Top News:
The Huffington Post:
Comcast CEO: We Won't Interfere With NBC News — PHILADELPHIA — The chief executive of Comcast says he won't interfere with the editorial decisions of NBC's news programs. — Brian Roberts said Tuesday at a cable industry trade convention in Los Angeles that NBC News is an “awesome asset” that needs to be protected.
RELATED:
Ryan Lawler / NewTeeVee:
Comcast to Revamp Its TV Everywhere Service
Comcast to Revamp Its TV Everywhere Service
Discussion:
TVNewser, MediaPost, paidContent, Company Town, Multichannel, Media Decoder and Broadcasting & Cable
John Koblin / New York Observer:
Reuters, Politico Line Up for Newsweek — It has been only a week since Washington Post Co.'s chairman, Donald Graham, announced that Newsweek was on the block, but already a few big media players are taking an early look at the newsweekly. — Thomson Reuters and Politico owner Allbritton Communications …
Megan Garber / Nieman Journalism Lab:
“Always collaborate”: Say hello to OpenFile, the local news site putting those new media maxims to the test — The thing about new media maxims is that, all too often, they remain just that — maxims. Smart ideas that guide our thinking, yes, but that don't get much tangible testing in the hectic, messy space where journalism lives.
Jim Romenesko / Romenesko:
Lacey named New York Times Phoenix bureau chief — Just when you thought the red-hot news out of Arizona was getting pushed off Page One, we have a Grand Canyon State scoop of our own: The first New York Times Phoenix Bureau Chief will be.Marc Lacey. Read more in this note from Rick Berke.
Discussion:
LA Observed
Stephanie Clifford / Media Decoder:
A Peek at Vanity Fair's iPad App — “Magazines are actually pretty brilliant concepts the way they are,” said Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter on Tuesday as he previewed his magazine's new iPad app. “At the same time, we have a few bells and whistles that a magazine cannot provide.”
Canadian Press:
Group to acquire Canwest papers for $1.1 billion … TORONTO — Canwest Global Communications has approved the sale of its newspapers to a group led by National Post president and CEO Paul Godfrey in a $1.1-billion deal that preserves jobs and pays off the insolvent company's bankers.
RELATED:
James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
How to Save the News — Plummeting newspaper circulation, disappearing classified ads, “unbundling” of content—the list of what's killing journalism is long. But high on that list, many would say, is Google, the biggest unbundler of them all. Now, having helped break the news business …
Discussion:
BuzzMachine, Editors Weblog, Romenesko, Prof Chris Daly's Blog, Talking New Media, New York Magazine, MediaMemo and Kirk LaPointe's …
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Choire / The Awl:
Google Believes Online Ads Could Be Worth More Than Print Ads by 2012
Google Believes Online Ads Could Be Worth More Than Print Ads by 2012
Discussion:
Gawker
Shaila Dewan / New York Times:
CNN Contributor Erickson Draws Ire From All Sides — MACON, Ga. — In his seven weeks as one of CNN's newest contributors, Erick Erickson has made scarcely more than a dozen appearances on the network. — But his every utterance — every Twitter message, blog post and radio rant …
Discussion:
Romenesko
Alex Beam / Boston Globe:
Ye Olde Newsweek — When a being a journalist-on-the-rise was a glass half-filled job — My first job in journalism was at the now-foundering Newsweek magazine, which the Washington Post Co. has put up for sale. This was — gasp — more than 30 years ago, and my memories are grossly irrelevant …
Discussion:
Romenesko
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Another Web Ad That Wants to Eat Your Screen (With Your Permission) — Another entrant from the giant-ad-that-takes-over-your-entire- screen competition: Firefly Video, which is launching an ad network today. — Firefly's ad unit is a mashup of lots of things we've seen in the past …
Jennifer Valentino-DeVries / Digits:
Are Mobile Ads the Next Big Thing? Maybe Not — A lot of buzz among online advertising companies these days is focused on mobile ads delivered to smart phones. Google executives have even talked about becoming a “mobile first” company, and Apple and Google have both made recent moves into mobile advertising.
