For the Record

Kroger Shuts Out Free Newspapers:

According to NiemanLab's Laura Hazard Owen, the supermarket chain Kroger "will no longer carry free newspapers and magazines as of October 15," marking the end of 20 years of distribution. Berl Schwartz, editor and publisher of the Lansing, Mich.-based City Pulse, believes that the decision disproportionately will affect alternative weeklies: "[I]n this market, other free publications associated with Gannett, which owns the Lansing State Journal, remain available in Kroger stores. Perhaps Kroger does not want to disturb its arrangements with Gannett and other paid newspapers, which may be more lucrative than what City Pulse and other free publications have been paying for space." Kroger is the largest supermarket chain by revenue in the United States.

Newsday Sells amNewYork, Withdraws From NYC:

Newsday announced Thursday that it will sell its free amNewYork commuter paper to Schneps Media, a publisher of local newspapers and magazines in the New York metropolitan area, effective October 11. According to Newsday Publisher Debby Krenek, the divestment will mark the end of the Long Island-based news organization's presence in the city, which peaked with the 1985-95 run of New York Newsday as a direct competitor to the New York Post and the New York Daily News: "Moving forward, Newsday Media Group will fully focus on serving Long Islanders with news, information and experiences as we continue to expand our multimedia products and platforms and fulfill our mission of being the primary source of powerful local journalism."

Sports Illustrated Licensee Orders Layoffs:

Sports Illustrated laid off more than 40 members of its staff Thursday in a restructuring plan implemented by TheMaven, a Seattle-based startup that licensed the brand's print and digital publications in June from Authentic Brands Group. Employees concerned about the future of the property have formed an anonymous Twitter account under the moniker of Sports Illustrated United. "Imagine walking into a room, some individuals after 25+ years of service to a brand, and having a person who was not even the one who chose to terminate your position, telling you coldly your job is gone," the group said.

Herald Set to Unionize:

Vice/Refiner29 Merger Closes:

Following reports of negotiations, Vice Media acquired Refinery29 in a $400 million deal that "includes mostly stock with some cash, according to two people familiar with the transaction" who spoke to Edmund Lee and Mark Tracy of the New York Times. "With this acquisition, we'll be growing our investment in premium content production across all our divisions," said Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc, alluding to Refinery29's "lucrative events business" and editorial focus on female-oriented content. 

Maine Daily Shutters:

Biddeford, Maine's Journal-Tribune will shut down on October 12 after 135 years of operation, Executive Editor Ed Pierce said Tuesday. The newspaper is the only remaining daily in York County, which encompasses resort towns including York Beach and Ogunquit. Alongside six layoffs and one retirement, two staffers will join parent company Mainely Media's local weeklies.

Chain Sentenced for Boston Globe Threats:

A federal judge in Boston sentenced Robert D. Chain to four months in prison Wednesday for threatening to murder the staff of the Boston Globe. Chain, a resident of Encino, Calif., made 14 calls to the newspaper over a two-week period following its press freedom editorial campaign in August 2018. Throughout the calls, he characterized the press as "the enemy of the people" alongside other inflammatory remarks. After completing his sentence, Chain is subject to three years of supervised release, a $3,500 fine and $16,512 in restitution to the newspaper. In remarks to the court, he condemned the threats as "the worst decision I ever made" and expressed remorse for his actions.

Vice Set to Acquire Refinery29:

Benjamin Mullin and Shalini Ramachandran of the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Vice Media and Refinery29 have "hammered out most of the details of a cash-and-stock deal that would add a large and female-skewing digital media company to Vice's portfolio, according to people familiar with the matter." The potential merger would offer Vice a significant revenue stream as CEO Nancy Dubuc continues to focus "on making the company profitable after years of losses."

Candid Zuckerberg Remarks Leaked:

In audio recordings of two July meetings leaked to Casey Newton of the Verge, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg expressed circumspection toward Sen. Elizabeth Warren's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Zuckerberg said, "[I]f she gets elected president, then I would bet that we will have a legal challenge, and I would bet that we will win the legal challenge," adding that "breaking up these companies, whether it's Facebook or Google or Amazon, is not actually going to solve the issues. And, you know, it doesn't make election interference less likely. It makes it more likely because now the companies can't coordinate and work together".

Reactions to Khashoggi Anniversary:

Jeff Bezos attended a vigil at a building that once housed Istanbul's Saudi consulate Wednesday commemorating the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi by agents of the Saudi government. The action marks the first public acknowledgement of his death by Bezos. Billed as the Jamal Khashoggi Memorial Event, the vigil commenced at 1:14 p.m. (5:14 a.m. ET), coinciding with the last known video footage of the journalist. The Washington Post marked the anniversary with a special edition of its Opinions section. "Jamal will still be on our minds next Oct. 2 — and for many years to come," said Publisher/CEO Fred Ryan. "And we hope that someday, when Saudi Arabia and the United States have a better class of leadership, Jamal's case will be remembered as a turning point."