Mediagazer: Book Sales Fell 1.8% in 2009, to $23.8 Billion, AAP Says (Jim Milliot/Publishers Weekly)

8:50 PM ET, April 7, 2010

Top News:

Eliot Van Buskirk / Epicenter:

Will Columbia-Trained, Code-Savvy Journalists Bridge the Media/Tech Divide? — Photo of Columbia University at night courtesy of Flickr/Gustavo Faraon — Columbia University will soon offer a combined engineering and journalism degree. It's a unique program the Ivy League institution hopes …

Discussion: Romenesko, The Wire, FishBowlNY and Agence France Presse

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism:

New dual-degree master's in journalism & computer science announced — Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science have announced plans to launch a dual-degree Master of Science Program in Computer Science and Journalism that will prepare …

Sharon Waxman / TheWrap.com:

TheWrap's Cease and Desist Letter to Newser — So, we weren't joking. Counsel for TheWrap sent a cease and desist letter today to Patrick Spain, the CEO of Newser. — It says: — “We demand that Newser, LLC ("Newser"), and any agent or affiliate of Newser, immediately cease …

Discussion: Romenesko, paidContent, Mediaite and The Atlantic Wire

Peter Kafka / MediaMemo: Waxman to Wolff: Unhand My Content!

Paul Harris / Guardian:

I'll stop Google taking our news for nothing, says Murdoch — News Corp boss hails iPad as potential saviour of newspapers, but says industry must stand up for itself and charge for content — Greenslade: Murdoch profits from political influence — Rupert Murdoch has launched …

Staci D. Kramer / paidContent:
Murdoch's Plan For Paywall Success: Readers Will Pay 'When They'v …

Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blog:
Murdoch: NYT has ‘an agenda’; Times responds

Discussion: FishBowlNY and eMedia Vitals

John Koblin / New York Observer:

The Great Media Hiring Thaw — It's springtime, media New Yorkers! The trees are blossoming, the sidewalks are filling up with cafe tables and if you stake out just the right corner, you might spot the N.Y.U. track team racing shirtless up Broadway. (It's not just what's outside, either!)

Discussion: The Wire, Michael Calderone's Blog and Editors Weblog

John Koblin / New York Observer:

Alex Pareene Leaving Gawker to Join Salon — Well, we told you earlier today about the sudden activity in the New York job market, and here's yet another move: Alex Pareene is leaving Gawker and joining Salon. — Mr. Pareene, 24, will be a blogger for Salon's War Room blog.

Discussion: The Awl, FishBowlNY and Runnin' Scared

Nat Ives / AdAge:

USA Today Outsources New Web Section to Demand Media — But Don't Call Us a Content Farm, Supplier Says — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — USA Today's website has started running thousands of pieces of original travel editorial from the Demand Media content farm, making USA Today …

IAB:

Internet Ad Revenues Reach Record Quarterly High of $6.3 Billion in Q4 '09 — Slight Decline Year-on-Year to $22.7 Billion, Still A Bright Spot in Media Industry — The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) today released the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report for the full year 2009.

Discussion: L.A. Times Tech Blog, paidContent, MediaMemo, TechCrunch, rbr.com, DailyFinance, Search Engine Land, NetNewsCheck Latest and Kirk LaPointe's …

Janko Roettgers / NewTeeVee:

Veoh Assets Sold to Qlipso — Los Angeles-based social video start-up Qlipso has bought the assets of San Diego-based video sharing site Veoh, according to a report from Socaltech.com. Veoh's web site already reflects the change of ownership, stating: “Now part of qlipso, so you can share the fun!”

Discussion: paidContent, Venture Capital Dispatch, blogs.ft.com, VentureBeat, TechCrunch and socalTECH.com

Stephanie Clifford / Media Decoder:

Elle's Carol Smith Jumps Ship to Condé Nast — Carol Smith, the star senior vice president and chief brand officer at Elle who helped wedge the magazine into shows like “Project Runway” and “The City” is jumping ship for Condé Nast. There, she will oversee Bon Appétit …

Discussion: WWD Media Headlines, Crain's New York Business, FishBowlNY, AdAge and Gawker

MediaPost:

Yahoo Readies Launch Of iPad Advertising Model — Inspired by video game development, Yahoo has been working on a new advertising model for tablets, such as Apple's iPad, to provide another option for brands to tap its ad network. The strategy for the new screen moves more toward product placement similar …

Jim Romenesko / Romenesko:

Media General to consolidate copy editing, page design at its three metro papers — Media General to Consolidate Copy Editing and Page Design for its Three Metro Newspapers — RICHMOND, Va. Media General, Inc. said today it will consolidate copy editing and page design for its three metro newspapers …

Phil Rosenthal / Chicago Tribune:

CNN may need ABC, CBS to survive — You know what you don't hear very often? The phrase, “So last night I was watching CNN and ...” — What you do hear is how CNN's top shows are in a free fall. And this has occasioned much discussion in journalism circles of late along the lines of: “Can CNN be saved?”

