NPR Secures $113M for Digital Overhaul Amid Funding Cuts
NEWS: NPR receives $113M toward digital transformation and to offer stations greater services as the loss of federal funds takes a big bite out of budgets. $80M from philanthropist Connie Ballmer $33M from anonymous donor My initial story: https://t.co/4utjEOR0Un More to come
Hands‑off Media Buying Redefines Creative Strategy
Killer video from @DenneyDara. So much to take away about creative and media buying, especially how they're doing very hands off media buying...
Media Ad Measurement Still Attracts Startups and M&A
Why we continue to see startup formation and m&a in media and ad measurement. https://t.co/uCJ23GTccm
Brian Williams Joins Netflix for Weekly Podcast
This just in: Brian Williams signs on to Netflix to host a weekly podcast https://t.co/8TbSo9kSEC @latimes
Caitlin Clark's Return Could Spark WNBA Viewership Surge
One media-centric thing I would watch for this year with the @WNBA. The @IndianaFever should be title contenders and Caitlin Clark will be healthy. Her absence impacted viewership last year in the network windows where the league would have gotten...
Comments Dominate; LinkedIn Profiles Poised for Growth
I'm writing a newsletter recap from Social Media Week — but first some bullet point thoughts: - Comments are and will be everything - LinkedIn has tons of growth potential (for personal profiles according to Metricool) - Molly McPherson is the GOAT -...
Launching Spam-Free Competitor, Ads-Free at Launch
tempted to build a direct competitor to https://t.co/J9hksWvHtX solve the spam, no ads at first
NFL and YouTube Negotiate Five‑game Long‑form Deal
Glass Break: the NFL and YouTube have entered long form contract review for a 5 game package, @fos has learned https://t.co/dCPyJagt5v
Holistic Media Mix Beats Legacy Tactics in Furniture Marketing
In Episode 3 of From Screen to Store, sponsored by @JamLoop , Alex Back, CEO and Co-founder of Couch, joins hosts Jeremy Bloom and AdTechGod to discuss what’s actually working in modern marketing and why legacy industries are falling behind. The...
Exploring “The Photographer’s Eye” And Essential Photo Concepts
A New Episode of Beyond the Lens is now LIVE ⚡️ 114. Books that Matter: John Szarcowski and ‘The Photographer’s Eye’ — The Thing Itself, The Detail, The Frame, Time, and Vantage Point Listen on Apple...
Avoid Offerwall: It Will Frustrate Your Users
Offerwall, or as I call it, "Navboost Killer" is now generally available to all publishers. I highly recommend NOT implementing Offerwall. You will anger and frustrate your users to no end. I have covered this before. Beware.
AI Paranoia Exposes Publishing’s Quantity‑Over‑Quality Culture
I wrote about how AI in book publishing is a labor issue. "AI paranoia is a symptom of a larger problem: a corporate culture that values quantity over quality, quick output over the very human labor of poring over a...
Editing 60‑second Video for Two Hours? It's a Workflow Problem
A two-hour editing session for a 60-second video is a workflow problem, not a skill problem.
Instagram Adds In‑Reel Affiliate Tags, Boosting Creator Earnings
ICYMI: Instagram is rolling out the ability to use affiliate links to tag products in Reels. 🛍️ This removes friction that often comes with creators driving audiences to their link in bio or using comment automations to share affiliate links, likely...
Wisconsin Bill Guarantees Free Packers Access, Bans Blackouts
D.C. Memo: @SenatorBaldwin Bill Would Guarantee Free Access Throughout Wisconsin to Watch @NFL Packers; Wisconsin Democrat’s For the Fans bill would also ban league-owned streaming services from blacking out certain games on their platforms https://t.co/Y0AQyWATYG
Teens Prefer TikTok for Reviews and News Over Snapchat
Pew Study about how teens are using TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat - Check out the parts about product reviews and news below "In fact, roughly six-in-ten TikTok users say they go there for product reviews. Fewer on Instagram and even smaller...
Turn PAA Questions Into Subheadings for SEO Wins
Most bloggers ignore this goldmine: “People Also Ask” (PAA) Every question in the PAA box is a ranking opportunity. Take those questions, turn them into subheadings, and answer them directly. Now your post is optimized for: • Featured snippets • More SERP real estate • Higher authority...
