G/O Media

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

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

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]

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."[10] Soon after, the entirety of Deadspin's staff resigned in protest, leaving the site inactive.[11] 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."[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16]

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.[17]

On March 1, 2022, GMG Union members went on strike after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract.[18] The strike was resolved on March 6 with a new contract that included some of the members' terms.[19]

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.[20] 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.[21][22]

Acquisitions

In April 2022, G/O Media acquired the Quartz news brand.[23][24]

Sold properties

In March 2023, G/O Media sold Lifehacker for an undisclosed sum to Ziff Davis.[25][26]

References
  1. Hayes, Dade (November 1, 2019). "Deadspin Loses Veteran Writer Drew Magary As Website's News Flow Runs Dry – Update". Deadline.
  2. Abdel-Baqui, Omar; Bruell, Alexandra (April 28, 2022). "Gizmodo Owner G/O Media Buys Business News Site Quartz". The Wall Street Journal.
  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. 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.
  5. "UNIVISION COMMUNICATIONS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 2020 Second Quarter Reporting Package" (PDF). Univision Communications Inc. - Financial Reports - Quarterly Reports. June 30, 2020.
  6. DiNapoli, Jessica (August 17, 2016). "Univision to buy Gawker out of bankruptcy for $135 million". Reuters. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  7. Sinclair, Brendan (April 8, 2019). "Univision sells Gizmodo Media Group". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  8. Adams, Robert N. (April 8, 2019). "Gizmodo sold to Great Hill Partners, forming G/O Media". GameRevolution. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  9. Tani, Maxwell (July 18, 2019). "Gizmodo Media Staff Enraged at New CEO's 'Insane' Direction". The Daily Beast.
  10. Tracy, Marc (October 29, 2019). "Deadspin Editor Fired Amid Pushback Over 'Stick to Sports' Memo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  11. 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. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  12. "GMG Union votes no confidence in G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller". Awful Announcing. January 14, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  13. Eidelson, Josh (February 4, 2021). "G/O Media Told Staff Activism Got Editor Fired, Union Says". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  14. Hitt, Tarpley (February 4, 2021). "Pictures Disappear En Masse from G/O Media Posts". www.gawker.com. Bustle Digital Group. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  15. "Inside the Turmoil at Jezebel". Gawker. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  16. "What Happened at The Root?". Gawker. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  17. Channick, Robert. "Top editorial staff leaving A.V. Club entertainment site after refusing to relocate from Chicago to new offices in LA". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  18. Geier, Thom (March 1, 2022). "Jezebel, Gizmodo, The Root and Other G/O Media Writers Go on Strike". The Wrap. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  19. Fuster, Jeremy (March 6, 2022). "G/O Media, WGA East Agree to New Contract After 5-Day Strike". The Wrap. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  20. Tangermann, Victor (June 30, 2023). "Gizmodo and Kotaku Staff Furious After Owner Announces Move to AI Content". Futurism. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  21. Spangler, Todd (July 5, 2023). "Gizmodo's io9 Published an AI-Generated Star Wars Article That Was Filled With Errors". Variety. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  22. Keeley, Sean (July 5, 2023). "G/O Media has started incorporating bad AI-generated content across their sites, including Deadspin". Awful Announcing. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  23. "G/O Media acquires Quartz". Flashes & Flames. April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  24. Owen, Laura Hazard (April 29, 2022). ""An audible gasp": Quartz, once a high-flying startup, has sold to G/O Media". Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  25. Fischer, Sara (March 13, 2023). "Scoop: Lifehacker sold by G/O to Ziff Davis". Axios. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  26. Calhoun, Jordan (March 30, 2023). "A New Beginning for Lifehacker". Lifehacker. Retrieved March 30, 2023.

Further reading
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