Newsweek vs POLITICO

Podcast: The Hardest KPI in Political Advertising

An AdExchanger Talks podcast episode features Mark Jablonowski, CEO of DSPolitical, discussing the unique challenges of measuring political advertising where the primary KPI is an election outcome decided by secret ballot. DSPolitical, which positions itself as a “meta DSP,” combines offline voter data, privacy-compliant audience modeling, multi-bidder activation and unified reporting. Jablonowski notes that Connected TV is a growing channel for political spend but is often bought with a broadcast mindset rather than using CTV’s targeting and measurement capabilities. He also highlights political advertisers’ advanced CRM and voter-file practices and expresses greater concern about organically spreading disinformation than AI deepfakes.

• Mark Jablonowski is the CEO of DSPolitical.
• DSPolitical describes itself as a “meta DSP” and onboards offline voter data to build privacy-compliant audience segments.
• DSPolitical activates audiences through multiple bidders and consolidates results into a single reporting layer.

Newsweek About page reveals leadership and editorial restructuring

Changes include Shazia Haq moving from Senior Editorial Operations Manager to Director of Audience, Brian Lim and Connie Sideras swapping roles, new News Directors Samantha Beech and Jason Lemon, and several editorial title and role changes.

Newsweek Traffic Falls 75%; Revenue Nears $100M

Newsweek experienced a nearly 75% decline in readership year-over-year, but CEO Dev Pragad says the company is on pace to surpass $100 million in revenue for the first time in its 93-year history. Publishing revenue is expected to decline 20–25% this year, but newly built businesses—internally called Nexus (B2B: rankings and events) and Adprime (a healthcare-focused DSP acquired in June 2025)—have grown quickly enough to offset that drop. Adprime is projected to more than triple revenue from $14.8M to north of $40M and could account for roughly 40% of company revenue. Newsweek forecasts at least 10% revenue growth in 2026 (up from ~3% in 2025), is expanding non-programmatic video and events revenue, and maintains a free newsletter audience just under 2 million. The company remains cautious about future search-distribution risks from Google’s AI-generated results.

• Newsweek’s site traffic declined nearly 75% in a single year.
• Newsweek is on pace to surpass $100 million in annual revenue for the first time.
• Publishing division revenue is expected to decline 20%–25% this year, per CEO Dev Pragad.

Deutsche Welle boycotts White House video over media ban

Following the White House's decision to bar CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from accessing its premises, German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) announced it will cease using video and image material produced by the White House itself across its German and English language channels. DW cited concerns over press freedom, stating that excluding media based on their reporting is a disturbing signal. The broadcaster will rely exclusively on material from its own reporters and other accredited media. This decision comes as leading U.S. networks have suspended their pool coverage, reducing the availability of independent footage of presidential events. DW's move underscores its commitment to independent journalism and media pluralism.

• Deutsche Welle will stop using White House-produced video and images on its German and English channels.
• U.S. President Donald Trump barred CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House access.
• The White House launched its own online stream, 'Trump TV', running nonstop.

CNN, Politico, MS NOW to Sue Over Trump's White House Ban

CNN, Politico, and MS NOW announced plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after being barred from the White House. The media outlets argue the ban threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism. They stated the lawsuit would be filed on Monday, aiming to establish that the government cannot decide what the press covers or publishes. The White House, under President Trump, revoked access for these outlets on Friday, accusing them of spreading misinformation. Critics view this as an intimidation tactic and an attack on press freedom. The exact reason for the ban remains unclear. Journalists from all three outlets were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday. This action is part of a broader pattern of increasing hostility toward media outlets critical of the administration.

• CNN, Politico, and MS NOW announced joint legal action against the US government over their exclusion from the White House.
• The lawsuit will be filed on Monday, according to a joint statement from the media companies.
• President Donald Trump barred the three outlets from the White House on Friday.

Politico Launches Decoded, Second Subscription After 15 Years

Politico is expanding beyond its long-running Pro subscription with the launch of Decoded, a new technology policy franchise. The daily briefing will debut as a newsletter on Oct. 5 with an accompanying podcast, drawing on reporting from nearly 50 journalists across global bureaus. Decoded will be free to Pro subscribers initially, with a preview period for other readers, but will move behind a paywall in Q1 2027. The subscription is priced at roughly $1,000 per year, a fraction of Pro's cost but with a similar strategy. Chris Cadelago will lead the team as executive editor for global technology and California. This marks Politico's second subscription product, aiming to capitalize on the growing demand for technology policy coverage.

• Politico is launching a new technology policy subscription called Decoded.
• Decoded debuts as a newsletter on Oct. 5 with an accompanying podcast.
• The subscription is priced at roughly $1,000 per year.