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Romenesko, Inside Cable News, Chickaboomer, TVNewser, TheWrap.com and Change of Subject

Georgina Prodhan / Reuters:

ZenithOptimedia ups ad forecast as downturn wanes — * Developed markets seen returning to growth next year — * Internet share of ad spend to rise to 17 pct in 2012 — Leading media buyer ZenithOptimedia raised its 2010 global advertising growth forecast to 2.2 percent …

Discussion: MediaPost, paidContent, AdAge and Media Buyer Planner

Mike Shields / Mediaweek:

Google to Go on Hiring Spree — The media recession is over—at least at Google. — The Web giant is looking to hire over 500 sales people, according to officials, as it looks to continue its momentum in the search business while deepening its strength in burgeoning segments like display advertising, mobile and video.

Discussion: FishBowlNY and UnBeige

Paul Bradshaw / Online Journalism Blog:

iTunes models for news? What publishers can learn from mflow — An iTunes model for news may be a phantom, but publishers wanting to make money from content online can still learn from the experiences of the music sector. The latest launch in this area is the music sharing-and-buying startup mflow …

Peter / Local Onliner:

‘Daily Deals’ Galore: Dueling San Diego Media Take on Groupon — The San Diego Union Tribune and the upstart San Diego News Network are launching competing “Daily Deal” products, with Facebook and Twitter accompaniments, and will try to eat into the lead in the local market that has been assumed by Groupon …

Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:

Can This Blogger Unseat Barbara Boxer? — Hungry Beast Giving Beast Women in the World — Blogs and Stories — Mickey Kaus' last political race was for student body president, he's friends with Ann Coulter—and his opponent in the California Democratic primary is behaving as though he doesn't exist.

Discussion: LA Observed

Henry Blodget / The Wire:

CNBC Developing New Lunchtime Show Starring David Faber — CNBC is developing a new lunchtime show starring David Faber, says a source familiar with goings-on at the network. — The new show could further reduce the time allotted to the existing “Power Lunch” program, which stars Sue Herrera …

Discussion: Talking Biz News

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Vuguru bulks up — Eisner's Internet banner hires creative, business execs — Vuguru, the Internet production shingle backed by Michael Eisner's Tornante and Canada's Rogers Communications, continues to beef up its exec ranks with the appointment of Miramax production alum Kristin Jones as chief creative officer.

Discussion: NewTeeVee

Zachary Rodgers / ClickZ:

Gannett Digital Chief Saridakis Quits — Gannett's chief digital officer, Chris Saridakis, will exit the company by the end of this month, according to an 8-K filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. — Saridakis has risen rapidly through the ranks at Gannett since …

Discussion: Romenesko, paidContent, Editor and Publisher, NetNewsCheck Latest, Gannett Blog and Associated Press

Jim Milliot / Publishers Weekly:

Book Sales Fell 1.8% in 2009, to $23.8 Billion, AAP Says — Book sales fell 1.8% in 2009 to $23.9 billion, according to estimates released this morning by the Association of American Publishers. Figures are based on reports from 86 publishers who participate in the AAP's statistics program and Bureau of the Census data.

Discussion: DailyFinance

Stuart Elliott / Media Decoder:

'It's Always Sunny on Our Channel,' FX Tells Advertisers — FX threw a party at a bowling alley on Tuesday night that was attended by stars of its series. From left, Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson of “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and Lenny Clarke and Adam Ferrara of “Rescue Me.”

Discussion: Multichannel and Broadcasting & Cable

Alex Beam / Boston Globe:

Looking for a happily ever after — What's the story with the future of independent bookstores? In some cases, it's quite positive. — Then there were three. — The death roll of A-list bookstores in the core of Boston includes the amazing Waterstone's in the Exeter Street Theatre …

Discussion: Romenesko