Industry Online Media Products PJ Media, PJTV Type Privately held company | Headquarters United States Website PJ Media Founded 2004 | |
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Key people Aubrey ChernickRoger L. Simon Profiles | ||
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PJ Media (originally known as Pajamas Media) is an American online media company and operator of an eponymous conservative news, opinion and commentary collaborative blog that was founded in 2004. Its majority owner is technology entrepreneur, billionaire, and angel investor Aubrey Chernick.
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PJ Media also operated the online television and video network PJTV, which ceased to exist on May 11, 2016.
History
PJ Media was founded as Pajamas Media in 2004 by Charles Johnson, the blogger behind Little Green Footballs, and screen producer Roger L. Simon, after Johnson's contribution to the Killian documents controversy investigation in 2004, in which he helped lead to the retraction of a 60 Minutes story critical of President George W. Bush's service in the Air National Guard and Dan Rather's resignation from CBS News. Johnson and Simon set out to challenge the mainstream media with a network of citizen-journalists. The network was primarily made up of conservatives and libertarians. The network's original name was derived from a dismissive comment made by former CBS news executive Jonathan Klein during the 2004 Killian documents affair: "You couldn't have a starker contrast between the multiple layers of checks and balances at 60 Minutes and a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas."
Pajamas Media received venture capital funding in November, 2005. Pajamas used this funding for its operations and marketing while expanding its news and opinion coverage. Investors in this round of financing included Aubrey Chernick, an angel investor and technology entrepreneur, James Koshland, a venture capitalist, and a partnership formed by DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary. It rebranded as Open Source Media shortly thereafter and had a launch party that included a keynote address by former New York Times journalist Judith Miller, presentations from John Podhoretz of Commentary magazine, Andrew Breitbart, Elizabeth Hayt of the New York Times, David Corn of The Nation, and others. Less than a week after its official launch Open Source Media changed its name back to Pajamas Media after discovering that Public Radio International distributed a radio show called Open Source produced by Open Source Media, Inc.
Johnson and Pajamas split in 2007 by mutual agreement; Johnson's stake was bought out.
In October 2011, Pajamas Media changed its name to PJ Media.
PJTV
In the summer of 2008, Pajamas Media launched PJTV, an subscription based internet television service. The Internet television service debuted at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. PJTV featured shows hosted by commentators such as Bill Whittle, Tammy Bruce, and Glenn Reynolds.
On May 11, 2016, PJTV shut down operations after its majority investor Aubrey Chernick pulled out funds.