{"id":2165163,"date":"2024-02-01T15:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T20:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/centrist-news-outlet-the-messenger-to-shut-down-less-than-a-year-after-launching-site\/"},"modified":"2024-02-01T15:30:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T20:30:53","slug":"centrist-news-outlet-the-messenger-to-shut-down-less-than-a-year-after-launching-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/centrist-news-outlet-the-messenger-to-shut-down-less-than-a-year-after-launching-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Centrist news outlet &#8216;The Messenger&#8217; to close within a year of launching"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcentrist-news-outlet-the-messenger-to-shut-down-less-than-a-year-after-launching-site%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2165163&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">TV personality Piers Morgan (L) and Jimmy Finkelstein of Prometheus Global Media, who founded The Messenger, \u200battend The Hollywood Reporter Big 10 Party. (Photo by\u200c Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for THR) (Photo by Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for THR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>OAN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/tag\/james-meyers\">James Meyers<\/a><br \/>12:19 PM\u2062 \u2013 Thursday, February \u20641, 2024<\/h2>\n<p>Centrist digital news \u200bstartup <em>The \u200dMessenger <\/em>has\u200d announced that they\u200c are\u2064 officially shutting down after less than a year of operation.\u2063 <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3\" style=\"min-width: 320px; min-height: 50px; text-align: center;\">  \t<script>  \t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3'); });  \t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>The startup company <a href=\"https:\/\/themessenger.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/themessenger.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deleted all content and articles on their website<\/a> on Wednesday \u200bevening, which was hours after the company told\u200d the <em>New York Post <\/em>\u201cThe site will go dark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Messenger <\/em>CEO and founder Jimmy Finklestein was\u2063 reportedly\u2062 \u201cclose\u201d to raising the necessary funds to keep the business afloat for several \u2064more months,\u2064 however, the deal ultimately fell through.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cThe Messenger \u200cwas founded to champion balanced journalism\u200c in an era of bias, subjectivity and misinformation, with a mandate to\u200d deliver the news \u2014\u200c not shape it \u2014 and a clear vision of earning our readers\u2019 trust and rekindling \u2064their passion for\u2064 media,\u201d according\u200d to its About page. It was founded in 2023 by co-founder Jimmy Finklestein,\u201d\u200d according to allsides.com, a media bias rating site. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><\/figure>\n<p>The company was reportedly losing millions each month, while bringing in only around $3 \u2062million last year, according to financial documents. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the company claimed that their projections showed how they would \u201cbring in $100 million in \u2064revenue for 2024,\u201d a figure that \u2064experts doubted from the start. <\/p>\n<p>The CEO had paid top dollar to lure away writing and marketing talent from other top\u200d publications, such as the conservative outlet <em>New York \u2063Post<\/em> \u200d and liberal \u200doutlet <em>NBC News<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the company was paying the site\u2019s editor,\u200d Dan Wakeford, a whopping $900,000 annually, according to multiple sources. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cWhat ultimately killed <em>The Messenger<\/em> was \u200clack of message \u2014 and arrogance,\u201d\u200c an industry source said. \u201cHundreds of people left great jobs with the promise of creating something\u2062 better \u2014\u2063 which turned out to be a big lie.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Finklestein claimed\u2063 that\u200b he did not send \u200cout a mass email to let employees know earlier since he was too busy trying to raise funds to keep the company in business. <\/p>\n<p>In January, a financier who backed\u2063 Tucker Carlson\u2019s new content had reportedly offered \u2062$30 million for a \u200c51% stake in the\u200d news site, evaluating it at $60\u2062 million. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cWe exhausted every option available,\u201d Finkelstein wrote,\u2062 saying \u2062he\u200d was \u201cpersonally devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Finkelstein noted in \u2062his email that \u201ceconomic headwinds have left many media companies fighting for survival.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>The \u2064Messenger<\/em> now joins the \u200cranks \u200dof other high profile outlets \u2064that have gone under, including \u2064the <em>Los Angeles Times<\/em>, <em>Business Insider<\/em> and <em>Sports Illustrated.<\/em> <\/p>\n<p>Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts\">https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"rc-widget-10bad2\" data-rc-widget data-widget-host=\"habitat\" data-endpoint=\"\/\/trends.revcontent.com\" data-widget-id=\"278641\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"dpsp-share-text\" style=\"margin-bottom:10px\"> \t\t \t\tShare \u2064this post!\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>From 1992 to 1993, Tara Reade\u200c was working as a staff assistant by then-senator Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>A group of explorers say they could be close to tracking \u200bdown Amelia Earhart\u2019s missing\u00a0plane. