Someone's Going To Leak The Memo

I’ve had this itch to create a newsletter for recovering TV newsies for awhile now (you can be in active recovery if you’re still in the industry). At 3am, I read a LinkedIn post that moved me to get out of bed and write. Reminiscent of my long overnight stint in news, except way more motivated to do this.

In the wake of recent layoffs at one big old media company with a questionable name, Mike Guerrieri, a news industry veteran (who escaped TV news long ago) wrote a great post. The general sentiment is he hit the nail on the head…

TL;DR: Tegna laid off tons of people to switch to a more regionalized model claiming the goal is to be ‘more focused’ and strategic - it’s all in a leaked memo.

Mike G. rightly calls bullshit.

Mike’s post made me look up who may have been affected. Ugh, I was pained to read this one.

This is one example. I expect the layoffs will keep coming - now that Election coverage is over. My condolences to everyone affected. And my congratulations.

Because that’s the point of this Broken News gossip column newsletter. Not only to detail the industry atrocities and share all kinds of anonymous insider stories, but more so...to help light the path after news. 

YOU are one of the most employable people on the planet based on your skills. So, if you want to get out or were let out, PLEASE KNOW THAT. And if you want to lean into your inner entrepreneur - here’s one way.

beehiiv, the premier newsletter platform I’m using right now - sent this out to announce its Media Collective to support independent journalism and bolster a sustainable model.

From Tyler Denk, beehiiv’s ceo/co-founder: It's a multimillion-dollar investment to equip leading journalists with the tools, resources, and operational support they need to build sustainable, audience-first businesses. That was a mouthful, so let me break it down a bit more simply. Applications are now open, and participants will receive:

Health Insurance: Access to our network of partners + monthly stipend

Legal Support: Pre-publication review and E&O coverage

Software Licenses: Getty Images, Perplexity Pro, Doola

Platform Support: Customer Success Manager, business strategy sessions, and a growth budget.

What’s nice is beehiiv is one of the only platforms in the industry that does not take a cut of its user’s subscription earnings.

That’s one revenue avenue for ya. I’ll be back with more crappy/happy news endings and more ideas to help you GTFO of news and get on to the next thing.

Oh, I do think it’s worth reading Mike’s entire post for his perspective and the insightful comments.