TMZ
TMZ is an American entertainment-focused tabloid news organization owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 2021, Fox Corporation acquired TMZ from WarnerMedia for $50 million.
The name "TMZ" is derived from the initialism for "thirty-mile zone" that was historically used in the film and television industry to refer to the so-called "studio zone"—an area with a radius centered on the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. It was called the studio zone because of the number of film and television studios within it. TMZ's founder and managing editor is Harvey Levin, a lawyer-turned-journalist who was previously a legal expert for the Los Angeles television station KCBS-TV.
Development
Three months before TMZ's official launch, America Online had indicated its intention to create a Hollywood and entertainment-focused news site in collaboration with Telepictures Productions. During this pre-launch period, AOL expressed interest in establishing a website with a primary emphasis on celebrities. Upon the site's official launch, AOL confirmed that it would predominantly showcase Hollywood gossip, encompassing interviews, photos, and video content featuring celebrities. Additionally, the platform would provide information related to industry news, covering movies, television shows, and more.The site was described as "an effort to further feed the current American obsession with celebrities". Mike Shields of MediaWeek.com wrote, "the site also boasts of an expansive collection of archived star photos and videos", allowing fans to "trace changing hairlines and waistlines of their favorites performers over the years".
Company synopsis
Since 2005, TMZ has signed New Line Cinema, Hilton Hotels, Chrysler, and Revlon as charter advertisers to its website. The New York Times called TMZ "one of the most successful online ventures of the last few years." In October 2008, the New York Times reported that TMZ, at the time, was receiving more than 10 million viewers every month.Levin has acknowledged that TMZ has passed on multiple notable stories because he felt that, while the stories were true, he questioned how the sources obtained their information. He has acknowledged that TMZ pays sources, but in the form of a "tip fee". Levin has said that TMZ pays for photos and for "tips" or leads on stories, and that the sources and tips are verified before being used or reported.
In November 2009, TMZ's revenue was publicly disclosed for the first time. Telepictures wrote: "Subject to certain performance adjustments and the reimbursement of expenses, revenues are split evenly between the parties Telepictures received payments of 6.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, and 12.7 million, 9.6 million and 3.0 million in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively." Based on released figures, TMZ's revenues for 2008 was 25.4 million and it was projected to have less revenue in 2009, with revenue of $12.4 million in first three quarters of the year—unlike the previous year, which was within the 15 million range.
On May 29, 2012, co-founder Jim Paratore died of a heart attack during a cycling trip in France. Paratore was known for his work in television production, producing several daytime and syndicated programs, particularly while serving as an executive at Telepictures.
Legal issues
Contempt-of-court motion
On June 20, 2007, a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee filed an emergency motion requesting that the TMZ website be held in contempt for publishing the entire manuscript of If I Did It, O. J. Simpson's purportedly fictionalized account of the murder of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.The filing claimed TMZ's posting of the PDF of the entire book "diminished or destroyed" its value.
Photographer altercation
While actor Woody Harrelson was at New York City's LaGuardia Airport, he had an altercation with a TMZ photographer. Harrelson defended said that at the time he had just finished filming his scenes in the horror film Zombieland and that he was "startled" by the photographer. "I wrapped a movie called Zombieland, in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character... With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie."Temporary block in the UK
On December 24, 2010, the gossip blog "Oh No They Didn't" reported that TMZ began blocking traffic from the UK, displaying the message: "Due to laws within your region, you are unable to view this website." Asked for comment, TMZ said the blocking was due to "legal restrictions" related to English defamation law. The UK website "Popbitch Board" noted on December 31, 2010, that it is possible to get around the block by accessing the website through the Google Translate website. As of January 7, 2011, TMZ is accessible in the UK.Branches
''TMZ Live''
TMZ Live is a live-chat program from TMZ that features Levin and fellow TMZ executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere, and occasionally senior producer Michael Babcock filling in for one or both hosts. Other TMZ staffers also appear on the broadcast as contributors to provide additional outlines of stories and to provide opinion. The live webcast takes place at the TMZ offices in Los Angeles, and is broadcast on TMZ.com Monday through Fridays from approximately 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.The TMZ Live television and Internet programs review stories that TMZ is covering on the website, and sometimes feature live interviews and viewer opinions via Twitter, telephone, and video chat. In addition, the program features regular segments toward the end of each edition. "Viewer's Choice" is the penultimate segment and features viewer questions or comments about stories featured in the broadcast, with additional commentary or analysis by the hosts. In "Hate Mail," featured on the Wednesday edition of the webcast, critical emails and letters sent by viewers are read by the hosts.
In "Tim's Rejects," featured on the Thursday edition of the webcast, staffer Tim Nowak presents three offbeat news stories, which are critiqued by the hosts. In "The Loser's Circle," featured on the Friday edition of the webcast since February 2015, Levin, Latibeaudiere, and TMZ on TV executive producer Evan Rosenblum judge a clip from a TMZ videographer originally rejected by Levin for TMZ.com or for broadcast on TMZ on TV by post-production supervisor Chad Weiser following its initial pitch. "Tim's Rejects" and "Hate Mail" aired as the last segments of their respective editions until April 2015, when they were shifted to the block preceding that occupied by the "Viewer's Choice" segment.
In March 2012, Fox Television Stations tested a syndicated broadcast of TMZ Live on its television stations in Los Angeles and Phoenix. In June 2012, SiriusXM Radio announced that the show would be aired daily on its Sirius XM Stars channel. In October of that year, the television show was expanded to seven markets, adding Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit and Minneapolis. On September 9, 2013, TMZ Live began airing on all 18 Fox owned-and-operated stations. The program began to be syndicated to stations outside of the Fox Television Stations group in the spring of 2014.
''TMZ on TV''
On September 10, 2007, TMZ launched an accompanying television series, TMZ on TV. The syndicated television program airs Monday through Fridays.In the United States, the show airs in various timeslots on stations of varying network affiliation, mainly either in early primetime or after late local newscasts, with an hour-long 'best-of' program compiling select stories from the weekday broadcasts airing on weekends. The show covers stories similar to those found on the website and TMZ Live, with the main difference being that TMZ on TV largely delivers its stories in a humorous manner whereas a mix of humorous and serious news stories appear on the website and companion web/television series. TMZ lets viewers see the two most recent episodes of the program on TMZ.com after the episode's original airdate.
Chris Persell, of TVWeek.com, called the show a "complement the website, with news updates added to later airings of the show". Levin and Jim Paratore served as executive producers to the show, and the on-air cast originally included Teresa Strasser, John Fugelsang, Ben Mankiewicz, and Michael Hundgen. David Bianculli of The New York Daily News strongly criticized the television show, its topics, and what he sees as its reporters' tactics and lack of professionalism.