THE LATEST ARTICLES
HOLLYWOOD
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November 10, 2021
The Brian Williams Guessing Game Begins
By sticking around to write a second act at MSNBC, Williams has positioned himself to write a third act somewhere else, and seemingly everything is on the table—except the CBS Evening News.
SILICON VALLEY
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October 28, 2021
“We’re Running Toward Something”: My Chat with Mark Zuckerberg
In the middle of perhaps the most consequential scandal of his career, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled his new vision for the metaverse and revealed the name of his new parent company, Meta, which will comprise all of his social platforms, including Facebook. We chatted about all this, and what the internet will look like in a decade, among other things.
MEDIA
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October 22, 2021
The New York Times Succession Sweepstakes Is Probably Settled
The inside scoop on the three media stories that everyone is talking about this Friday: The New York Times’ forthcoming succession horse race, Axel’s consummation of Politico, and a little more juice about Facebook’s new identity.
HOLLYWOOD
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October 15, 2021
Will Disney and ESPN Consciously Uncouple?
Bob Chapek has asked some of his closest deputies to explore the strategic rationale for potentially spinning off the sports network, sources say. As one person with knowledge of the discussions told me, “There are now conversations happening regularly at Disney about whether or not to spin off ESPN.”
MEDIA
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October 8, 2021
Facebook Faces the Media’s Existential Crisis
Despite coverage suggesting the contrary, Facebook is not facing an existential crisis, and Frances Haugen is far from Facebook's worst nightmare. In fact, she might even be the company’s ideal whistleblower.
HOLLYWOOD
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September 29, 2021
“CNN Light—Until It Isn’t”: Jeff Zucker Will Build His News Trojan Horse
Zucker, who was expected to depart from CNN in December, will now stay on through the inception of CNN+, and into 2022. Amid rumors of a high-profile promotion at the forthcoming Warner Bros. Discovery, he has told at least one friend that he would be happier staying in his current position, building out the new company's global news and sports businesses.
HOLLYWOOD
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September 27, 2021
“ICM Had to Give Up”: What Hollywood Insiders Are Saying About the CAA Deal
A surprise merger announcement underscores the new economic logic of Hollywood in the streaming era, where only the largest entities survive.
HOLLYWOOD
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September 24, 2021
More Maddow-Mania—and an Update on the Cuomo Scandal
A few high-level NBC sources have told me that Maddow's departure will likely have ripple effects across the network, and could precipitate an overhaul of the entire evening lineup.
HOLLYWOOD
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September 22, 2021
MSNBC Stares Down the Maddow-pocalypse
The broadcast icon’s $30 million-a-year overall deal is a triumph for her (and Ari, and even Shell and Conde). But who will replace her at 9 p.m.? A potential successor has emerged.
HOLLYWOOD
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September 17, 2021
Modern Day Greek Gods: Assessing Media Mount Olympus, Circa 2021
Our culture is changing, and so is the media. The story behind it all has never been more fascinating or important.