Media Insider: FCC Adopts New Rules for Broadcasters, Fox Journalists Killed in Ukraine

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s roundup of media news stories from the week.

U.S. implements new rules requiring broadcasters to identify foreign-government material
Reuters | David Shepardson

The FCC has put into immediate effect new requirements mandating broadcasters disclose when foreign governments or their representatives lease time on their airwaves. The rules require disclosure at the time of a broadcast if a foreign governmental entity paid a radio or television station, directly or indirectly, to air material. Prior rules do not specify when and how foreign government sponsorship should be publicly disclosed. The issue has taken on new urgency in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said that “in light of recent events, this effort — which is all about transparency — has taken on new importance. It is essential that audiences know when a broadcast station has been compensated to air content coming from a foreign government.”

Meanwhile, Russia has blocked access to the BBC and vows more media retaliation.

Veteran cameraman and Ukrainian journalist killed near Kyiv while reporting for Fox News
CNN | Oliver Darcy and Brian Stelter

An attack on a Fox News crew reporting near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv left two of the network’s journalists dead and its correspondent severely injured. Pierre Zakrzewski, a 55-year-old longtime war photojournalist, and Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova, a 24-year-old Ukrainian journalist working as a consultant for the network, were killed in the attack. Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was seriously injured and remains hospitalized. Both deaths were announced by Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott, who said the team’s vehicle came under fire as they were reporting.

This follows the death of documentarian Brent Renaud, who was killed while reporting in Kyiv.

Kaleidoscope raises funding to create a podcast portfolio
Axios | Kerry Flynn

Podcast startup Kaleidoscope has raised $3.5 million in convertible notes for seed funding led by North Base Media. As podcasts grow in popularity, creators and investors see potential in building out more genres and creating new intellectual property. “All the genres that we love in books and movies haven’t been explored fully… Everything from romance to heist to Westerns to all these beautiful genres and adventure stories can be told in the space,” says co-founder Mangesh Hattikudur.

Related: Why podcast agencies are warning about the move to dynamically-inserted ads.

Paper crisis could put news titles out of business
Sydney Morning Herald | Zoe Samios

Paper shortages fueled by soaring electricity prices and shipping costs could put some Australian newspapers and magazines out of commission, as publishers grapple with the rising cost of newsprint. One of the world’s biggest paper suppliers, Norwegian-owned Norske Skog, is in the middle of renegotiating contracts with newspaper and magazine publishers as it battles to keep its only Australian paper mill running and profitable. However, its proposed price increases, which industry sources say are between 30 and 40 percent, could prove fatal to some mastheads or lead to a reduction in the size or number of newspapers distributed in the lead-up to the federal election. Tony Kendall, managing director of regional publishing company Australian Community Media, said the price hike, scheduled for July, posed the worst crisis for local publishers since World War II: “I think there’ll be widespread closures. I don’t know how independent publishers will cope.” 

ICYMI: Chris Cuomo hits back at CNN “smear campaign” with $125 million arbitration demand.

Marie Claire expands shopping hub from the UK to U.S.
Digiday | Sara Guaglione

Marie Claire U.S. is creating a digital shopping site after the brand’s UK counterpart made over $10 million in sales for retailers in the past six months with a similar shopping hub. The U.S. edition, called Marie Claire Edit, went live exclusively with Nordstrom for the first two months, in which all of the items on the site will be products from Nordstrom’s women’s section. There will also be a section dedicated to curated picks by Marie Claire editors. After the first two months, the site will open up to other fashion retailers in the U.S. The brand hopes to work with 55 retailers, the same number of stores the UK edition works with. Marie Claire has a revenue-share agreement with these retailers.

Also from Digiday: Media companies open new offices to accommodate for growing headcounts and a new phase of the pandemic.

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Maria Perez is director of web operations at Cision. In her spare time, she enjoys gaming, watching too much TV, and chasing squirrels with her dog Molly.