For the Record

Tegna Acquires Locked On Podcast Network:

Television station group Tegna "has announced the acquisition of Locked On Podcast Network, which produces some 160 daily shows for teams across the U.S.'s four major pro sports leagues and more than 30 colleges," Todd Spangler of Variety reported Wednesday. The network "will remain a standalone business within Tegna, expanding its podcast footprint alongside digital content studio Vault Studios and individual Tegna stations' podcasting efforts." Locked On "currently publishes more than 600 podcast episodes weekly and says it generates around 8 million listens per month."

Levy Returns to Top Editing Role:

Two-time Pulitzer winner and New York Times Metro Editor Clifford Levy will resume serving as a deputy managing editor at the publiction while "temporarily [advising] the audio department" in anticipation of "taking on a broader role," Katie Robertson reported Wednesday. "Cliff will spend the coming weeks getting to know the rhythms of ‘The Daily’ and the broader audio team and will then help [Assistant Managing Editor] Sam [Dolnick], Lisa [Tobin] and the masthead more fully integrate the audio department’s day-to-day operation into the broader newsroom," said Executive Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Joseph Kahn. Baquet and Kahn added that a search for a new metro editor is underway.

Everything Bundle Leaves Substack:

After operating as a collection of newsletters on Substack, the team behind the Everything Bundle "is breaking out on its own with $600,000 in seed funding, its own content and newsletter software built in-house, and a refreshed brand as Every," Kia Kokalitcheva of Axios reported Tuesday. The group was founded last April, when newsletter writers Nathan Baschez and Dan Shipper "decided to offer subscriptions to both of their newsletters as a bundle" before soliciting additional contributors. As at Substack, contributors will begin as freelancers at existing newsletters before being asked to develop "their own newsletter as part of the bundle for paying subscribers." The company will then "pay them about half of the subscriber revenue they bring in to the company," which is determined by asking subscribers to identify the work they have signed up to read. 

Baron Retires From Post:

Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron will retire on February 28, the newspaper announced Tuesday. In an internal email later released on the Washington Post PR Blog, Baron reflected on his eight-year tenure at the publication: "We are on the cusp of becoming a fully 24-hour operation, with journalists always on duty to deliver stories quickly and smartly. A culture of perpetual innovation has taken hold, attuned to how people receive information and deploying technology to better serve them. You won 10 Pulitzers in these eight years, in addition to numerous other high honors." Baron, who entered journalism after graduating from Lehigh University in 1976, served as executive editor of the Miami Herald and The Boston Globe (where he oversaw its 2003 Public Service Prize-winning investigation of the Boston Catholic sexual abuse scandal) before joining The Post.

Bennet Joins Economist:

Former New York Times Editorial Page Editor James Bennet will join The Economist as a visiting senior editor for one year, Politico Playbook reported Tuesday. “James is an outstanding editor and journalist,” Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief, said. "I'm delighted that we will benefit from his talent and expertise." Bennet, a past Pulitzer juror and former editor in chief of The Atlantic, resigned from The Times last June after the newspaper determined that an essay by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) which Bennet did not read failed to meet its standards. 2015 Editorial Writing winner Kathleen Kingsbury was announced as his successor on January 22.

Idaho Statesmen Union Demands Reinstatement of Editor:

The Idaho News Guild has demanded the reinstatement of former Editor in Chief Christina Lords after she allegedly was dismissed for tweeting about parent company McClatchy's refusal to provide Microsoft Excel to a reporter, according to Margaret Carmel of BoiseDev. "To fire an editor for advocating for resources and encouraging people to subscribe is a remarkably disappointing decision by McClatchy management,” the union's letter to McClatchy said. “This is a devastating blow to the morale of our newsroom." Lords, who declined to comment on the situation, tweeted last week: "We're now fighting with @mcclatchy IT to get excel added to an investigative reporter's laptop. To review census data. At some point, this death by 1,000 cuts has to stop. Support your local newspapers, people. Get a digital subscription. This is genuinely what we are up against."

Twitter Acquires Revue: 

Twitter "has acquired Revue, a newsletter platform for writers and publishers," Sara Fischer of Axios reported Tuesday. The Dutch company "offers free and paid newsletter options" that allow users to reach as many as 400,000 readers. As part of the deal, Twitter will lower its 6% cut of paid newsletter revenue to 5% and "plans to create new features that will make it easier for writers to connect with their audiences, including allowing people to sign up for newsletters from people they follow on Twitter and adding new settings for writers to host conversations with their subscribers on Twitter." Although Product Lead Kayvon Beykpour and Vice President of Publisher Products Mike Park said that it will "work seamlessly within Twitter" in a joint statement, Revue "will remain an independent brand within Twitter, and Twitter will continue to invest in Revue as a standalone service."

Rolling Stone Monetizes Content:

Rolling Stone "is offering 'thought leaders' the chance to write for its website if they are willing to pay $2,000 to 'shape the future of culture,'" Archie Bland of The Guardian reported Saturday. The magazine "has approached would-be members of its new 'Culture Council' by email, telling them that they had the chance to join 'an invitation-only community for innovators, influencers and tastemakers.'" According to the email, those who pass a vetting process and pay $2,000 in combined fees will be published in a special section. Pieces already published under the arrangement include "a set of positive predictions for the future of the cannabis industry by a PR executive who represents a cannabis producer" and an essay on sports betting by the founder of a digital sports betting platform. "Rolling Stone does not allow paid content to run as editorial in any context whatsoever," said a spokesperson. "Content created by Culture Council members exists in its own channel separate from editorial content and is clearly labeled as originating from a non-editorial, fee-based member network, which allows industry professionals to share ideas in a paid forum."

Times Addresses Wolfe Dismissal:

The New York Times denied "that there was a direct connection" Sunday between the dismissal of freelance editor Lauren Wolfe and a tweet supporting President Biden, according to Jeremy Barr of The Washington Post. Journalist Yashar Ali has asserted that Wolfe “had her contract canceled” by the newspaper "after she tweeted about having 'chills'" while watching news coverage of Biden's arrival in Washington on January 19. "There’s a lot of inaccurate information circulating on Twitter," said spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha. "For privacy reasons we don’t get into the details of personnel matters, but we can say that we didn’t end someone’s employment over a single tweet. Out of respect for the individuals involved, we don’t plan to comment further." Wolfe, who characterized the dismissal as a firing in a Facebook post, encouraged readers not to cancel their subscriptions in protest: "I have loved this paper and its mission my whole life. Their journalism is some of the most important & best in the world, & they need to be read widely."

Biden Appoints Rosenworcel Acting FCC Chair:

President Biden "has designated Jessica Rosenworcel as acting chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission," Margaret Harding McGill of Axios reported Thursday. A veteran FCC commissioner who served from 2012 to January 2017 before being reappointed in August of that year, Rosenworcel "will be tasked with implementing a new broadband subsidy program meant to help Americans stay connected to the internet during the coronavirus pandemic." She also is known for "[emphasizing] the need to close the 'homework gap' — the divide between students who have fast, reliable in-home internet and those who don't."