Andrew Morse is stepping aside as head of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the publication has achieved only modest results by killing its print edition and going all digital, Nieman Lab reports The AJC, one of two newspapers still owned by the Cox family, now has 101,000 digital subscribers, far below the half million Morse was aiming for by the end of 2026, although he says it will ultimately reach it. It had started with 53,000. Moore said his decision to step down was based on family concerns.

Byron Allen’s Allen Family Digital is buying a 52% stake in BuzzFeed for $120 million, The New York Times reports. Allen, a comedian turned entrepreneur, will become chief executive of BuzzFeed. He replaces Jonah Peretti, who will assume the title of president of artificial intelligence. Allen will remain as chief executive of Allen Media, owner of the Weather Channel and a TV production unit. 

Penske Media Corporation is working with Ad-Shield to find new ways of measuring dark traffic from its direct channels, AdExchanger reports. Typically, these visitors use virtual private networks (VPNs) and ad blockers to limit their exposure to cookies and tracking pixels.   

ABC has accused the Federal Communications Commission of violating its free speech rights, claiming the agency has had a “chilling effect” on free speech in its efforts to punish political content it opposed, The New York Times reports. This signals a shift from the compliance shown to the Trump administration under the corporate leadership of Walt Disney Company. 

Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, reported a $405.9 million first-quarter net loss on $871,200 in revenue, CoinDesk reports. The loss, which is up from $31.7 million in the same period last year, is due to $244 million in unrealized losses on its cryptocurrency holdings. Also posted was a $108.2 million loss tied largely to equity securities. 

Legacy news media are making celebrity proximity the centerpiece of their content strategy, according to an analysis by Jacobin. The result is that journalism looks more like an exercise in cozying up to the rich and famous than an effort to hold them to account.

AMC Global Media, formerly AMC Networks, posted Q1 streaming sales of $174 million, an 11% increase YoY, Variety reports. However, paid subscriptions fell by 1% YoY  to 10.1 million. U.S. ad sales declined by 5% to $113 million, and content licensing sales by 2% to $53 million. The company has also reported a $4 million restructuring charge.

New York remains an unrivaled media stronghold, The Hollywood Reporter writes in presenting its roster of “The 50 Most Power People in New York Media.” The city is populated by “more stars than ever before.” But  A.G. Sulzberger, chairman of the New York Times Co., offered this caveat: “The internet is overflowing with aggregators and commentators, but there are fewer people doing actual original reporting than ever before.”

More than 4,700 cinema professionals have signed an open letter  calling on the European Union to “future proof” its MEDIA program, which has supported thousands of films during its 35 years, Deadline reports. They are concerned that a proposed mega-program, AgoraEU, will bring spending for culture, media and civil society under one group. Those expressing concern include Juliette Binoche, Francis Ford Coppola Joachim Trier, Ruben Östlund, Stellan Skarsgård, Sandra Hüller and Vicky Krieps.

Brendan Kinney, a veteran of more than 15 years in leadership roles in Vermont public media, has been named as chief executive officer of the Vermont Journalism Trust, publisher of VTDigger, a nonprofit news organization, VTDigger reports. Kinney currently serves as the chief executive of Vermont Public, the public television and radio broadcaster. He will have authority over the business and operations of VTDigger.