We keep an eye out for the most interesting stories about Labby subjects: digital media, startups, the web, journalism, strategy, and more.
“Viewers in the U.K., watching the channel live on YouTube, may not realize they still need a TV license to do that.
But with no guardrails around who’s watching, no ability — for now anyway — for the BBC to insist you prove you’ve paid the fee before you can access its YouTube channels (or its own streaming channels), it’s going to be hard to enforce.” —LO
“Local news sustainability isn’t one-size-fits-all. So, we needed to make sure the answers this chat service provides are high-quality and reliable,” said Leah Becerra, product director for the help desk. “We trust humans to do that more so than AI.”
The help desk is a free resource to connect local news organizations with digital resources, experts, and “affordable hands-on help through Digital On-Demand Services fractional support.” —SS
“Apple Music has plans to introduce ‘Made With AI’ labels as part of its AI Transparency Tags later this year. Spotify also has AI labels, as well as a music spam filter.” —LO
Wirecutter deputy publisher Cliff Levy: “So much of Wirecutter’s journalism and audience and revenue models were really structured around organic search. That has obviously changed for us in recent years as we focused on diversification.”
Some other ventures dependent on affiliate revenue have not fared well. “Last year, Business Insider shuttered its commerce business due to its reliance on search. Google’s algorithm change at the end of 2024 decimated publishers’ product review sites, and led to the shutdown of USA Today Co.’s Reviewed and AP’s Buyline.” —LO
“Over the next three years, more non-members and a broader range of independent news providers will be eligible for support. Some members-only benefits will remain, but instead of acting as a gatekeeper, we intend to open our doors and share more resources with the wider ecosystem. Membership isn’t going away; it just won’t be a hard requirement for most LION programs.”
LION is updating its name from “Local, independent news publishers” to “Local and independent news publishers,” a change that better reflects the range of news businesses LION already serves. The change allows news creators to formally apply for LION membership. —SC
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