G/O Media
PredecessorGizmodo Media Group
FoundedApril 8, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-04-08)
HeadquartersNew York, New York
Key people
Jim Spanfeller (CEO)
OwnerGreat Hill Partners
Subsidiaries
Websiteg-omedia.com

G/O Media Inc. is an American media holding company[1] that owns and operates several digital media outlets, including Gizmodo, Kotaku, Jalopnik, The Root, The A.V. Club, The Takeout, The Onion, The Inventory, and Quartz.[2][3]

History

G/O was formed in April 2019 when Great Hill Partners, a private equity firm, purchased the websites from Univision for $18.9 million.[4][5] Prior to the sale, the former Gawker Media properties had operated as Gizmodo Media Group after being acquired by Univision following the conclusion of the Bollea v. Gawker lawsuit and subsequent bankruptcy in 2016.[6][7][8] Former Forbes executive Jim Spanfeller became the CEO of G/O Media.[9]

Several outlets have been sold by G/O such as Lifehacker (sold in March 2023),[10] Splinter News (shuttered in November 2019[11] and sold in November 2023)[12] and Jezebel (shuttered[13] and then sold in November 2023).[12]

In January 2024, Adweek reported that G/O Media was looking to sell off sites under its ownership, following failed efforts to find buyers for the whole organisation. The company claimed the reporting was "largely incorrect" but didn't specify how.[14] On March 11, 2024, G/O Media sold Deadspin to the European start-up Lineup Publishing.[15]

Staff conflicts with leadership

G/O Media's leadership, introduced after the purchase from Univision, has been subject to frequent criticism by employees.[9] Complaints include closer advertiser relationships, a lack of diversity, and suppression of reporting about the company itself.[9] In October 2019 Deadspin's editor-in-chief, Barry Petchesky, was fired for refusing to adhere to a directive that the site "stick to sports."[16] Soon after, the entirety of Deadspin's staff resigned in protest, leaving the site inactive.[17] In January 2020 the GMG Union, which represents the staff of six G/O Media sites, announced a vote of no confidence in CEO Jim Spanfeller, citing, among other issues, a lack of willingness to negotiate for "functional editorial independence protections."[18]

On February 4, 2021, the Writers Guild of America East filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that G/O Media told employees it had fired Alex Cranz for labor activism.[19]

In mid-October 2021, G/O Media removed all images from stories published before 2019 from the 11 websites it owns, including Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, The Onion, and Jezebel.[20]

In November 2021, Gawker reported on substantial staff resignations at Jezebel over the course of 2021, comprising around 75% of staff. The resignations were reportedly related to a "hostile work environment" created by G/O's management and the new deputy editorial director Lea Goldman.[21] In January 2022, another article detailed similar staff decline at The Root, with 15 out of 16 full-time staff having left throughout 2021 since Vanessa De Luca started as editor-in-chief.[22]

In January 2022, seven senior staff members at The A.V. Club left the site after management required them to move from Chicago to Los Angeles. According to the Chicago Tribune, the departing staffers cited a lack of salary increase to account for increased cost of living due to the transfer.[23]

On March 1, 2022, GMG Union members went on strike after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract.[24] The strike was resolved on March 6 with a new contract that included some of the members' terms.[25]

On June 29, 2023, G/O Media implemented a "modest test" of artificial intelligence-generated content on its websites, in a move similar to BuzzFeed and CNET. The move sparked backlash from GMG Union members, citing AI's track record of false statements and plagiarism from its training data.[26] The first AI generated articles on G/O Media sites appeared on July 5 and included a "chronological list" of Star Wars movies and television shows on Gizmodo's io9 section that wasn't in chronological order, omitted Andor and The Book of Boba Fett and stated that the events of the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars came after those of The Rise of Skywalker; a list of the "best summer blockbusters of 2003" on The A.V. Club; and a list of "the most valuable professional sports franchises" on Deadspin.[27][28]

