Mediagazer: Exclusive: Viacom Digital Boss Greg Clayman Headed to Rupert … (Peter Kafka/MediaMemo)

1:05 PM ET, August 23, 2010

Top News:

The Sofa Wars: Plenty to Watch Online, but Viewers Prefer to Pay for Cable — It is a fantasy shared by many Americans: dropping cable television and its fat monthly bills and turning instead to the wide-open frontier of Internet video. — Some are finding that the reality is not that simple.

Discussion: NewTeeVee, CNET News, LocalNewser, Company Town, Darren Herman, Gizmodo, DSLreports and Silicon Alley Insider

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

Dish Network Is Joining Other Carriers in Offering Its Content for Online Viewing — The Dish Network this week will begin offering a video portal called DishOnline.com, becoming the latest distributor to provide online benefits to paying subscribers. — All the major cable and satellite carriers …

Discussion: WebNewser, NewTeeVee, Neowin.net, FierceIPTV, Media Decoder and Engadget

Kevin Rose:

Why Apple's iTV Will Change Everything — The rumor: Apple will be releasing a revamped/renamed version of their ‘Apple TV’ set-top box, called ‘iTV’. The box will run the Apple iOS (same as the iPhone/iPad), and be priced around $99. — Why will this change everything?

Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider, Fast Company, TUAW, Fortune and Conversion Rater, more at Techmeme »

David Carr / New York Times:

The Media Equation: Time Warner Puts Faith in Its Cross-Platform ‘TV Everywhere’ — For a guy whose world is supposed to be falling apart, Jeffrey Bewkes looks awfully calm. — Sitting in his grand office overlooking Central Park, Mr. Bewkes, the chief executive of Time Warner …

Jenna Wortham / New York Times:

Crowded Field for Bringing Web Video to TVs — If you want to watch Internet video on most televisions, you need a gadget that pulls it in. And a growing number of technology companies want to sell it to you. — Start-ups and tech giants alike are offering what they say are easy ways …

Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Sony's Bet on Sticking With Web Shows

Discussion: paidContent and WebNewser

Leo / LOL: The Life of Leo:

Buzz Kill — Something happened tonight that made me question everything I've done with social media since I first joined Twitter in late 2006. — You know me - I'm a complete web whore. I sign up for every site, try every web app, use every service I can find. It's my job, but I also love doing it.

Discussion: The Raw Feed, The Next Web, Andy Beard, Collaboration 2.0 Blog, Stowe Boyd, LiveSide.net, jasonhiner.com, Snarkmarket, TomsTechBlog.com, Howard Owens and smays.com

Paul Carr / TechCrunch:
Thnks Fr Th Mmrs: The Rise Of Microblogging, The Death Of Posterity

Discussion: The Next Web and Soup, more at Techmeme »

Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:

Exclusive: Viacom Digital Boss Greg Clayman Headed to Rupert Murdoch's iPad Newspaper — Rupert Murdoch's iPad-friendly digital newspaper doesn't have a launch date or a name yet, but it is hiring. News Corp. has tapped Greg Clayman, who runs digital distribution for Viacom (VIA) …

Discussion: The Wrap, paidContent, Romenesko, Media Buyer Planner, Poynter Online, Guardian, Electronista and The Digital Reader

Michael Wolff / Newser: Mosque Rage Is About Rupert Murdoch and News Corp.

Russell Adams / Wall Street Journal:

Harman Ready to Become ‘Institution Builder’ at Newsweek — As founder of the stereo-equipment company that bears his name, Sidney Harman turned a $5,000 investment into what is now a $3-billion-a-year business. Now, at 92 years old, he is attempting what may be an even more difficult feat: reviving Newsweek.

Discussion: Romenesko and The Atlantic Online

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Press and punditry stampede tramples good judgment, and often the facts, too — When the New York Times published a story last December about plans for a Muslim prayer space near the World Trade Center site, there was little reaction. — After all, the imam in charge was quoted as saying …

Discussion: TVNewser and Editors Weblog

Scripting News:

Proposal: A new kind of blog comment system — I'm almost 100 percent sure that scripting.com was the first blog to have comments. And I'm equally sure that it was the first to have its comments flame out. The flameout was a good thing, although it didn't feel like it at the time, because it created the first wave of blogs.

Nat Ives / AdAge:

The Ad/Edit Wall Worn Down to a Warning Track — Two Sides Quit Bickering and Seek Ways to Navigate New Reality — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — What wall? The question for print has become less about whether to cross the boundary between editorial and sales and more about how best to do it.

David Kaplan / paidContent:

Federated Media Acquires Semantic Technology From TextDigger — Federated Media Publishing has acquired the core technology belonging to semantic search provider TextDigger. The sum was not disclosed. As part of the deal, FM will absorb TextDigger's technology and will bring on several of its staffers, including CEO Tim Musgrove.

Discussion: VentureBeat, eMedia Vitals, TechCrunch, FM Blog and All Things Digital, more at Techmeme »

Jonathan Weber / The Bay Citizen:

In Battle of the Weeklies, Local Focus Is the Key — The San Francisco Bay Guardian, a 44-year-old alternative weekly newspaper, is thinner than it used to be, but it remains determinedly local, and that is its major strength. — start the discussion — Recommend

Discussion: media 360

Peter Preston / Guardian:

Tomorrow's media needs to be wired, inspired and for women — Many national newspapers have more male readers than female. But that gap is closing fast, and the success of female-friendly websites like Mail Online are beginning to suggest a clear direction for the future — Sex counts at the newsstand.

Discussion: Editors Weblog