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>A Middle East expert breaks\u200b down the Biden Administration\u200c appeasement strategy when it comes to dealing\u2063 with Iran. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with \u200bFather Frank \u200bPavone<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Nvidia\u00a0has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/peaceful-pro-life-activists-face-up-to-11-years-in-prison\/\" title=\"Pro-life activists may face up to 11 years in prison despite their peaceful actions\">started taking pre-orders<\/a> for a new China-specific AI chip \u200cwith prices \u200con par with a \u2064rival product from Huawei.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>The Tesla \u2062chief executive and\u200b a\u200b board seen as captive to him must find a way to negotiate a replacement contract.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Qualcomm\u00a0forecast fiscal second<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fed-says-more-confidence-needed-on-inflation-front-before-rate-cuts-can-start\/\" title=\"Fed wants more confidence in inflation before rate cuts can begin\">-quarter profit slightly<\/a> above Wall Street\u2063 estimates and sales in line with market expectations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Mounting costs of \u2063developing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dod-preparing-for-future-scenarios\/\" title=\"DOD getting ready for future situations\">cutting-edge features irked investors hoping<\/a> for a big boost to sales from the new technology.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> rnrn  <\/p>\n<h2> How\u2062 did financial documents \u200dreveal the financial state of The Messenger, and what were the key\u200c factors contributing to\u2063 its losses?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200d The Messenger:\u2063 A Short-Lived Era of Balanced Journalism<\/p>\n<p>Centrist digital news \u200dstartup, The Messenger, \u2062recently announced its official shutdown\u2064 after less than a year of operation. The company deleted all content and articles \u2062from its\u2064 website,\u2063 hours after \u2064informing\u2062 the New York Post about its \u2062impending closure. Despite the\u2063 CEO and founder, Jimmy Finklestein&#8217;s efforts to secure necessary funds\u2062 to sustain the business, the deal ultimately\u200b fell \u2064through.<\/p>\n<p>According to\u2063 its About page, The\u2063 Messenger was founded \u200bin 2023 \u2062by Jimmy Finklestein \u2063with the aim to champion balanced journalism in an\u200d era marked by bias, subjectivity, and misinformation.\u200c The company&#8217;s vision\u200d was\u2062 to earn readers&#8217; trust and rekindle their passion for media. However, financial documents \u2062reveal that \u2064the company was losing millions each month,\u2064 while only bringing in around $3\u200b million \u200cin \u2064revenue last \u200byear.<\/p>\n<p>The Messenger had projected that it would generate $100 million in revenue for\u2062 2024. However, industry \u2064experts expressed doubt \u200babout \u200cthis figure from \u2062the beginning. The company had invested \u200dheavily in luring writing \u2063and marketing talent from prominent publications such as the conservative outlet New York Post and \u200bthe liberal outlet NBC News. Additionally,\u2064 the site&#8217;s \u2064editor, Dan Wakeford, \u200cwas being \u2062paid \u200ban annual salary \u2064of $900,000, according to multiple \u200csources.<\/p>\n<p>According\u2062 to an industry source, what ultimately led to The Messenger&#8217;s downfall was a\u2062 lack of message and arrogance. Many talented \u200dindividuals left secure jobs with \u200bthe expectation \u2063of creating something better, only \u200dto find out it was a big lie. Finklestein, burdened with the task of\u200b raising \u2062funds, claimed\u2063 that he was too preoccupied to send a mass email to\u200c inform \u2062employees earlier about the company&#8217;s situation.<\/p>\n<p>In January, a financier who had previously\u2063 backed Tucker Carlson&#8217;s new content reportedly offered $30 million \u2063for\u200d a \u200b51% stake\u2063 in\u200c The Messenger,\u2063 valuing it at $60 million. Despite these efforts, Finklestein stated that every option had been exhausted, \u2063leaving \u2062him personally devastated.<\/p>\n<p>The demise of\u200b The Messenger serves as a reminder of the challenges faced\u200b by media companies\u200c in today&#8217;s economic climate. Economic headwinds have left many media companies fighting for survival, especially startups that\u200c struggle to establish themselves\u2064 in the competitive industry. \u2062The Messenger&#8217;s short-lived \u200bera \u200cof balanced journalism comes\u2064 to an end, leaving\u2064 a void that\u200d will be filled\u2063 by other news outlets striving to earn the trust and loyalty of readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TV personality Piers Morgan and Prometheus Global Media&#8217;s Jimmy Finkelstein attended The Hollywood Reporter Big 10 Party. The Messenger, a centrist digital news startup, revealed its plans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2301,"featured_media":2165164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/c3.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-109415119.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2165163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oann"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/c3.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-109415119.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2165163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2165164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2165163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2165163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2165163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}