Citizens of Content Citizens of Content explores why the old business model of treating audiences as passive consumers is failing. The book provides a strategic roadmap for managers struggling to persuade leadership to t...

I spent decades in newsrooms where journalists never talked about money.

Now I’m asking people to help fund my book, "Citizens of Content."

If you care about moving from audiences to real communities, I’d be grateful if you’d take a look:

books.manuscripts.com/product/citi...

Citizens of Content: Bridging the Gap Between Your Audience and Your Boardroom

We’ve gone from being "consumers" to "citizens" of the content we love. We want a say in what gets made.

My upcoming book will help advocates for this new world. Interested? Then join my mailing list for updates, drafts, and to help me get the ideas right: david-lieberman.kit.com/f1ce2e6302 ✍️

Newsmax's new statement about its $67M settlement with Dominion: Delaware judge "ruled in ways that strongly favored the plaintiffs and limited Newsmax's ability to defend itself." It "encourages every business incorporated in Delaware to reconsider and exit the state, as it did so to Florida."

Surprised there's little attention this AM to Newsmax's agreement to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67M to settle its defamation case. Dominion said Newsmax falsely suggested its machines rigged 2020 election. $NMAX shares are up 3%. In a similar case last year Newsmax agreed to pay Smartmatic $40M.

Rupert Murdoch Fails in Bid to Change Family Trust A Nevada commissioner ruled resoundingly against Mr. Murdoch, who was trying to give full control of his empire to his son Lachlan and lock in Fox News’s right-wing editorial slant.

Big news in Murdochland. Is it crazy to wonder whether Elon Musk will approach with an offer for Fox News -- and that Rupert might accept it?

📣 New article from me, Thomas Struett, @paufder.bsky.social & @rwg.aoir.social.ap.brid.gy, available free & #openaccess in the International Journal of Communication:

Can This Platform Survive? Governance Challenges for the Fediverse

ijoc.org/index.php/ij... #academia

Here I am.

The way the world - hell, more than half of academia - has NO fucking clue there’s a whole field of scholars who study communication & media🙃

Comcast Cuts the Cord: 5 Burning Questions About M&A, MSNBC and More Comcast's decision to separate cable networks from the rest of NBCU will take a year to complete -- and raises thorny issues

5 Burning Qs about the Comcast cable spin off:
*M&A?
*What about MSNBC, CNBC?
*Will Madison Ave. spend less $$ on smaller orgs?
*Why does Bravo stay?
*Will we still hear the NBCU 'Symphony'?

variety.com/2024/tv/news...

For people unfamiliar with deal mumbo jumbo: Comcast's existing shareholders will own this cable firm that gets spun off. It isn't being sold to someone else -- yet -- but over time, investors or potential buyers could approach the new company.

Publicly traded rightwing media companies say that Trump's victory shows there's a market for a MAGA-friendly "parallel economy." Wall Street remains unpersuaded. Here's my take today in TheRighting.

Fulwell 73 and SpringHill Co. Join Forces to Grow in Film, TV, Documentary, Live Events and Branded Content SpringHill Co. and Fulwell 73 are set to merge as both companies hope to grow their activity in TV, film, sports, live events and branded content.

Who'll be 1st with the valuation for LeBron James’ SpringHill in its merger with Fulwell 73? It's certainly much less than its $725 million valuation from 2021, offering insight into the decline of sports programming celebrated in a 2017 Harvard B School case study abt James' "Hollywood empire."

Why does the NYT consider this newsworthy?

Paramount Takes Promotional Stunt to New Level for ‘Gladiator II’ The studio plans to air the same 60-second trailer on 4,000 TV, radio and digital channels on Monday.

The monoculture fights back, again.

Terrific idea. My work on the subject appears in The Righting.

Raising my hand. Would be an honor.

Raising my hand. Would be an honor.

The final takeaway is that a hyper-capitalistic media system such as ours in the U.S. is ill-equipped to serve the information/communication needs of a democratic society. The question is: How do we instill different logics and create a different kind of media system?

That RFK has views merely "controversial" is a good example of refuge-seeking behavior in journalism, as against truth-seeking. In refuge seeking, first priority is to protect against criticism.

To me this is stonger than "enough with the euphemisms!" because truth-telling is supposed to be first.

Inside Hollywood’s Big ‘Wicked’ Gamble Universal’s strategy for launching a blockbuster franchise is about to be ‘just short of obnoxious.’ It’s the new industry playbook.

The monoculture fights back.

Never forget this: The GOP’s nonsensical culture war is meant to distract you from corporate corruption, worker oppression, and staggering wealth inequality.

Hand raised

Thanks. I don't know how it happened, but I no longer have the problem. I'll keep this in mind if it reappears.

John Malone on M&A Revving Up Under Trump Administration, the Future of Sports and Threats From Big Tech’s ‘Almost Monopolies’ Renowned investor John Malone sees M&A revving up as regime change comes to Washington, and he once again sounds the alarm on Big Tech's ambitions.

Takeaways from John Malone's latest interview: Net Neutrality is vulnerable again. (He says it unfairly gives media entrants "access to distribution at zero cost.") And big cable operators will try to consolidate. (“With discount airlines, they don’t make each airline build its own airport...")

I just tried this and did not see a "Verify DNS Record" option. Help!

Raising my hand.

Wall Street apparently doesn't buy Rumble CEO's claim last night that major brand advertisers will flock to the controversial rightwing video platform following Trump's victory last week. Rumble shares are down 10+% this AM after the company reported a larger than expected Q3 loss.

Donald Trump Jr.'s surprising decision to eschew a role in the new administration and become a partner at 1789 Capital suggests MAGA world has big plans for the investment firm's founder: Omeed Malik -- a close ally of Tucker Carlson and RFK Jr. Here's my take on him a year ago in The Righting.