Subject: Kelly's win became Michael's loss?; Brian Lowry's CNN debut; Bayless to skip out on ESPN; amazing surge in Prince music sales; Gannett/Tribune barbs
From: CNN's Reliable Sources <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2016 23:37:25 +0000
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By Brian Stelter and the CNNMoney Media team - [email-masked] (mailto:[email-masked])
Good evening from the Time 100 gala... I'll tweet any special sightings... (http://twitter.com/brianstelter/?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

** Kelly wins... Michael loses?
------------------------------------------------------------
9:01am: Kelly Ripa returns to "Live" for the first time in a week. And her opening remarks were outstanding. Flawless, even. We transcribed the whole thing right here. (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/kelly-ripa-transcript/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])  "Our long national nightmare is over," she said. ABC execs were pleased with how it went. "Back to regularly scheduled programming now," one source said to me.

But then this happened...

12:10pm: People magazine scoops the news that Michael Strahan is leaving much sooner than expected. Remember how ABC said last week that he'd continue to co-host "Live" all summer, then move to "GMA" full-time in September? Yeah, nope, not anymore. He's leaving on Friday the 13th of May. ABC says it is going to start trying out new co-hosts right away, rather than waiting until the fall. Here's my write-up... (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/kelly-ripa-returns-michael-strahan/index.html?iid=Lead&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

-- Real talk: Viewers could sense this morning that something wasn't right between them. A May departure is probably a good plan for everyone involved... But it's a complete 180 from last week's plan... Which shows how much of a mess last week was...

-- Wink, wink: Ripa walked out of her home this morning carrying a copy (http://pagesix.com/2016/04/26/kelly-ripa-totes-anderson-coopers-book-on-way-to-live/?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) of Anderson Cooper's new book...

** Ripa reality check from Brian Lowry
------------------------------------------------------------
Today is Brian Lowry's first day with us at CNN! Before heading to orientation, he filed his first column.

Check out his analysis of Ripa's return: He notes that (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/kelly-ripa-brian-lowry-column/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) "fans often rally around stars in these situations, or at least express solidarity in a manner that suggests a certain level of projection is involved. Because while everyone can relate to having had a boss at one time or another who doesn't value one's contribution, what the average person experiences in such a scenario bears at best a glancing resemblance to these high-profile players, where those disrespected or even jettisoned weather the experience cushioned by golden parachutes and soft landings." Read the rest here... (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/kelly-ripa-brian-lowry-column/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

** Goodbye, Skip Bayless
------------------------------------------------------------
Skip Bayless will leave ESPN2's "First Take" after the NBA Finals in June. And he is widely expected to land at rival network Fox Sports 1 after his contract expires in August.

This afternoon's announcement (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/skip-bayless-leaving-espn/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) disappointed his fans, but was cause for celebration among others... Including some inside ESPN... As one network vet said to me, "There are plenty of people internally who are glad he's no longer representing the company anymore." As Deadspin said, he's been ESPN's "provocateur-in-chief." Will his audience follow him over to Fox? Read more here... (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/skip-bayless-leaving-espn/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

** What happened to DisneyLife in China?
------------------------------------------------------------
This story has implications for many media companies: Just five months after its launch in China, Disney and Alibaba's DisneyLife streaming service "has gone offline," Ivana Kottasova reports. (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/disneylife-alibaba-china/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])  According to the WSJ, it has been "suspended at the request of Chinese regulators." Alibaba won't confirm that, but it says customers are being refunded.  (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/disneylife-alibaba-china/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

Ivana says this is happening amid (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/disneylife-alibaba-china/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) a "broader crackdown on digital media. Apple's iBooks and iTunes Movies services were shut down in China last week..."

** NYT downsizing in Paris
------------------------------------------------------------
Ivana (one of CNNMoney's London reporters)also has this: (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/new-york-times-paris/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) "The New York Times is shutting down some of its Paris operations, cutting up to 70 jobs." Some, but not all, of the jobs will be relocated. The changes will not affect the bureau's news operations, and the paper will continue to be printed in France, but editing and pre-press print production operations are leaving the country. Read more (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/new-york-times-paris/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])  + the memo... (http://jimromenesko.com/2016/04/26/new-york-times-closes-editing-and-press-operations-in-paris/?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

The question at 620 8th Ave: Does this move foreshadow more cuts to come?

