News from Vox Media

Racked welcomed its new editor-in-chief, Britt Aboutaleb, reported WWD. This hire is about "taking Racked to the next level," said VP, editorial director Lockhart Steele—something that Aboutaleb explained will include plans to "pump up social media, video and breaking news, among other areas without straying from Racked's core." Aboutaleb will officially begin her new role on February 1.

Eater revealed America's Essential Restaurants, the annual list of 38 restaurants that shaped and defined American dining throughout the year. The restaurant list, essential trends, and dining superlatives are the result of roving restaurant critic Bill Addison's year on the road, traveling almost 100,000 miles, hitting 48 cities, and eating 450 meals. The package was covered by publications across the country, including the Houston Chronicle, LA Weekly, Portland Press Herald, Philly Voice, Boston.com, and San Francisco Weekly.

Eater's Guide to Surviving Disney World was named a finalist for the American Society of Magazine Editors' Ellie Awards in the Leisure Interests category. The editorial app is a comprehensive overview of everything worth eating, drinking, and doing across all 4 parks, 39 hotels, 449 restaurants, and 27,258 acres of Central Florida's most magical kingdom.

Joe Alicata, Vox Media's VP of product and revenue, spoke with Digiday about embracing programmatic advertising and the in-house ad-creation platform called Hymnal. "The evolution of programmatic into the guaranteed space makes it more like the craft business, but you still have the benefits of efficiency of programmatic," he explained.

Vox.com executive editor Matt Yglesias joined MSNBC's Kate Snow to discuss the State of the Union; ABC World News asked The Verge's senior transportation reporter Tamara Warren for tips to help car buyers; and Andrew Hawkins, transportation reporter for The Verge, explained the future of driverless cars on MSNBC's Live with Thomas Roberts.