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Media Beat, Oct. 28, 2021

By David Farrell

Top 50 English language news sites globally for September

When it came to monthly gains, only a handful of sites saw an improvement in traffic compared to August. Ctvnews.ca, the news site of Canada's CTV Television Network saw the biggest month-on-month gain (80.7 million visits - up 15%). It was followed by technology news specialist theverge.com (44.8 million visits - up 8%) and msn.com (960.5 million visits - up 5%).  


Press Gazette has this month revised its ranking to now include MSN and Yahoo! News among the sites it analyses.

The inside story of how Edward Rogers’s plan to oust Joe Natale went off the rails

One day Joe Natale was CEO of Rogers. Later that evening, he was on the way out. Two days later, he was CEO again.

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Rogers Communications Inc. even had a press release drafted to announce his departure — one that promised a “seamless transition” as he passed the reins to longtime chief financial officer Tony Staffieri on Oct. 1 — but it never went out.

The plan by Edward Rogers to package out Natale went off the rails, the Star has learned, in part because several independent directors were angry that Edward had approached Natale without first consulting the board and started working out a deal that would see him leave the company. – Christine Dobby, The Star

Joe Natale and the Rogers spat includes lots of zeroes

$29.6 million - That's the proposed severance that Rogers was set to pay Chief Executive Officer Joe Natale if Mr. Rogers' plan to dismiss him in favour of (now-ousted) Chief Financial Officer Tony Staffieri came to fruition. In a presentation to the company's board, Mr. Rogers initially suggested Natale would receive a total of $21.8 million in severance and unvested equity, including a $10-million bonus, half of which would be paid upfront and the rest once the deal to acquire Shaw Communications Inc. closed. 
That severance package was later negotiated to $5.6 million, plus benefits over two years and include a $4-million bonus once the Shaw deal would close, plus a $20-million lump sum as part of a consulting agreement between him and the company. – David George-Cash, BNN Blooberg

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Distributions of household economic accounts for wealth of Canadian households

Despite the uncertainty and volatility that the pandemic has caused in people's everyday lives, on average, the net worth for households in Canada increased from the second quarter of 2020 up to the same quarter of 2021. The household wealth gap—a measure of economic well-being defined as the difference between the share of net worth for households in the highest wealth quintile and that for the two lowest wealth quintiles—declined in the second quarter of 2021 relative to the same quarter of 2020, as the net worth for the two lowest wealth quintiles increased at a faster pace than that for the wealthiest households. – Statistics Canada

NDP MP Charlie Angus calls for stronger regulation of Facebook

At a news conference on Parliament Hill, NDP MP Charlie Angus has called on the federal government to strengthen regulation of Facebook and other social media platforms. He proposes several measures, including the establishment of an officer of parliament for digital rights and technology. The news conference follows former Facebook executive Frances Haugen’s testimony before a U.S. Senate committee earlier in the month that the company knew its algorithms were having serious negative impacts on children and were fueling online extremism.

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Matt Groening on his love of Jazz and how it found its way into ‘The Simpsons’

“Can we go deep into the obscure, or do we need to stay mainstream?”

When Matt Groening asks that question, the invitation is tantalizing to consider. In this case, Groening is talking about jazz, and specifically about his new partnership with Quincy Jones’ music-video hub, Qwest TV. His mission for Qwest was a curated video playlist revealing the jazz influences crucial to Groening — personally, professionally and to “The Simpsons,” most famously in sax-playing characters such as Bleeding Gums Murphy and Homer’s precocious daughter, Lisa Simpson. – A.D. Amorosi, Variety

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Facebook says it’s refocusing company on ‘serving young adults’

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he’s redirected teams within his company to “make serving young adults their north star.” The comment, made on a call with investors this afternoon, speaks to Facebooks’ concerns about declining usage among teens and young adults.

“So much of our services have gotten dialed to be the best for the most people who use them, rather than specifically for young adults,” Zuckerberg said. – Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge

One in five underage Facebook users are 'addicted' to social media app

Frances Haugen, who used to be a senior executive at the Silicon Valley company before going public as a whistleblower earlier this month, said Facebook could make a “huge dent” in the number of under 13-year-olds on the site if it wanted to. She also warned as many as one in five 14-year-old users of Facebook and Instagram may be “addicted” to the apps. – Mike Wright, The Telegraph

Amazon’s Clubhouse competitor may let you DJ your own radio show

Creators will be able to play songs from the vast Amazon Music library, according to The Verge. Along with music, it seems programming will include pop culture, sports and comedy. Amazon is said to be looking at bringing in celebrities and influencers to host shows. You’ll be able to search for shows by name, topic or music, and it appears Amazon will highlight live content, including trending topics and certain creators. – Kris Holt, Engadget

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Jade Eagleson
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Jade Eagleson

Awards

Jade Eagleson, The Reklaws Lead CMAOntario Nominations in 2024

The Country Music Association of Ontario has announced the nominations for its 12th annual CMAOntario Awards, with Jade Eagleson racking up five nominations. The awards will be presented on June 2 at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga.

Jade Eagleson is poised to win big at the CMAOntario Awards, presented by the Country Music Association of Ontario.

The "Rodeo Queen" singer picked up five awards nominations today, including Single of the Year, Album/EP of the Year, and Male Artist of the Year — the most nominations of any artist. Eagleson is followed by sibling duo The Reklaws, rising artists Josh Ross and Karli June, and mainstay Meghan Patrick, who all have four nominations each.

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