Acquisitions

Sold properties

References

  1. ^ Hayes, Dade (November 1, 2019). "Deadspin Loses Veteran Writer Drew Magary As Website's News Flow Runs Dry – Update". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  2. ^ Abdel-Baqui, Omar; Bruell, Alexandra (April 28, 2022). "Gizmodo Owner G/O Media Buys Business News Site Quartz". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  3. ^ Owen, Laura Hazard (April 29, 2022). ""An audible gasp": Quartz, once a high-flying startup, has sold to G/O Media". Nieman Journalism Lab. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "UNIVISION COMMUNICATIONS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 2020 First Quarter Reporting Package" (PDF). Univision Communications Inc. – Financial Reports – Quarterly Reports. March 30, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "UNIVISION COMMUNICATIONS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 2020 Second Quarter Reporting Package" (PDF). Univision Communications Inc. – Financial Reports – Quarterly Reports. June 30, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  6. ^ DiNapoli, Jessica (August 17, 2016). "Univision to buy Gawker out of bankruptcy for $135 million". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  7. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (April 8, 2019). "Univision sells Gizmodo Media Group". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  8. ^ Adams, Robert N. (April 8, 2019). "Gizmodo sold to Great Hill Partners, forming G/O Media". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Tani, Maxwell (July 18, 2019). "Gizmodo Media Staff Enraged at New CEO's 'Insane' Direction". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Fischer, Sara (March 13, 2023). "Scoop: Lifehacker sold by G/O to Ziff Davis". Axios. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Tani, Maxwell (October 10, 2019). "Splinter Shutting Down". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Robertson, Katie (November 29, 2023). "Jezebel to Be Resurrected by Paste Magazine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  13. ^ "Trailblazing feminist blog Jezebel is shutting down has to shut down from a lack of buyers. The writers claim 'strategic and commercial ineptitude'". Fortune. November 9, 2023. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  14. ^ Stenberg, Mark (January 24, 2024). "G/O Media Hangs 'For Sale' Sign Across Its Portfolio". www.adweek.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Baragona, Justin (March 11, 2024). "G/O Media Sells Off Deadspin to Be Entirely Gutted". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  16. ^ Tracy, Marc (October 29, 2019). "Deadspin Editor Fired Amid Pushback Over 'Stick to Sports' Memo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  17. ^ Robertson, Katie (November 1, 2019). "Deadspin's Last Staff Member Quits. But Deadspin Is Not Dead, the Boss Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  18. ^ "GMG Union votes no confidence in G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller". Awful Announcing. January 14, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  19. ^ Eidelson, Josh (February 4, 2021). "G/O Media Told Staff Activism Got Editor Fired, Union Says". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  20. ^ Hitt, Tarpley (February 4, 2021). "Pictures Disappear En Masse from G/O Media Posts". www.gawker.com. Bustle Digital Group. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  21. ^ "Inside the Turmoil at Jezebel". Gawker. November 18, 2021. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  22. ^ "What Happened at The Root?". Gawker. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  23. ^ Channick, Robert. "Top editorial staff leaving A.V. Club entertainment site after refusing to relocate from Chicago to new offices in LA". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  24. ^ Geier, Thom (March 1, 2022). "Jezebel, Gizmodo, The Root and Other G/O Media Writers Go on Strike". The Wrap. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  25. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (March 6, 2022). "G/O Media, WGA East Agree to New Contract After 5-Day Strike". The Wrap. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  26. ^ Tangermann, Victor (June 30, 2023). "Gizmodo and Kotaku Staff Furious After Owner Announces Move to AI Content". Futurism. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  27. ^ Spangler, Todd (July 5, 2023). "Gizmodo's io9 Published an AI-Generated Star Wars Article That Was Filled With Errors". Variety. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  28. ^ Keeley, Sean (July 5, 2023). "G/O Media has started incorporating bad AI-generated content across their sites, including Deadspin". Awful Announcing. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  29. ^ "G/O Media acquires Quartz". Flashes & Flames. April 28, 2022. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  30. ^ Owen, Laura Hazard (April 29, 2022). ""An audible gasp": Quartz, once a high-flying startup, has sold to G/O Media". Nieman Journalism Lab. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  31. ^ Notopoulos, Katie (February 3, 2020). "Cards Against Humanity Bought Clickhole". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  32. ^ Calhoun, Jordan (March 30, 2023). "A New Beginning for Lifehacker". Lifehacker. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

Further reading

External links

G/O Media
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