Mediagazer: Exclusive: NBC Local Media Sets ‘Nonstop’ Launch Dates (Michael Malone/Broadcasting & Cable)

7:45 AM ET, October 22, 2010

Top News:

In wake of NPR controversy, Fox News gives Juan Williams an expanded role — The cable news network signs the analyst to a new three-year contract for nearly $2 million. Meanwhile, conservative figures blast the public radio network for its response to Williams' comments about Muslims.

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

Williams Episode Shows 2 Versions of Journalism — NPR's decision Wednesday to fire Juan Williams and Fox News Channel's decision to give him a new contract on Thursday put into sharp relief the two versions of journalism that compete every day for Americans' attention.

Discussion: Philly.com and Inside Cable News

Alicia Shepard / NPR:

NPR's Firing of Juan Williams Was Poorly Handled — Juan Williams once again got himself into trouble with NPR for comments he made at his other job, at Fox News. And NPR's reaction has unleashed an unprecedented firestorm of criticism directed not at Williams - but at NPR.

Discussion: NPR Topics, Los Angeles Times, Big Journalism and Speakeasy

Wall Street Journal:

Networks in Rift With Google TV — ABC, CBS and NBC are blocking TV programming on their websites from being viewable on Google Inc.'s new Web-TV service, exposing the rift that remains between the technology giant and some of the media companies it wants to supply content for its new products.

Discussion: CNET News, Lost Remote, TechCrunch, Both Sides of the Table, Search Engine Land, Bits, NewTeeVee and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:

Life With Google TV: My First Day Review & Impressions — Google TV has finally arrived, not just for pre-order but as an actual device you can get in a retail store. And so I did, hitting Best Buy yesterday and walking out with a Sony Blu-ray player that is Google TV-capable.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Google Webmaster Central Blog and Lost Remote, more at Techmeme »

Scripting News:

New blogging techniques — What I call paragraph-level permalinks have made an appearance in Jay Rosen's blog, thanks to the innovative design work of Lauren Rabaino. — Nieman Lab calls out the feature. — And this got a geek going, Daniel Bachhuber, whose new (today) …

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab and Lauren Michell Rabaino

Ryan Tate / Gawker:

R.I.P. Chatroulette: A Sad Tale of Missed Opportunity — Remember Chatroulette? It's hard to believe that barely eight months ago the anonymous video chat site had everyone captivated. Venture capitalists clamored to invest, journalists tripped over one another to profile—and now Chatroulette is dying, unused and unloved.

Discussion: Social Culture …

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:

Rupert Murdoch Admits He Can't Compete With Google — News Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch has likely never acknowledged (at least not publicly) that he has failed at something, particularly when it involves a market worth billions of dollars, but he appears to have conceded defeat in his attempt to build a competitor to Google News.

more at Techmeme »

Reuters: News Corp ices Alesia digital newsstand plan-source

Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:

Hulu Plus, Take Two: How's $4.95 a Month? — Hulu is considering cutting the price of Hulu Plus, the subscription service it began testing in June, sources tell me. I'm told the video site is talking about slashing its $9.95 per-month fee in half, to $4.95.

Discussion: Company Town, The Next Web, SAI and CNET News, more at Techmeme »

Media Week:

Rupert Murdoch's full speech at the Centre of Policy Studies — Rupert Murdoch, the founder, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, heaped praise on Margaret Thatcher for ‘expanding the boundaries of freedom’ tonight, before turning to bloggers and why they will never replace journalists.

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk, Guardian, Crikey and paidContent

Nielsen Wire:

Connected Devices: Does the iPad Change Everything? — The growing popularity of connected devices - especially Apple's iconic tablet computer, the iPad - are starting to change the how people consume media. And with sales of these devices expected to be a bright spot in an otherwise …

Discussion: MinOnline, Fortune, TUAW, MarketingCharts, MediaPost and Poynter Online, more at Techmeme »

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:
Books and Video Win on the iPad, and Users Are Buying

Discussion: The Next Web and MediaPost

Wall Street Journal:

Tribune Creditor Proposal Expected Friday — Tribune Co. on Friday is expected to file a bankruptcy-exit plan that has support from its leading creditors. The filing comes as creditors are sounding out candidates to run the company post-bankruptcy, including former News Corp. executive Peter Chernin.

Josh Kosman / New York Post:
Zell on the hot seat

Discussion: Technology News and Creative Loafing Atlanta

Hamilton Nolan / Gawker:

Magazines, Advertising, and the Malleability of Ethics — Since the recession hit and print started dying in earnest, magazines have been...let's say, loosening their standards on the editorial-advertising divide. Now, in a bid to maintain relevance, the American Society of Magazine Editors has updated its ethical guidelines.

Discussion: MinOnline, MPA and Canadian Magazines

Lucia Moses / Mediaweek:
ASME Releases Updated Ad Guidelines

Discussion: mediabistro.com and FishbowlNY

Mike Shields / Mediaweek:

TV Guide Site Partners With ABC for ‘Check-In’ Feature — TVGuide.com has partnered with ABC to help kick start its new TV Check-In feature—the site's answer to the slew of startup social apps, which encourage users to tell their friends what they watch or are planning to watch on TV.

Kara Swisher / BoomTown:

ATD Gets Social With Liz Gannes (In Other Words, We Hired Her) — A few days ago, All Things Digital announced CNET senior writer Ina Fried was joining the staff to cover mobile for the site. — Today, we complete a one-two punch with the hiring of Liz Gannes, who will be covering the critical social beat.

Discussion: omis.me

Michael Learmonth / AdAge:

Vevo Turns Up Heat on MTV in Online Video Dispute — Upstart Is Top in Video Views and It's Targeting TV — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Music videos barely appear on TV any more, but the battle to control them online — and sell them to marketers in turn — is becoming a full-fledged spectacle …

Michael Malone / Broadcasting & Cable:

Exclusive: NBC Local Media Sets ‘Nonstop’ Launch Dates — Homegrown multicast channels debut in Philly, D.C. next week — NBC Local Media is rolling out its Nonstop multicast channels, adding the 24/7 channels in Philadelphia Oct. 25 and Washington, D.C. Oct. 27.

Dylan Stableford / The Wrap:

Tweet This: The Top 25 Magazines on Twitter — On Tuesday, the blog Journalistics published a list ranking the top 25 newspapers on Twitter, based their follower counts. The New York Times, with more than 2.6 million followers, is by far the most-followed newspaper brand on Twitter …

Discussion: SocialTimes.com, Thompson on Hollywood and Romenesko

Emma Hall / AdAge:

Russian Billionaire Will Launch U.K. Newspaper i Next Week — Former KGB Spy Alexander Lebedev Expands His New Role as a Media Baron — LONDON (AdAge.com) — The U.K.'s newest media baron, Russian billionaire and former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev, is launching a new daily next week.