Apple is recruiting staff by developing the News app and launching a subscription service



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How many people are willing to pay $ 9.99 a month for a set of magazines and news websites? Apple does not know. But the company is about to find out. In order to help the information sector and its business, Apple brings together some of the country's largest newspaper and magazine publishers for a service called News +.

This service is a big problem. It is available now for iOS users. And Apple is looking for additional partners.

At the Steve Jobs Theater Cupertino Monday, I spotted executives of Condé Nast, News Corp, New York Media, LA Times and other firms. Here is my summary of the event. In summary: Apple uses Texture, the "Netflix for magazines" application acquired last year, and converts it to News +. Texture (which has never attracted a large audience) will close in late May and its users will be directed to News +. Apple launches access to 300 magazines, as well as a selected group of other outlets.

"It's really important for us, we believe in the power of journalism and its potential impact on our lives," said Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday. The message: Apple is a friend of the editors, not an enemy. But not everyone buys it …

Can Apple help small papers?

The NYT and WaPo have decided not to join the bouquet of information from Apple. But the WSJ and the LA Times are on board. (There is some confusion about exactly what the WSJ provides for Apple – paper costs a lot of money for digital subscriptions – scroll down the list for details.)

For now, regional and local newspapers are not part of the News + package. I think some publishers will want to talk to Apple about potential agreements …

Hundreds and hundreds of staff …

Apple claims that hundreds and hundreds of people are currently working on News: editors such as Apple News, EIC, Lauren Kern, organize articles, engineers working on the application, marketers selling subscriptions to News +, and so on.

And the company plans to circulate News + around the world …

What does the WSJ do

Lukas I. Alpert of the WSJ, describing the agreement of his own newspaper with Apple, qualifies this change as "significant strategy change". According to him, the goal is "to attract new readers and paying subscribers without compromising the core business of the publication". How? If the newspaper costs $ 39 a month and Apple opens a new door to newspaper content for $ 9.99 a month, is not that a problem?

Well, a note from Dow Jones chief executive, William Lewis, put it differently. He said the Apple deal "will make new readers important" and "therefore, our newsroom will grow." "WSJ members will continue to have exclusive access to the rich business reports and insights that they so passionate about."

But it seems that News + subscribers will have full access to the magazine's articles. The paper may be trying cleverly to have it both ways. As Alpert writes here, "the Apple app will feature stories deemed interesting to the general public – that it's about national news, politics, sports and recreation, but also from the economic news, said people familiar with the situation.A wide range of commercial and financial news will also be searchable in the application, but the idea is that most users do not will not consume much more than what is actively presented to them. "

The Journal is hiring …

In a follow-up note on Monday, Matt Murray, editor of the WSJ, said that Apple "had the potential" to increase the Journal's audience "growing further and at a faster pace much faster than the one we had experienced before.This is an amazing opportunity. " He added that the newspaper was planning to hire "dozens of people in the coming weeks, including political reporters, US News and Features, as well as editors," partly to serve the public of Apple News. Jennifer Hicks will be editor-in-chief of News Partners, responsible for the presence of the Journal on Apple …

Dow Jones and Apple work together

I see Rupert Murdoch's imprints on this! Lewis' note to Dow Jones staff members indicated that "our collaboration with Apple will also extend to areas such as video, voice, market data and AI." will have more to share on these projects in the weeks and months to come. " Very interesting…

The original series of Apple will debut this fall

Monday's event was a showcase for Apple's TV application; its new showcase of television channels; and Apple TV +, an ad-free subscription service for a series of upcoming TV shows, movies, and documentaries. The reporters then grumbled about the lack of details, as Apple did not release a release date or price tag for the new service. But society gave everyone a glimpse of what was coming. Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, former Sony executives who had been robbed by Apple nearly two years ago, appeared on stage for the first time … and talked about a "new service dedicated to best stories ever told … "

→ Cook: "We think we can bring something important" to society "thanks to our wonderful story." That's the key. Apple says it's not just about diving into the waters of the television. This is a big bet for the company …

Apple's version of a TV from the outset

The emails of Frank Pallotta: Monday's Apple event did not look like a "normal" affair that ended with an all-new innovative technology. Instead, it looked like a TV from the start. Apple introduced Steven Spielberg, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and other debut. But instead of talking to advertisers, celebrities were talking to analysts, journalists, Apple super-fans and Wall Street viewers. Spectators were left wanting to see more real shows …

– Recap of Peter Kafka's story by Recode: "We still do not know what is Apple's video service, how much will it cost or why we should pay for it …"
– Matt Donnelly's Variety on Apple's Spielberg Stage Promotion: "Many industry observers were shocked by its proximity to a streaming platform only weeks after appearing to be pushing for changes considerable eligibility of Netflix at the Academy Awards … "

Lowry's analysis

Brian Lowry emails: Apple's flagship power – and high-profile Hollywood projects – would have arguably been the least distinctive aspect of Monday's presentation, at least, for anyone who had ever attended an initial presentation. In a way, it was felt that the acts of openness – in the news, games and credit cards – have eclipsed the apparent head of poster . Read the rest here …

Presentation of "The Morning Show"

The secret drama of Apple taking place in the world of early morning television now has a name: "The Morning Show".

That interests me for two reasons: first, because I'm a consultant in the series, and secondly, because the staff members of "Today", "GMA" and other actual shows have wondered what does this fictional show all about. Co-stars Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell let out some hints at the Apple protest: they announced that the show would lift the veil on "the power dynamics between men and women" on the workplace.

Hmmm. Think about how A.M. Television was reorganized by the #MeToo movement …

Long on celebrities, run on the details

Heather Kelly, CNN Assistant Business Technical Editor: The big announcement made by Apple in Hollywood was long on celebrities (hello, Big Bird!), But on key details like the cost of its streaming TV service. The company did not specify how much would cost TV +. It did not reveal how much would cost the new Arcade game service.
What is clear is that Apple wants to collect money from its users every month, instead of a few years from now when they upgrade their devices. The company has also highlighted its privacy features, such as the new Apple Card credit card that does not share data with marketers or advertisers. It's a brilliant sales pitch at a time when other major technology companies are battling the side-effects and scandals associated with their business models of data collection and advertising. However, even if it starts to look like those who want privacy online, this seems to be a luxury reserved for those who can offer Apple devices and services …

An O standing for Oprah

The crowd applauded wildly when Oprah Winfrey took the stage on Monday. His content contract with Apple includes documentaries and a reading club reset – but not a regular talk show. In her comments, she summed up a key point in Apple's Hollywood speech: "They have a billion pockets, you go, a billion pockets!"

Sandra Gonzalez emails: "Oprah's conversations with the authors of her reading club will not put her back in front of an audience the size of a television … This will put her in front of a bigger one! Consider this as my first call for that these conversations take place in front of a live audience and not in a boring and empty studio … "

FOR THE RECORD

– Sandra Gonzalez has here a complete synthesis of the shows that Apple has teased on stage … (CNN)
– Review of the Apple event by Shira Ovide: "Even Oprah can not defeat the flaws of Apple's services" (Bloomberg)
– Andrew Wallenstein explained: "The blinding power of all stars assembled (on both sides of the camera) of #AppleEvent is a very muscular demonstration of how Apple TV + has the ambition to be. "Strives to be the best of classes in everything that she does."Twitter)
– Susan Chira succeeds Bill Keller as editor-in-chief of the Marshall Project …
Read more about Monday's "Reliable Sources" newsletter … And subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox …
Latest news from Gerry Smith for Bloomberg: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez creates a "Trump Bump" for the media …

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