Mediagazer: Initial impression of D.C. local news Web site TBD; N.Y. Times skips Obama lunch (Howard Kurtz/Washington Post)

10:15 AM ET, August 16, 2010

Top News:

Hulu Is Said to Be Ready for an I.P.O. — By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED — Hulu, the rapidly growing hub for online television and movies, aims to go public through an offering that could value the company at more than $2 billion, according to people briefed on the matter.

Discussion: NewTeeVee, paidContent, Online Video News, Guardian, MediaMemo, NBC New York, Silicon Alley Insider, Fast Company, VentureBeat and DailyFinance, more at Techmeme »

Jeremy W. Peters / Media Decoder:

Times Paper in Mass. to Charge for Online Content — The Telegram & Gazette, a New York Times-owned newspaper in Worcester, Mass., said that it would begin charging readers to view some of the local news articles that appear on the paper's Web site. — Starting on Monday …

Discussion: Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Silicon Alley Insider and NetNewsCheck Latest

Holman W. Jenkins, Jr / Wall Street Journal:

Google and the Search for the Future — The Web icon's CEO on the mobile computing revolution, the future of newspapers, and privacy in the digital age. — To some, Google has been looking a bit sallow lately. The stock is down. Where once everything seemed to go the company's way …

Discussion: AdExchanger.com and Rough Type

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Initial impression of D.C. local news Web site TBD; N.Y. Times skips Obama lunch — One of the most intriguing features of the new, buzz-generating local Web site TBD is an invitation to readers to add some journalistic input. At the bottom of a piece on D.C. mayoral candidate Vincent Gray is the header “Complete This Story”:

Discussion: Romenesko

Lymari Morales / Gallup:

In U.S., Confidence in Newspapers, TV News Remains a Rarity — No more than 25% say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in either — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans continue to express near-record-low confidence in newspapers and television news — with no more than 25% …

Discussion: Mediaite and Gawker

Wall Street Journal:

Slow Start for Apple's iAds — Apple Inc. is facing some early challenges in its closely watched mobile advertising foray, with some ad campaigns experiencing delays as agencies attempt to learn the new system amid Apple's tight control over the creative process, according to ad executives.

Discussion: Gizmodo and Fortune, more at Techmeme »

Paul Carr / TechCrunch:

Murdoch's New iPaper: One Last Tragic Roll Of The Digital Dice — “Rupert Murdoch To Launch New National Newspaper”. — As headlines go, that's up there with “DeLorean To Unveil New ‘Gull-Wing’ Car”, “Freddy Laker Reveals Trans-Atlantic Airline Plans” and “Charge! says Light Brigade” …

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk, Guardian, Garcia Media and broadstuff, more at Techmeme »

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

At 92, Still Grabbing the Brass Ring — THE day after he turned 92 (yes, 92), Sidney Harman, audio industry pioneer, philanthropist, author, university professor, lover of Shakespeare and soon-to-be-owner of Newsweek, was feted at the Aspen Institute, the research organization on whose board he sits.

Discussion: On Media's Blog

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

With Summer, Big Cable Channels Keep Getting Bigger — Thirty-one percent ratings growth is the kind of history that the History channel likes to make. — The channel is having a remarkably strong summer, with an average of nearly 1.6 million viewers a night in June and July, up from 1.2 million in the same months last year.

Media Week:

Times loses 1.2m readers — The Times has lost 1.2 million UK readers across its daily and Sunday websites and almost halved the amount of time people spend on its sites in the past three months, according data released by ComScore. — In May, the free-to-access website Timesonline.co.uk …

Kara Swisher / BoomTown:

Exclusive: Facebook Snaps Up Chai Labs — In yet another small acquisition, Facebook has bought Chai Labs, several sources said. — BoomTown could not confirm the price for the purchase of the content-focused start-up, but it is likely to be around $10 million and more focused on acquiring talent.

Discussion: Guardian, VentureBeat, paidContent and Pulse2, more at Techmeme »

Jason Douglas / Wall Street Journal:

U.K. Companies Target Investor Bulletin Boards — LONDON—Three U.K.-listed small-cap oil companies are taking or threatening action against anonymous users of investor bulletin boards, the latest stage in a long-simmering row over whether these popular sites facilitate market abuse.