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Virginia Business wins national journalism awards
Virginia Business won two national journalism awards Wednesday during The Alliance of Area Business Publishers’ (AABP) 2021 Editorial Excellence Awards ceremony. Virginia Business Publisher Bernie Niemeier placed gold in the Commentary category for his monthly OurView column. His winning columns included a July 2020 column, “It’s time to speak up,” which exhorted the busine[...]
Axios-Athletic merger gets axed
A proposed merger between Arlington-based digital news company Axios Media Inc. and San Francisco-based sports media firm the Athletic is no longer going forward, according to a May 6 report from The Wall Street Journal. The Journal had previously reported that the companies had been exploring merging and going public through through a special purpose […]
Graham Holdings Co. to acquire Leaf Group Ltd. for $323M
Arlington-based Graham Holdings Co. announced Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Santa Monica, California-based consumer internet company Leaf Group Ltd. in a $323 million, all-cash transaction. Graham Holdings will acquire all outstanding shares of Leaf Group’s common stock at $8.50 per share. The transaction is expected to close in June or […]
Nine newsroom employees to be laid off at Roanoke Times
Nine newsroom employees at The Roanoke Times were notified of their pending layoffs Monday by parent company Lee Enterprises Inc., according to the newspaper‘s local newsroom union and multiple staff writers who spoke with Virginia Business. The layoffs, set to take effect April 23, would cut the editorial staff to 37 positions, a nearly 20% […]
WSJ reports Axios is eyeing merger with the Athletic
Arlington-based digital news company Axios Media Inc. is in discussions to merge with San Francisco-based sports media firm the Athletic, according to The Wall Street Journal, with the two companies potentially going public through a merger with a blank check company. According to the article, negotiations are in early stages after the Athletic’s chief executive, […]
Reston-based Comscore closes investment transactions
Reston-based media measurement and analytics company Comscore Inc. announced Thursday that it has closed its previously announced investment transactions with Connecticut-based Charter Communications Inc., Colorado-based Qurate Retail Inc. and an affiliate of New York-based Cerberus Capital Management LP. Each of the three companies made a cash investment in exchange for shares of convertible pref[...]
Gannett to refinance $1.05B in debt
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc., the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., announced Monday it will refinance $1.05 billion in debt to lower its interest rates and extend maturity on outstanding debt. Gannett, which has struggled financially during the pandemic, in November 2020 announced it had refinanced approximately $500 million in debt to more quickly repay […]
Tegna acquires podcast company
Tysons-based broadcast and digital media company Tegna Inc. announced Thursday it has acquired Locked On Podcast Network, which covers local sports and the four major professional sports leagues. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but the acquisition will expand Tegna’s podcast market presence. Locked On produces daily shows for the NBA, NFL, MLB […]
Reston-based Comscore secures investments for stock deal
Reston-based media-measurement and analytics company Comscore Inc. announced Thursday that Connecticut-based Charter Communications Inc., Colorado-based Qurate Retail Inc. and an affiliate of New York-based Cerberus Capital Management LP are each making a cash investment in exchange for shares of convertible preferred stock. Proceeds from the investment will be used by Comscore to retire existing [...]
Politico to acquire E&E News
Arlington-based political and policy-focused news organization Politico announced last week it will acquire energy and environment news organization E&E News. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but the purchase will add energy and environmental coverage, according to a company statement. The E&E Brand will remain intact. “We are doubling down on our policy coverage […]
Arlington company names VP of people
Arlington-based stock media company Storyblocks announced Tuesday it has hired Allison Jno-Baptiste as its vice president of people. Jno-Baptiste most recently served as the executive director of talent and resource management at Brown University. In her new role, she will oversee employee recruitment and diversity. “I believe that the key to an organization’s success is […]
Spotify completes $235M acquisition of Reston-based Megaphone
Music streaming giant Spotify Technology SA has completed the acquisition of Arlington-based media and education conglomerate Graham Holdings Co.’s podcast technology company, Megaphone, for $235 million, the company announced Tuesday. The acquisition was first announced Nov. 10. Founded in 2015, Megaphone provides hosting and ad-insertion capabilities for publishers and targeted ad sales fo[...]
