Canary in the CBS Union (SCOOP): Amid the broader upheaval underway at CBS, union negotiations between CBS News 24/7 and the company are expected to reach a conclusion this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. The unionized division counts around 60 members and is represented by the Writers Guild of America East. Two weeks ago, members of the program held a 24-hour walkout to protest the delayed talks, as their contract expired March 9. While the union represents only a small tranche of the larger newsgathering operation, the contract will be the first to emerge since Bari Weiss took over CBS. As such, it will offer a glimpse into how she, along with Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison, plans to shape the company. Notably, CNN, which Paramount now also owns, is not unionized, a factor that could grow in relevance as Weiss and the Ellisons determine how to manage the two outlets.
Sundial Nabs Netflix Guru (EXCLUSIVE): The Sundial Media and Technology Group, which owns the brands Essence, Refinery29, and Afropunk, among others, has hired Amanda Butler to serve as its first chief marketing officer, the company shared with ADWEEK exclusively. Butler, who has already begun the role, will be tasked with creating an integrated marketing function that promotes the entirety of the SMTG portfolio, which also houses the influential experiential brands EssenceFest and 29Rooms. She will report to SMTG CEO Kirk McDonald and chairman Richelieu Denis. Butler joins SMTG following multiyear stints at Spotify and, most recently, Netflix, where she served as its head of music marketing.
Antisocial Post: The Washington Post brain drain continues apace, although this time the exodus is coming from inside the social media department. On Wednesday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shared that it has named Travis Lyles, formerly the deputy director of social media at The Post, as its new director of social media. Lyles, who was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2022, led a flurry of ambitious social media initiatives during his time at The Post, which garnered him industrywide acclaim—including a 2022 story from yours truly. Alongside Dave Jorgenson, who has hung a solo shingle at YouTube, Lyles now marks the second social media maven to leave The Post in the last year. At AJC, which is itself in the midst of an ambitious reinvention, Lyles will again have the opportunity to shape the social media strategy of a legacy outlet with grand designs for its future.
CNET Reboots News: The digital media legacy brand CNET is relaunching its news offering, according to its editor in chief David Katzmaier, a pivot notable for a variety of reasons. First, the reboot comes after the digital media behemoth Ziff Davis acquired CNET from Red Ventures in October 2024 for north of $100 million. Under Red Ventures, which is essentially a sophisticated affiliate marketing firm, news made little sense and was thus disbanded. But in a traffic landscape now thoroughly disrupted by answer engines, the kind of evergreen review content that CNET produces has declined in value, while breaking news has grown more important. This trend, broadly speaking, has troubled intent-media companies like Ziff Davis, whose business relies heavily on Google Search. Set against this backdrop, the launch is likely designed to offset some of these declines.
