Media Beat: April 22, 2019

By David Farrell

National Enquirer Loses Its Pecker

In a deal that on the surface makes no sense, American Media Inc.’s David Pecker is selling the National Enquirer for $100 million to James Cohen, CEO of Hudson News, ending an association between a longtime friend of President Trump and the tabloid that illegally attempted to bury embarrassing news about Trump during the 2016 campaign. The racy tabloid has been awash in debt with its circulation plummeting, so some are wondering whether Cohen is buying the sheet to kill it, or whether he plans to comb through the Enquirer’s morgue of spiked stories to find out what revelations are to be found there.

UMG ties with Wondery, which produced ‘Dirty John’ podcast

Universal says it is working with the podcast production firm on audio stories that can later be developed into films and TV shows. It’s part of a wave of big money deals attracted to the burgeoning audio medium. – LA Times

CRTC snubs Competition Bureau request for Wireless carrier info

The Competition Bureau asked the CRTC to demand wireless carriers to provide detailed information about subscriber numbers, revenue, market share, and profitability, but the dominant players have pushed back, citing how demanding these specific details would “burden” the companies and also not provide enough time for the carriers to respond before the CRTC’s 2020 wireless competition hearing. – Globe and Mail

Pierre Karl Péladeau isn’t just spatting with Bell Media

Quebecor's boss, Pierre Karl Péladeau, has many lawyers working these days due to several court cases, but he has decided to defend himself for the proceedings arising from his divorce from media star and former wife, Julie Snyder. Then there’s the nasty legal tangle with the former spouse of Péladeau’s late companion, Marie-Christine Couture, and a two-decade dispute over ownership in the estate left to the family by the late patriarch, Pierre Péladeau (Sr). – La Presse, Global News