Mediagazer: Blockbuster tells Hollywood studios it's preparing for mid-September bankruptcy (Ben Fritz/Company Town)

2:05 PM ET, August 27, 2010

Top News:

Michael Liedtke / Associated Press:

USA Today shaking up staff in ‘radical’ overhaul — SAN FRANCISCO — USA Today, the nation's second largest newspaper, is making the most dramatic overhaul of its staff in its 28-year history as it de-emphasizes its print edition and ramps up its effort to reach more readers and advertisers on mobile devices.

Discussion: FishbowlNY, CJR, PR Newswire, Cision, The Wrap, Jon Slattery, Gannett Blog, Poynter Online, Gawker, The Wire, NetNewsCheck Latest, Garcia Media, New York Observer, Editors Weblog, On Media's Blog and readingarefun.wordpress.com

David Kaplan / paidContent:

USAT Starts ‘Radical’ Shakeup: 130 Layoffs; News Tailored To Mobile, Ads — USA Today Publisher Dave Hunke is embarking on the biggest change in the Gannett (NYSE: GCI) flagship's 28-year history as he shifts away from print and towards mobile. The newsroom is being restructured around content rings instead …

Discussion: rbr.com, Media Decoder, Newspaper Death Watch and 5 Blogs Before Lunch

New York Post:

Three more leave listing Newsweek — Newsweek continues to hemorrhage talent following the magazine's sale to 91-year-old audio-equipment tycoon Sidney Harmon, with as many as three top editors heading for the exits this week, The Post has learned. — In the latest high-profile departure …

Discussion: The Wire

Mike Taylor / FishbowlNY:

Source: Tina Brown Gunning for Editor-in-Chief Spot at Newsweek — A source tells FishbowlNY that Tina Brown, editor of The Daily Beast, has thrown her hat into the ring for the editor-in-chief job at Newsweek. — This is interesting, since we hear Brown is still under contract with The Daily Beast.

Discussion: The Wire and mediabistro.com

Matthew Lynch / WWD:
Newsweek Editorial Director Steps Down

Discussion: Romenesko, The Wrap, New York Observer, FishbowlNY and On Media's Blog

Ben Fritz / Company Town:

Blockbuster tells Hollywood studios it's preparing for mid-September bankruptcy — After dominating the home video rental business for more than a decade and struggling to survive in recent years against upstarts Netflix and Redbox, Blockbuster Inc. is preparing to file for bankruptcy next month …

Miguel Helft / New York Times:

Charges Settled Over Fake Reviews on iTunes — SAN FRANCISCO — Savvy Internet users know that glowing online reviews of things like books or restaurants can't always be trusted. But federal regulators are giving notice that if you stand to gain financially from the review you are writing, you should be up front about it.

Discussion: New York Observer, Federal Trade Commission, Technology & …, eMedia Vitals, Techdirt, Inc.com, Andy Beard, DailyFinance and hypebot, more at Techmeme »

Dan Gillmor / Salon:

Who's a journalist? Does that matter? — What should we call the people who are creating valuable new information in the new-media ecosystem? — If you're a creator of media, and most of us are these days in one way or another, what should I call you? — Why do I ask?

Discussion: Gawker

New York Post:

Larry King back to radio via Ryan Seacrest — Larry King always wanted Ryan Seacrest to be his replacement on CNN. — But now King may be going to work for Seacrest — on the radio show. — King, who will step down late this year according to current plans, and the “American Idol” …

Discussion: TVWeek.com, The Wire and Hollywood Reporter

James Hibberd / The Hollywood Reporter:

‘Modern Family’ creator: Why I took on Hulu — Exclu: Ever since “Modern Family” creator Steve Levitan told THR about his efforts to remove his Emmy-nominated comedy hit from ABC.com last month, the showrunner has been stirring up cyberspace with his take on Modern Viewing.