Fire TV Gets Free UI Overhaul and New Channels
Own a Fire TV device? You're getting a free update soon, with refreshed layout and new streaming channels — and Amazon's also launching a slimmer Fire TV Stick https://www.techradar.com/televisions/streaming-devices/own-a-fire-tv-device-youre-getting-a-free-update-soon-with-refreshed-layout-and-new-streaming-channels-and-amazons-also-launching-a-slimmer-fire-tv-stick
Winning Growth Comes From Intent, Not Mere Reach
Reach is a vanity metric dressed up as a growth strategy. Everyone's optimizing for impressions. The ones winning are optimizing for intent. Reach tells you how many people saw you. Intent tells you how many were ready. Those are not the same thing. Ran cold email...
AI Floods Book Market, Threatening Human Authorship
AI is starting to reshape the book market at scale. Thousands of AI-written or AI-polished books are now being sold, raising concerns about quality, originality and the erosion of human authorship. It feels familiar. What was once a dystopian idea is quietly...
Ready for BBC Breakfast: Maths, Comedy, and Awkward Seating
Very excited I’m about to hit the BBC Breakfast sofa to talk about maths and comedy. Please rate how awkwardly I sit on the couch. Show details: https://t.co/AVbB7zDPA2 https://t.co/BFPKJGNE3a
Amazon MGM Pledges 15+ Theatrical Releases, Hits #2 Box Office
In an electric #CinemaCon panel, #AmazonMGM made it clear: it’s not an experiment, they are fully committed to theatrical, officially renewing their commitment to exhibitors to deliver AT LEAST 15 theatrical Releases per year, & announcing that #ProjectHailMary just had...
Should HBO Cast a Black Actor as Aegon?
I wonder if HBO is going to be brave enough to cast a Black man to play Aegon The Conqueror. Aegon's mother was a Velayron...which means Aegon would more resemble Baela or Laenor...and not the Chris Hemmsworth/Henry Cavil that keeps...
Auto-Translation Bridges Divides, Amplifies Serbian Voices
Sometimes when stories like the 60 Minutes one break, people can get nationalistic and defensive. But instead, many Serbians started speaking out And because of the new translation feature, it made connecting with them very easy For awhile I used to want...
Get Your New Release in Front of Global Media
Got a new single, EP, or album coming? I get your music in front of journalists, tastemakers, and media across the U.S. and worldwide — with full SEO built in, so people can actually find you. Eric@ThatEricAlper.com
Refusing Extra ESPN Fees Amid Poor App Experience
ESPN will not get a dime more from me outside what I already pay (~$20 a month) as part of my YTTV subscription. We still don’t have ESPN app access yet, but oh well. Not missing much outside an awful...
TROAS + Lowest Cost Drives Scalable Brand Growth
tROAS + Lowest cost has been crushing for us across brands. They target different audience segments in the auction and the target ROAS allows us to scale into upside with inflated budgets.
Big Names Trump Diverse Voices in Reader Engagement
Back when I was reviewing for the Washington Post my co-writer and I coined what we called the Stephen King Random Moment. We could see that whenever we didn't mention a famous writer (like Stephen King) and we focused...
Objection Lets Anyone Pay $2k to Challenge Stories
Really excellent interview here by @RebeccaBellan with Aron D'Souza, whose new startup Objection allows anyone to pay $2,000 to challenge a story and trigger a public investigation into its claims. It's backed by Peter Thiel and Balaji Srinivasan. https://t.co/iLEBZ4paHE https://t.co/6Fe1t2W4XN
Will Apple Finally Deliver the Long‑Desired Second Screen?
I wonder if Apple will ever acknowledge this and give us the second screen we all crave
AdWeek Breaks Silence on Big Tech Accountability
Wow. Powerful headline running in AdWeek. On one hand, AdWeek should earn your trust and respect for running it. Many trade pubs stay away from upsetting the major tech companies including Meta. But something else needs to be pointed out....
Music Press Excuses Digital Decline, Faces AI Replacement
You know every time the indie rock music press has been confronted with digital shittiness they make excuses for the digital shittiness. It was understandable when it was Napster/Linewire/Grokster and no one realized these were just stalking horses for Silicon...
Vox Media CEO Poised to Sell Multiple Assets
NEW: Vox Media C.E.O. Jim Bankoff is likely to agree to multiple deals to sell various assets of his company, including the Vox Media Podcast Network, New York magazine, and the portfolio of digital brands…. Full details @PuckNews: https://t.co/hfYxhq0oky
Meta's New Link‑click Focus Inflates Traffic, Drops CVR
Traffic up and CVR down lately? Here are 2 of the causes: 1. Meta made ads more link-clicky. Swiping up to view comments on reels (see post below) or tapping to expand feed ads can now drive link clicks to site....
