. The post McClatchy tries nonprofit funding for education coverage appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-10-02 04:00:05 UTC ]
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‘We’re very actively looking’: Dotdash’s Neil Vogel on digital media M&A

The Dotdash CEO reflects on media's buyers and sellers, and the underlying trends that have guided the media deals that have defined 2019. The post ‘We’re very actively looking’: Dotdash’s Neil Vogel on digital media M&A appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-10-01 16:38:36 UTC ]
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How pop-up museums are becoming Atlanta's biggest trend for Millennials

Atlanta Inno reports on Atlanta's biggest local tech and startup stories. For more innovation news and to stay plugged into the city’s ecosystem, check out Atlanta Inno and sign up for its daily newsletter, The Beat. If you’re on social media at all, you probably saw plenty of advertisements... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-09-27 15:05:23 UTC ]
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RockYou Successor Wild Sky Media Hires New CEO | People on the Move

[caption id="attachment_171661" align="alignright" width="150"] Emily Smith[/caption] Wild Sky Media has hired Emily Smith as its new CEO. Smith previously served as the company's SVP of content and marketing at Wild Sky Media, a role which Johanna Torres, formerly VP of content and editorial... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-09-26 17:39:26 UTC ]
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Only the brave will reap the benefits of creativity

There’s an old saying in screenwriting: If you want to reveal the truth of a character, dial up the pressure and force him or her to make a choice. Well, it seems a choice is being forced upon our industry, and I think it’s a great thing. A recent Forrester report, “The Cost of Creativity,”... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-26 07:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Look Beyond the Buy Button to Capitalize on Affiliate Revenue

Affiliate marketing is no longer a side-hustle for publishers, netting only a few pennies on the dollar when readers click a buy button. As online shopping behaviors have matured, retailers have been increasing their spend in areas beyond search and display advertising. This systemic change is... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-09-23 15:03:40 UTC ]
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Active Interest Media Gets Into Cannabis | People on the Move

Earlier this week, Active Interest Media, publisher of Better Nutrition, Yoga Journal and a slew of recently acquired former F+W titles, among many others, announced the launch of NatuRx, a new print and digital media brand with a self-described mission of "educating health-conscious consumers... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-09-19 18:48:19 UTC ]
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Now trending in ad tech: 4 things digital marketers should get smart about

At the end of 2018, Magna Global released its advertising forecast, which predicted that digital advertising will account for 50 percent of global ad spend in 2019. During my decade in the digital media space, part of which has been as the vice president of a digital media and ad tech marketing... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-18 14:00:00 UTC ]
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How Le Monde is Using Podcasts to Drive Digital Subscriptions

French news publisher Le Monde has launched three podcast series adapted from investigative articles that have been successful at driving Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-09-11 15:00:26 UTC ]
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Sabrina Caluori, HBO’s Digital Experience Maven, Is Leaving

After 12 years, Sabrina Caluori, executive vice president of digital media and marketing at HBO, is leaving the network. Caluori broke the news in a LinkedIn post, recounting the numerous events and initiatives her team has brought to life at HBO and thanking them for their hard work. As of now,... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-09-10 21:48:25 UTC ]
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Group Nine Media Raises $50 Million from Discovery, Axel Springer

Group Nine Media just raised $50 million from lead investor Discovery Inc. and partner Axel Springer SE, the company announced Monday. The digital media holding company also hinted that acquisitions may be on the horizon with the new increase in funds. Discovery initially invested $100 million... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-09-09 14:56:30 UTC ]
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Agency Brief is abuzz with 'purpose-driven, branded entertainment'

It’s 2019, so naturally every person in advertising feels the need to casually drop buzzwords into every conversation they have. All “thought leaders" do everything “holistically,” for example, as if that means anything to anyone. But what’s buzzier than all the buzz right now? Arguably,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-06 17:46:10 UTC ]
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Can an uncompromising activist keep her integrity while working in the White House?

Samantha Power’s new memoir, “The Education of an Idealist,” describes a bracing moral test. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-05 22:27:05 UTC ]
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The Essence of media: people, data and automation together

WPP's Essence has made its name as Google's digital media agency - with a culture that's more like a tech company than a traditional buying shop. And now its global CEO has been picked to transform parent company Group M. So how much does Essence's rise point the way to the future? Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2019-09-04 12:54:23 UTC ]
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