Mediagazer: In Battle of the Weeklies, Local Focus Is the Key (Jonathan Weber/The Bay Citizen)

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: Silicon Alley Insider

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: Fast Company, Fortune, TUAW, Silicon Alley Insider 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 …

Discussion: New York Times

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

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, Collaboration 2.0 Blog, The Next Web, Andy Beard, Stowe Boyd, LiveSide.net, jasonhiner.com, Snarkmarket, TomsTechBlog.com, Howard Owens, smays.com and FM Blog, more at Techmeme »

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: The Next Web

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: Romenesko, paidContent, Guardian, The Digital Reader and Electronista

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

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.

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 …

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

Multichannel:

‘Party Down’ Fans Prompt Starz To Put Episodes Online Pronto — Starz believes it has figured out a way to turn a public-relations near-nightmare into a revenue opportunity. — Starz caught some flak from TV-oriented blogs last month for removing critically acclaimed but low-rated comedy series Party …

Peter S. Goodman / New York Times:

In Case of Emergency: What Not to Do — WHOEVER suggested that all publicity is good publicity clearly never envisioned the wave of catastrophe engulfing high-profile corporations over the last year, laying waste to some of the most meticulously tailored reputations on earth.

Discussion: Rex Hammock's RexBlog.com