Tom Shales / Washington Post:
Tom Shales on PBS's ‘Need to Know’ — Suppose Charles Dickens were alive today and just sitting down at a keyboard to input the content of a new cybernovel. Here is how he might begin: “It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times.” — Not even Dickens at his most Christmassy …
Doree Shafrir / New York Magazine:
Wisenheimers, Scary People, and Debate-Team Captains: A Taxonomy of Commenting Communities — Every online publication with a comments section develops its own culture of readers who gather every day to post funny one-liners, shout at each other, resume long-running debates …
Megan Garber / Nieman Journalism Lab:
Crowdsourcing goes global: The NYT's “Moment in Time” — Visit the New York Times' Lens blog today, and you'll find an image slightly different from the high-quality photographs that normally populate the outlet: a spinning globe, highly stylized, its surface popping with piles of pictures.
Discussion:
Lens
Marc Brownstein / AdAge:
Overreliance on Social Media Will Damage Your Brand — It's Good for Maintaining Relationships, but How Will New Customers Find You? — Last year, a friend of mine who is the CEO of a successful retail apparel brand gleefully told me how he cut his $5 million advertising budget, in lieu of a 100% Facebook/social-media strategy.
Discussion:
mUmBRELLA
David Kaplan / paidContent:
Disney Digital Narrows Losses As Revs Rise 20 Percent — The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) posted healthy gains this past quarter, and the company cited box office successes such as Alice In Wonderland and the acquisition of Marvel, which has the number one film at the box office with Iron Man 2, as the reasons for the growth.
Jessica E. Vascellaro / Wall Street Journal:
Facebook Makes Ad Inroads — Facebook Inc. is catching up to rivals Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. in selling display ads. — In the first quarter, Facebook pulled ahead of Yahoo for the first time and delivered more banner ads to its U.S. users than any other Web publisher, according to market-research firm comScore Inc.
Andy Plesser / Beet.TV:
Brightcove and FreeWheel to Enable Video Advertising on the Apple iPad — Since the launch of the Apple iPad, many online video publishers have been been working feverishly to get video onto the the popular platform. — Since Apple does not allow Adobe's Flash on the device …
Curt Hopkins / ReadWriteWeb:
Court Rules for MobiTV in Fee Case — The United States 5th District Court in New York handed down a ruling today regarding the licensing rates and terms that may be charged for streaming television and radio content to mobile devices. — In US v. ASCAP, music performance rights publisher ASCAP sued MobiTV …
Mark Fitzgerald / Editor & Publisher:
Burned by Bankruptcies, But Betting on Newspapers — CHICAGO — While JPMorgan Chase was negotiating with debtor newspapers where its investments went badly, such as bankrupt Tribune Co., it was also making a big bet on the business — tripling its holdings in the nation's largest newspaper publisher, Gannett Co.
Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
NBC Universal exec's cable ties add to her pull — Bridget Baker, who has been negotiating to secure distribution deals for not only NBC but also CNBC, MSNBC, USA and Bravo, has moved to the forefront amid Comcast's proposed $30-billion takeover. — Bridget Baker's corner office …
Ben Elowitz / paidContent:
The New Rules For Judging ‘Quality’ In Published Content — Ben Elowitz (@elowitz) is co-founder and CEO of Wetpaint, a platform for social web sites, and author of the Digital Quarters blog. Prior to Wetpaint, Elowitz co-founded Blue Nile, the online retailer of luxury goods.
Bill Mitchell / Newspay:
Spot.Us Experiments with User-Directed Sponsorship Revenue — In some ways, it seems like a no-brainer: Encourage consumer engagement with advertising by giving users a stake in deciding how the revenue gets spent. — As far as I can tell, though, Spot.Us is breaking some new ground with the …
Discussion:
Spot Us
Tony Ortega / Runnin' Scared:
MEMO TO FOSTER KAMER, RE: DICK JOKE — Hey, Kamer. — Ortega here. — I want you to do something for me. — I want you to stop apologizing for the damn dick joke. — I caught the mea culpa at your Tumblr, and frankly, I wish you'd knock that s**t off.