Fogbow

Telecom giant AT&T announced Monday a deal to combine its content unit WarnerMedia with Discovery, paving the way for one of Hollywood’s biggest studios to compete with media giants Netflix and Disney.

Under the agreement, AT&T will unwind its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, which closed just under three years ago and form a new media company with Discovery. The deal would create a new business, separate from AT&T, that could be valued at as much as $150 billion, including debt, according to The Financial Times.

AT&T said it would receive an aggregate amount of $43 billion in a combination of cash, debt and WarnerMedia’s retention of certain debt. AT&T shareholders would receive stock representing 71% of the new company, while Discovery shareholders would own 29%, it added.

If approved by regulators, the deal effectively reverses AT&T’s years-long plan to combine content and distribution in a vertically integrated company. The companies said the deal is expected to close in the middle of 2022.

Dear LiveLeakers,

I'm sure you're wondering what's going on right now so it's only right and proper that you get a full
explanation.

Fifteen years ago we felt the project we were working on had peaked and it was time to move on,
LiveLeak was born. Although it's an overused analogy the last fifteen years have been an insane
rollercoaster for all involved. Highs, lows, and some rather worrying bits where it felt like we were upside
down. The thing is, it's never been less than exhilarating, challenging and something we were all fully
committed to. Nothing lasts forever though and – as we did all those years ago – we felt LiveLeak had
achieved all that it could and it was time for us to try something new and exciting.

The world has changed a lot over these last few years, the Internet alongside it, and we as people. I'm sat
here now writing this with a mixture of sorrow because LL has been not just a website or business but a
way of life for me and many of the guys but also genuine excitement at what's next.

I hope some of you will enjoy ItemFix and find it useful and entertaining. It's something completely
different, completely fresh, and something we feel energized about tackling and whilst I know many of
you will be upset, possibly angry, about our decision I do hope you also understand our reasons and
appreciate that, alongside you, we have walked together through some interesting times and some crazy
ones. Sometimes it's just the right time to chart a new path.

I'd like to wrap this up with thanks. Thank you to all the team past and present, the “inner circle”, the
admins, the mods, the coders. You guys helped make the impossible possible for so long it's unreal. If
people truly knew what you'd put into this...they probably wouldn't believe it. But I know and I can't
thank you enough.

To the members, the uploaders, the casual visitors, the trolls and the occasionally demented people who
have been with us. You have been our constant companions and although we probably didn't get to
communicate too often you're appreciated more than you realize. On a personal level you have fascinated
and amused me with your content.

Lastly, to those no longer with us. I still remember you.

On behalf of the LiveLeak team and myself
Cheers,


Hayden

LiveLeak is finally dead after 15 years
LiveLeak will leak no longer.LiveLeak will leak no longer.

BY AMANDA YEO
MAY 06, 2021

Infamous video sharing website LiveLeak is dead, shutting down on Wednesday after 15 years of nightmare fuel and trauma. Sorry if you wanted to see a brutal murder for some reason.

Founded in 2006 by the team behind gore site Ogrish, LiveLeak was notorious for hosting graphic videos of real violence — including Saddam Hussein's execution and the beheading of journalist James Foley. The shock site had a laissez faire attitude toward such content, reveling in the gory clips that sites such as YouTube prohibited. It also came under fire for hosting a film that argued the Quran encourages violence against non-Muslims.

However, as of May 5, the gore is no more. LiveLeak's website now redirects to Itemfix, a new service allowing users to post and edit video, audio, and images.

In a statement on the Itemfix website, LiveLeak co-founder Hayden Hewitt thanked his anonymous collaborators and expressed excitement at moving on to Itemfix.

"The world has changed a lot over these last few years, the Internet alongside it, and we as people," said Hewitt.

Though ostensibly run by members of the same team that ran LiveLeak, Itemfix's rules are a bit stricter when it comes to its content policy. Rather than evaluating graphic media on a "case by case basis," Itemfix explicitly prohibits "excessive violence or gory content."

Only time will tell how strictly this will be enforced.

"The thing is, [LiveLeak has] never been less than exhilarating, challenging and something we were all fully committed to," said Hewitt. "Nothing lasts forever though and...we felt LiveLeak had achieved all that it could and it was time for us to try something new and exciting."

"[W]hilst I know many of you will be upset, possibly angry, about our decision I do hope you also understand our reasons and appreciate that, alongside you, we have walked together through some interesting times and some crazy ones. Sometimes it's just the right time to chart a new path."


https://mashable.com/article/liveleak-dead-shut-down/

Foggy wrote: ↑Wed May 19, 2021 6:58 am So ItemFix is just LiveLeak without the violent videos? That doesn't seem like a huge change. They could have just changed the rules of LiveLeak.

Foggy wrote: ↑Wed May 19, 2021 6:58 am So ItemFix is just LiveLeak without the violent videos? That doesn't seem like a huge change. They could have just changed the rules of LiveLeak.

Also too, we may have to wait a while for phpBB to make ItemFix available for embedding.

The New York-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital – known for slashing its newspapers' budgets to extract escalated profits – won shareholder approval Friday for its $633 million bid to acquire the Tribune Publishing newspaper chain.

The purchase represents the culmination of Alden's years-long drive to take over the company and its storied titles – including Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News and major metro papers from Hartford, Conn. to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Alden's reputation had set off a frantic effort by union members in Tribune Publishing newsrooms. Their organizer, Baltimore Sun education reporter Liz Bowie, dubbed the effort "Project Mayhem." The journalists tried to secure potential buyers in numerous Tribune markets who embraced the public-minded aspirations of journalism, including the Maryland philanthropist and hotel magnate Stewart Bainum Jr.

After a process marked by intrigue and whiplash, Alden dashed all those hopes. The hedge fund already held a 32-percent stake in Tribune. Alden's founder, Randall Smith, sits on Tribune's board, as do two other directors with close ties to Alden. Smith's protégé, Heath Freeman, oversees Alden's previous newspaper holdings and is the fund's president. Both men keep low public profiles.

CNN has terminated its contract with senior political commentator Rick Santorum after racist, inaccurate remarks he made about Native Americans, HuffPost has learned.

When I signed on with CNN, I understood I would be providing commentary that is not regularly heard by the typical CNN viewer. I appreciate the opportunity CNN provided me over the past 4 years. I am committed to continuing the fight for our conservative principles and values.

neonzx wrote: ↑Sun May 23, 2021 12:16 pm So, how long before DJT gets a contract to spew on guest panels?

Suranis wrote: ↑Sun May 23, 2021 1:02 pm [(b) his incontinence would be a big issue and people wouldn't want to sit beside him after a while, and there is no the the information wouldn't, er, leak

filly wrote: ↑Sun May 23, 2021 1:57 pm I've read that these consultants make a ton of money. I am curious as to whether they get paid a straight retainer or get paid by their appearances.