Mediagazer: Moving on — Linchpin will be the last book I publish in a traditional way. (Seth Godin/Seth's Blog)

4:35 PM ET, August 23, 2010

Top News:

In the Living Room, Hooked on Pay TV — 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: MediaPost, The Atlantic Online, Silicon Alley Insider, NewTeeVee, LocalNewser, Darren Herman, CrunchGear, Technologizer, Gizmodo and DSLreports, more at Techmeme »

Claire Atkinson / New York Post:

While you're watching, TiVo watches you — As Hollywood and Madison Avenue debate how best to measure traditional TV and online viewing, TiVo plans to roll out new research that combines both. — Next month TiVo will begin tracking how much time users spend watching Web content …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, MediaPost, Multichannel and Media Buyer Planner

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, The Toybox Blog, FierceIPTV, Neowin.net, NewTeeVee and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

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: Lost Remote, Silicon Alley Insider, NewTeeVee, Most Recent Home Page Posts …, TUAW, Neowin.net, Inc.com, Fast Company, Fortune and Conversion Rater

Jenna Wortham / New York Times:
Crowded Field for Bringing Web Video to TVs

more at Techmeme »

David Carr / New York Times:
Faith in Its Shows, on Any Medium

Discussion: Wired.co.uk

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

Paul Carr / TechCrunch:

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs: The Rise Of Microblogging, The Death Of Posterity — A little over a week ago, I closed down all of my social media accounts, with the exception of Twitter, which I locked. The explanation I gave was that, in an age when everyone and their dog is sharing every aspect of their life …

Discussion: MediaPost, The Atlantic Wire, The Next Web, everwas and Kristine Lowe, more at Techmeme »

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: Gawker, On Media's Blog, Romenesko, MarketWatch, New York Magazine and The Atlantic Online

Wall Street Journal:

How WikiLeaks Keeps Its Funding Secret — The controversial website WikiLeaks, which argues the cause of openness in leaking classified or confidential documents, has set up an elaborate global financial network to protect a big secret of its own—its funding.

Discussion: Harper's and Cryptome

Damon Kiesow / Poynter Online:

How The Seattle Times Is Using Mobile Video, Twitter to Report News Fast — As consumers migrate from the desktop Web and toward mobile apps and devices, media organizations are rushing to figure out what these new tools mean for their operations. — The Seattle Times has been experimenting …

Discussion: Lost Remote

Seth Godin / Seth's Blog:

Moving on — Linchpin will be the last book I publish in a traditional way. — One of the poxes on an author's otherwise blessed life is people who ask, “what's your next book,” even if some of them haven't read the last one. (Jeff did, of course). To answer your question, this book is my next book.

Discussion: GigaOM, GalleyCat, New York Observer, Fast Company and mediabistro.com

Newsosaur / Reflections of a Newsosaur:

Flagship newspapers wane in audience mix — The flagship newspaper produces barely half of the weekday audience delivered by some major metro publishers, according to an analysis of data recently issued by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. — While papers like the Kansas City Star continue …

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

Steve Buttry / The Buttry Diary:

A public-relations rookie's handling of the TBD launch — In the days of my callow youth, I remember referring to journalists who ventured into public relations as having “sold out.” — Never mind that many in PR toiled for pay as low as many journalists. Never mind that PR ethics also insist on getting the facts right.

Kara Swisher / BoomTown:

Top AOL Media Exec Marty Moe To Depart (Other Rumors of David Eun Ankling Not So Much) — According to sources close to the situation, one of AOL's top and longtime media execs, Marty Moe (pictured here), is leaving the company. — Sources said the reasons are personal and Moe was not currently taking another job.

Discussion: paidContent and Silicon Alley Insider

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.

Tom Lowry / Variety:

Eisner: Content still king — Former Disney CEO offers a few thoughts to ‘Variety’ — As Comcast pushes forward with its proposed merger with NBC Universal, Michael Eisner said he is glad to have taught a valuable lesson to the cable operator's top executives, Brian Roberts and Steve Burke.

Discussion: Company Town

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, TechCrunch, eMedia Vitals, FM Blog and All Things Digital

Dylan Stableford / The Wrap:

Exclusive: Caroline Little Out as CEO of Guardian Media North America — Caroline Little confirmed to TheWrap late Sunday that she was stepping down as chief executive of Guardian Media, and was “not sure” who her replacement would be. — “I have nothing but good things to say about the Guardian,” Little said in an interview.

Discussion: Guardian

Megan McCarthy / Mediagazer News:

@Mediagazer brings you more information: direct links and author IDs — One good way to keep up with the top media industry news is to follow the @mediagazer Twitter account. Recently, we've made a few improvements to our feed to make it more useful for our followers.

Discussion: Techmeme News