** Turner's movie streaming service
------------------------------------------------------------
Last month John Martin said Turner would launch "at least a couple of direct-to-consumer products" by the end of this year. This morning he announced the first one: (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/turner-streaming-service-filmstruck/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) FilmStruck, a streaming video service for movie buffs. TMC is developing it along with the Criterion Collection. It will debut in the fall; no word on pricing yet.

This reminds me of NBCUniversal's recent launch of Seeso for comedy programming. Read my full story about it here... (http://)

** 2.8 million Prince songs sold
------------------------------------------------------------
On the day Prince died, 239,000 of his albums were bought by grieving fans, according to Nielsen Music. During the weekend, another 399,000 albums were sold. "Those weekend sales were up more than 16,000% from the previous weekend," Frank Pallotta reports. (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/prince-album-sales-death/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) Altogether, 2.8 million tracks (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/prince-album-sales-death/index.html?iid=SF_LN&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) from Prince's catalog have been sold since his death. The top purchases: "Purple Rain," "When Doves Cry, and "Little Red Corvette..."
For the record
-- Apple's earnings, out this afternoon, were bad by Apple standards. One bright spot: iCloud/iTunes Store/Apple Music. Tim Cook "said Apple Music now has 13 million subscribers..." (CNNMoney (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/technology/apple-earnings/index.html?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) )

-- Today's buzzy new messaging app: Talkshow. (Yep, one word.) Mat Honan explains it here... (BuzzFeed (https://www.buzzfeed.com/mathonan/a-new-messaging-app-called-talkshow-makes-your-texts-public?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]#.oxK9KOwRD) )

-- Olympic opening ceremonies co-hosts Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira will be joined by Savannah Guthrie on the broadcast this summer... (THR (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/savannah-guthrie-host-rio-olympics-887615?utm_source=twitter&mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) )

-- Latest departure from The Blaze: EIC Scott Baker... (Politico (http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/04/the-blaze-loses-its-editor-in-chief-222444?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) )

-- "Shondaland," meet "Kerryland?" Kerry Washington's new production company, Simpson Street, will develop projects exclusively for ABC's networks for the next two years... (Deadline (http://deadline.com/2016/04/kerry-washington-overall-deal-abc-studios-1201744236?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) )

-- Rebecca Traister's new book "All The Single Ladies" has been optioned by Paramount... (Variety (http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/paramount-tv-options-all-the-single-ladies-from-writer-rebecca-traister-1201761139/?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) )

** Gannett and Tribune trade mean letters
------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh, boy. Now things are really heating up," Robert Feder writes from Chicago. (http://www.robertfeder.com/2016/04/26/read-all-about-it-tribune-gannett-ceos-go-public-with-war-of-words/?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) One day after Gannett publicized its proposal to buy Tribune, here's what happened today: An exchange of sharply worded letters.

Feder: "The CEO of Tribune Publishing says Gannett has been 'playing games' in pressing its unsolicited $815 million takeover bid. The CEO of Gannett says Tribune has been inaccurate and disingenuous in its response." Read the letters here... (http://www.robertfeder.com/2016/04/26/read-all-about-it-tribune-gannett-ceos-go-public-with-war-of-words/?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

** Twitter earnings in 4 tweets
------------------------------------------------------------
-- Paul Kedrosky: "Some real wreckage out there tonight in tech land, with Apple off 7% and Twitter off an impressive 12%. Different causes, but both messy..."
-- Mike Isaac: "twitter's ad biz usually delivers, stock takes a hit because of user numbers. today, user numbers were okay(ish), but the biz side missed..."
-- Sarah Frier: "After the NFL deal 'almost every league in the world contacted us,' Dorsey said..."
-- Peter Kafka: "Twitter sounds like everyone else on the Web: We'll solve our revenue problems with video. Video video video..."
Road to 2016

** Live from Trump Tower
------------------------------------------------------------
It's Primary Night in America again. The East Coast of America to be more specific. And while the other candidates are in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Indiana, Donald Trump is here in New York, planning to hold a 9pm press event at his Trump Tower. Convenient for him and for the press corps...

