For the Record

Universal's Podcast Strategy:

NiemanLab's Nicholas Quah believes that Universal Cable Productions' recent announcement of a dedicated podcast network in light of UCP President Dawn Olmstead's remarks that the company "would never put a podcast in development that we don't ultimately want to be a TV show" may augur a new era of "digital gentrification" in audio journalism. UCP has adapted four podcasts into television properties, including "Homecoming" (which is derived from a fictional series) and  "Dirty John."

Athletic, Axios Seek Additional Funding:

According to Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan of The Information, The Athletic and Axios "are raising money to fuel diversification of their businesses." The former news organization, which specializes in sports and has been backed by Y Combinator and Founders Fund in previous funding rounds, plans to raise an additional $50 million at its current valuation, which is in excess of $500 million. Axios, which was co-founded by former Pulitzer Prize Board member Jim VandeHei in 2017, is "raising more opportunistically after being approached by interested investors, said a person familiar with the matter." The media company broke even in 2018 and will introduce a newsletter software business within the year.

Hearst Staffers Intend to Unionize:

Hearst staffers from two dozen publications announced their intention to unionize with the Writers Guild of America East Monday. The proposed bargaining unit will encompass editorial, photo, video and social media employees. "We're excited to be a part of the labor movement among our peers, and most importantly create a fair and equitable workplace for the future of this industry," Elle Culture Editor Julie Kosin, an organizer, told The Daily Beast.

Instagram to Hide Likes on American Posts:

Instagram division chief Adam Mosseri announced Friday that it will start hiding "likes" on certain posts. The platform has experimented with removing likes in seven countries. "We will make decisions that hurt the business if they help people's well-being and health," Mosseri said.

NewsGuild Issues Report on Gannett-GateHouse Merger:

According to Jonathan O'Connell of The Washington Post, the NewsGuild-CWA "issued a scathing analysis of the proposed Gannett-GateHouse merger Friday, saying the deal would drive down wages and employment for journalists at the 250 daily newspapers and hundreds of weekly and community papers the combined companies would own, and would overcompensate GateHouse’s private equity backers." The union added that private equity firm Apollo Global Management (which has issued a $1.8 billion loan at 11.5% interest to finance the deal) may secure control of the board if the company fails to meet expectations. 

Gottlieb on Tarkington:

Robert Gottlieb profiled 1919 and 1922 Novel Prize winner Booth Tarkington for the November 11 edition of The New Yorker in conjunction with the June reissue of his winning work by the Library of America. A champion of his native Midwest who was widely perceived as the nation's greatest living writer during the late Gilded Age, Tarkington's work fell into desuetude among popular critics and literary scholars following the ascent of such modernists as 1953 Fiction winner Ernest Hemingway and Sinclair Lewis. His most enduring cultural legacy may be Orson Welles' 1942 adaptation of his Pulitzer-winning "Magnificent Ambersons," which, according to Gottlieb, remains "remarkably true to both the spirit and the text of the novel." He continued: "What stands between [Tarkington] and any large achievement is his deeply rooted, unappeasable need to look longingly backward, an impulse that goes beyond nostalgia."

More Layoffs at Bustle:

Bustle, the flagship property of Bryan Goldberg's Bustle Digital Group, laid off eight staffers and terminated an unspecified number of freelance contracts Thursday as part of a restructuring encompassing the elimination of book coverage and the downsizing of its lifestyle and entertainment teams. According to Kerry Flynn of CNN, the company has been afflicted by "tension" stemming from at least 17 previous layoffs this fall and the failure of its relaunch of Gawker, which has been postponed indefinitely. "BDG has recently hired dozens of writers and editors across our many properties — especially Nylon, Mic, Inverse and Input," a spokesperson said to CNN. "Bustle's new editorial leadership will soon be announcing several marquee hires as we prepare for a major site relaunch in early 2020."

Substack Launches Fellowship Program:

Newsletter platform Substack announced the inaugural recipients of its Fellowship for Independent Writers Thursday. The fellows, who are required to maintain a presence on the platform as a prerequisite for selection, will receive a stipend along with "coaching and support in areas that will set them up for long-term success with the subscription publishing model," according to a press release. They also will attend a summit in San Francisco.

Salt Lake Tribune Goes Nonprofit:

In a landmark decision, the IRS granted nonprofit 501(c)(3) status to the Salt Lake Tribune on November 1, making the publication the first legacy newspaper in the United States to go fully nonprofit. (The Tampa Bay Times has been owned by a for-profit subsidiary of the nonprofit Poynter Institute since 1978.) "Without a lot of feedback from the IRS, we're grateful that we have a pretty blank slate," said Vice President of Business Innovation Fraser Nelson. "We want to make sure we're making decision that make sense for us as an institutions, make sure they are in context of the larger national — what this means for other papers and for journalism generally." To ensure compliance with the exemption's political activity clause, the Tribune's editorial board will no longer endorse electoral candidates.

Citrus County Subscription Debate Continues:

According to Zachary T. Sampson and Josh Fiallo of the Tampa Bay Times, the commissioners of Citrus County, Fla. said they would continue to "discuss" their recent refusal to fund a New York Times digital library subscription at their next meeting on November 19. Although Commissioner Scott Carnahan likened the publication to "fake news" on October 24, the decision has flummoxed a variety of local residents. "I still think you ought to hear from all sides," said Brenda Gardner, a shopkeeper who supports President Trump. "That’s like burning books. I don’t like it."