Discussion: Company Town, TVbytheNumbers and Movieline

Joe Pompeo / The Wire:

After Getting Screwed By CBS, Longshot Magazine (Formerly 48 HR) Launches Its Second Issue — Not to state the obvious, but it ain't easy launching a magazine these days. Especially when you're a small group of friends with limited resources trying to create something new and experimental …

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Marc Ambinder says he would've outed Ken Mehlman earlier if he'd had proof — Marc Ambinder, the political junkie who writes for the Atlantic, says he suspected, like everyone else in town, that Ken Mehlman was gay. — In fact, years before the former Republican Party chairman acknowledged …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Politico and Mediaite

Michael Calderone / Yahoo! News:
How Ken Mehlman's ‘open secret’ stayed hidden

Discussion: Latest Open Salon Blog, On Media's Blog, Politics Daily, The New Yorker Blog, Romenesko and LA Observed

Emily Wood / The Official Google Blog:

Find out what's hot on search with the Google Beat — Every day, there are more than a billion searches for information on Google. Have you ever wondered what those searches are about—or whether what you're searching for also happens to be on the minds of millions of others across the country?

Discussion: NewTeeVee and Silicon Alley Insider, more at Techmeme »

Jeff Bercovici / DailyFinance:

The Most and Least Honest Pundits (Hint: Don't Believe Glenn Beck) — More and more, the “news” consists of commentators telling you what to think about the issues of the day. Now, thanks to PolitiFact, its possible to see which of them root their assertions in reality and which are talking …

Richard Huff / NY Daily News:

In LIRR mess, local TV had a chance to be relvant, but failed even to be userful — So many times, local TV news has a chance to be a vital tool to the viewers and so many times, the operations blow it by sending viewers to the Internet. — That's just dumb.

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

YouTube UK launches free movie service — Video site signs deals with US studios including Sony Pictures and UK service Blinkbox — YouTube is to launch a free movie service after striking deals with US studios including Sony Pictures and UK service Blinkbox.

Discussion: TechCrunch, NewTeeVee, paidContent, Telegraph, Fast Company, The Next Web, WatchingTV Online and Podcasting News, more at Techmeme »

Michael Calderone / Yahoo! News:

Washington Post WH reporter heads to NY Times — The White House press corps may look a bit different when President Obama returns from Martha's Vineyard, with a couple of changes in the past two days. — Michael Shear, a White House reporter for the Washington Post, is joining the New York Times …

Discussion: Romenesko, The Caucus and New York Observer

Joseph Tartakoff / paidContent:

Yahoo Revs Up Its Local Content Efforts — Over the last year, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) has talked repeatedly about the importance of both local content and local advertising. But, while the company has announced local ad partnerships with Gannett (NYSE: GCI) and direct marketer Valassis …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest, Shaping the Future …, MediaMemo, Lost Remote and HyperlocalBlogger

David Kaplan / paidContent:

LoveFilm Adds MGM Movie Library; Aims To Be More Than 'Europe's Netflix' — LoveFilm, which is often regarded as the “Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) of the Europe,” has struck a major deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios that gives its streaming rental service access to hundreds of classic movies and new home video releases.

Discussion: TechCrunch Europe

J. David Goodman / City Room:

311, 411, 911: Could They All Be Blogs? — So now there's this: 311, the blog. — Yes, the municipal complaint hot line, already on Twitter, now has its own platform for informal writing, an opportunity for a city bureaucracy that responds to 18.7 million urban gripes in a given year to …

Discussion: New York Observer, Gawker, Young Manhattanite and East Village Feed

Joshua Neuman / Heeb Magazine:

So Much for Controlling the Media — I have some good news and some bad news. — The good news is that Heebmagazine.com will continue to provide trenchant analysis of world events, cultural critique of all that is Jewish and Goyish and countless photos of scantily-clad Israeli models under …

Discussion: New York Observer, The Wrap, Gawker, New York Press and New York Magazine