-- A reason to stay up late: Dylan will be live starting at 2am on "Early Start," analyzing the primary results, and I'll join him at 4am...

** April cable news numbers
------------------------------------------------------------
Cable news #'s continue to be up, up, up -- thanks largely to interest in the primary election process. April's ratings came out today, and TVNewser has a raft of blog posts about the results. (http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/category/ratings?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])  Allow me one personal example: Our televised edition of Sunday's "Reliable Sources" is up 52% year-over-year in the 25-54 demographic. In fact, the program was #1 across cable news at 11am (http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2016/04/26/cnn-1-in-cable-news-in-prime-time-beats-fox-news-for-5-of-the-past-8-months/?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) in the key demo.

But this really isn't about any individual program. "GPS," at 10am, and "SOTU," at 12pm, were #1 in the demo as well. CNN as a network was #1 in prime time for the month, a victory driven by the #DemDebate and several town hall events. Fox News (http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/april-2016-ratings-fox-news-wins-cable-news-finishes-no-2-across-cable/291747?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) and MSNBC (http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/april-2016-ratings-msnbc-up-triple-digits-during-daytime/291691?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) have a lot to be happy about, as well. I could talk your ear off about the ratings, but there's more media news to cover...

** New trouble at Vegas paper
------------------------------------------------------------
This is a resignation letter from Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith:
"The paper prevented him from writing about casino owners Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson, whose family owns the Review-Journal," Politico's Peter Sterne scoops. (http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2016/04/8597612/las-vegas-review-journal-columnist-resigns?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

"Smith was first told not to write about Adelson on Jan. 28," a person with knowledge of the situation told him. (http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2016/04/8597612/las-vegas-review-journal-columnist-resigns?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) "That's the same day that Craig Moon was named publisher of the paper and that the R-J eliminated its standing disclosure about Adelson’s ownership." Today Smith finally called it quits. So to put it simply: There's a serious ongoing problem at the Review-Journal...

** Alex Wagner joins The Atlantic
------------------------------------------------------------
Dylan Byers emails: Alex Wagner, once the darling of MSNBC's daytime lineup, is leaving the network for The Atlantic, where she'll be writing, hosting events and contributing to video projects. (She'll be co-moderating this panel during WHCA weekend. (http://www.theatlantic.com/live/events/women-fairness-power/2016/?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) ) Wagner's relatively quiet exit from MSNBC -- her departure would have been a much bigger deal just a year ago -- signals just how much she was marginalized by MSNBC's effort to rebrand as a straight news network...

** Another new editor at TNR
------------------------------------------------------------
Dylan also sends this along:

Eric Bates, the executive editor of Rolling Stone for nearly a decade, has been named editor of The New Republic, replacing Gabriel Snyder. Bates has a long resume, including investigative editor at Mother Jones and editor in chief of Southern Exposure. At Rolling Stone, he oversaw the Gen. Stanley McChrystal story that resulted in the general's resignation. Most recently, Bates led up the launch of The Intercept. In short, Bates thinks big -- big features, big investigations -- which is good for a magazine like TNR. But whether he can save the brand after it was tarnished by Chris Hughes' failed ownership is another story altogether...

** "Game of Thrones" still scoring huge #'s
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The season six premiere of "Game of Thrones" scored "a record 10.7 million viewers," Frank reports. (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/game-of-thrones-season-six-premiere-ratings/index.html?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID] )

Here's the math: 7.9 million television viewers who watched on Sunday (live plus a few hours of DVRing) + 2.8 million who watched HBO's re-airs/watched it via HBO's apps within the first 24 hours. The season five finale reached 10.3 million viewers during the same timeframe last year. Details... (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/game-of-thrones-season-six-premiere-ratings/index.html?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID] )

** Bill Simmons' show gets a name & date
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Frank reports:  (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/bill-simmons-hbo-any-given-wednesday/index.html?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID]) Get ready for the return of Bill Simmons to the airwaves. His new HBO show "Any Given Wednesday" will debut on (Wednesday) June 22 and will have a 20 episode season. Read more... (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/media/bill-simmons-hbo-any-given-wednesday/index.html?mc_cid=8da35df4fe&mc_eid=[UNIQID])

** Send us feedback!
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