Misinformation Is Easier to Manage in Traditional Media
The funny thing about this (aside from everything) is that from a comms POV, dealing with misinformation in traditional media is pretty straightforward compared to dealing with it on social platforms.
FX Launches Award‑winning “Fargo” Anthology Series, 2014
📺 April 15, 2014: “Fargo”, Noah Hawley’s award-winning dark comedic crime anthology series inspired by the 1996 feature film of the same name, debuted on FX. Its inaugural season starred Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks and Martin Freeman…...
HBO's 'Girls' Premiered April 2012, Launching Dunham's Hit
📺 April 15, 2012: “Girls”, the comedy-drama created by and starring Lena Dunham about the lives of four young women in New York City, debuted on HBO. It also starred Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver and Andrew Rannells. It...
User Growth Is Genuine, Not Just Bots
Oh yeah this app's user growth totally isn't just bots. It's all very real human beings with interesting things to say https://t.co/XE2VNIpybV
Journalists' Inverted Pyramid Gives Edge in LLM Parsing
I think journalists have a real edge within the AEO space in that the way they write (inverted pyramid) is similar to how LLMs parse information. More in the latest ep of Fan Out, full version here: https://t.co/E2fjVpipcr https://t.co/VFNewbyhiP
CBS 60 Minutes Segment Accused of One‑S
🚨News: @danielsuhr @center_amrights tells @CBSNews ombudsman Kenneth Weinstein, with @BrendanCarrFCC cc'd, that @NorahODonnell post @TheMasters 60 Minutes segment was “a one-sided hit piece delivered on a high ratings show at the same time as other efforts to push Catholic voters...
Dropout Adds 11 Emmy Categories, Vic Michaelis Enters Race
Dropout’s Emmys Surprise: ‘Game Changer’ and ‘Very Important People’ Enter 11 Categories as Vic Michaelis Joins Lead Comedy Actress Race (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/tNMM9W3Jce via @variety @dropout
CBS Greenlights “Flint” Starring JB Flint, a Rogue Cop
They finally made @JBFlint into a TV show? CBS developing "Flint," about “a burnt-out LAPD detective who, on the verge of retirement, is blindsided when the city extends his service... Determined to get fired, he breaks rules and disobeys orders..." https://t.co/Qy9GxVOLMB
Twitch Sponsorships Still Underpay Creators versus Competitors
Twitch Sponsorships continue to underpay creators... so sad, after the very fair Minecraft campaign. Twitch: Max $78.72 (Creators usually hit 40-60% of payout.) Sponsorship Platform: $80 Guaranteed (+).
NHL Ratings Surge 47% Post‑Olympic Break
TNT says NHL viewership accelerated after February's Olympic break. For the rest of the season, games averaged 453,000 viewers, up 47% over the equivalent period from 2025
Platform Culture Dictates Content Performance Across Networks
Each platform has its own culture, its own audience behaviors, and its own unspoken rules. You can publish the same piece of content across platforms... it doesn't mean it will always perform the same.
Transparency: Sponsorship Fuels New AI Project Amid Financial Strain
Why did Scoble sell out? I'm starting to get a lot more sponsors who are willing to pay me to introduce their companies to you. You'll see more later today. I just wanted to say a few words about this. First: thank...
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Celebrates 100 Days on CBS
Inbox: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani will mark 100 days in office by going on… CBS News. He has been booked in the morning show for the network tomorrow.
Declining NBA Viewership Sparks Fear of League Collapse
These viewership numbers for the NBA this season as well as the $76 billion media rights contract they signed has me thinking this league is going to fold next year. It's over for the NBA. https://t.co/HYZi0sIQ0c
Sock‑puppet Trend Simulators Are Mostly Empty Hype
Is it creepy that there are companies like Chaotic Good Projects out there promising to "simulate trends" with sock puppet accounts. Yes, sure. But, in my experience, they're almost always completely full of shit. https://t.co/GD97cCghhP https://t.co/33zVwVyoVG
Rapid‑Response Fund Saves Public Media After Funding Cuts
Here's the story of how the new pooled rapid response fund moved money quickly to keep public radio and television stations on air after Congress slashed their funding. Martha Ramirez Reports: https://tinyurl.com/n6ava72v Related IP Resources: Journalism Grants -https://tinyurl.com/4nwuxehu Donor Insights for Journalism -https://tinyurl.com/3yahvnt6 Report: Giving...