Mediagazer: In today's media, substance is no match for BS (Gene Lyons/Salon)

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, Agence France Presse and FishBowlNY

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 / The Wrap:

TheWrap's Cease & Desist Letter to Newser — So, we weren't joking. Counsel for TheWrap sent a cease and desist letter Wednesday 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: The Wire, CJR, paidContent, Romenesko and Mediaite

Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:

Waxman to Wolff: Unhand My Content! — More shots fired in the great Web aggregation war. Or at least in the war between Sharon Waxman and Michael Wolff. The Wrap, the Hollywood news site Waxman runs, has demanded that Newser, the aggregation site Wolff founded, give her site better credit …

Discussion: The Wire

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 Wrap, Runnin' Scared, The Awl and FishBowlNY

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

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

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: UnBeige and FishBowlNY

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 …

Discussion: eMedia Vitals and FishBowlNY

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

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, VentureBeat, socalTECH.com, TechCrunch and blogs.ft.com

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 …

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 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

Jeff Jarvis / BuzzMachine:

What is content, then? — In the discussion about the iPad, much has been made of its nature as a content consumption — versus creation — device. I lament its limitations as a tool of creation. Howard Owens, speaking for many, tells me that most people don't want to create content.

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

Claudia Eller / Company Town:

Disney receives three bids for Miramax — Walt Disney Co. has received three bids for the specialty label Miramax Films, people close to the situation said, and now has to decide whether to sell the asset or hold on to it. — Supermarket magnate Ron Burkle and his Yucaipa Cos. made a bid …

Discussion: MediaPost, Gawker and The Wrap

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

Gene Lyons / Salon:

In today's media, substance is no match for BS — Drudge, Fox News, talk radio — and even Keith Olbermann: Too many media voices revel in baseless incitement … The average citizen hardly knows what to believe anymore. Due to the parlous state of professional journalism; the Internet …

Gillian Reagan / The Wire:

Yahoo Publishes A Style Guide For The Internet — Yahoo! is publishing its own stylebook for the Internet. — “The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, And Creating Content For The Digital World” will hit stores on July 6, 2010 at $21.99 for retail.

Discussion: Gawker

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, Gannett Blog and Associated Press

Mark Fitzgerald / Editor and Publisher:

Free Community Papers Supporting Net Neutrality — CHICAGO At least one part of the newspaper industry is not staying neutral on net neutrality — free community papers. — In filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP) …

Joshua Benton / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Word of mouth trumps advertising for the kids these days — This chart sums up as well any the kind of shift that the “engagement editor” in your newsroom is trying to address. It's from the April issue of the book-industry newsletter Publishing Trends (copy posted here) …

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: Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel

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, MinOnline, Crain's New York Business, FishBowlNY, AdAge and Gawker