Mediagazer: The Crisis at the Front of the Book (Nick Summers/New York Observer)

1:10 PM ET, January 19, 2011

Top News:

Ken Doctor / Newsonomics:

The Demise of Lean Dean Singleton and the Rise of Private Equity — Dean Singleton worked the deals in corners of the U.S. for decades, building from scratch a major chain, that by circulation (though, not revenue) is probably the second largest in the country.

Discussion: Poynter, bizjournals and BrauBlog

Russell Adams / Wall Street Journal:

Consolidation Weighed for Newspaper Publishers — MediaNews Group Inc., publisher of more than 50 daily U.S. newspapers including the Denver Post, is eyeing a merger with Freedom Communications Inc. and possibly several other newspaper companies, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Recovering Journalist, Gannett Blog and BrauBlog

Denver Post:

MediaNews Group announces management changes; Singleton to become executive chairman — Denver Post owner MediaNews Group Inc. said today it is launching a search for a new chief executive officer to succeed current CEO and chairman William Dean Singleton. — Upon hiring of the new chief executive …

Discussion: Poynter, paidContent and LA Observed

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

In Comcast-NBC Conditions, A Victory for Bloomberg — Embedded in the rules that the government is imposing on Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal is one that specifically benefits Bloomberg LP, the financial news giant that owns Bloomberg Television. — Broadly, the Federal Communication …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, New York Times, Moneywood, Most Recent Home Page Posts … and TVbytheNumbers

Steve Myers / Poynter:
Nonprofit news orgs see validation, new funding in Comcast-NBC merger

Thanks:myersnews

Cecilia Kang / Post Tech:
FCC, Justice approve Comcast and NBC joint venture

Nick Summers / New York Observer:

The Crisis at the Front of the Book — On a Tuesday night some weeks ago, at a jam-packed book party at Sidecar, the handsome upstairs space next to P.J. Clarke's on East 55th Street, Hugo Lindgren was leaning on the bar next to his deputy. The new editor of The New York Times Magazine …

Discussion: Poynter

Annys Shin / Washington Post:

Blogger aims to chronicle every D.C. homicide victim — On the morning of Nov. 15, Laura Norton Amico found herself penned inside a scrum of journalists who had packed a room at D.C. Superior Court for a glimpse of the lead suspect in one of Washington's highest-profile murder cases: the 2001 killing of federal intern Chandra Levy.

Discussion: Poynter

Alicia Shepard / NPR Blogs:

How NPR's Giffords Mistake Hurt The Families — This story was updated at 4:31 p.m. to make clear that after NPR correspondent Ted Robbins told NPR's newsdesk that Giffords had not died, NPR changed its reporting. — I've since learned what real, excruciating pain NPR triggered …

Discussion: AOL News, Poynter and Runnin' Scared

Ryan Chittum / CJR:

The Dead Source Who Keeps on Giving — Fortune joins the WSJ in putting Jerome York on the record after his death — Back in March, I noticed The Wall Street Journal appearing to burn an off-the-record source a few days after he died. — Now it's Fortune's turn to put the same source on the record posthumously.

Discussion: Fimoculous.com, Poynter, Fortune, Pulse2, Gawker, The Wrap and SAI

Nellie Andreeva / Deadline.com:

Weinstein Co. Plans To Launch TV Division With Meryl Poster In Talks To Run It — EXCLUSIVE: Harvey and Bob Weinstein are plotting a big re-entry into television and are talking to an old pal, producer Meryl Poster, to run the new Weinstein Co. TV arm. Poster worked with the Weinsteins …

Discussion: Company Town

Vlad Savov / Engadget:

Playboy Magazine coming to iPad in its uncensored form in March, including full back catalog — From its very first issue in 1953 to its latest incarnation, the full catalog of Playboy Magazine is coming to the iPad this March. And not only that, it'll be faithful to its original form by arriving to your Apple slate uncensored.

Katherine Rosman / Wall Street Journal:

How Adam Got @Adam and Became Cool Online — All Rob Goldman ever wanted was to be himself. In the Silicon Valley start-up obsessed world he inhabits, that means being facebook.com/rob or @Rob on Twitter. — But Mr. Goldman can't get what he wants, even at a website he founded.

James Rainey / Los Angeles Times:

On the Media: Groupon experiences growing pains with customers, merchants — The Internet phenom experiences growing pains with customers and merchants — and hold on to your ‘expired’ coupons. — Groupon Inc. signage is displayed outside the company's headquarters in Chicago. (Tim Boyle / Bloomberg)

Megan Garber / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Alan Taylor brings “Big Picture” prowess to The Atlantic — Starting in February, The Atlantic will have a new section on its website: In Focus, a photography blog featuring “photo essays on the major news and trends of the day.” — Editing the site will be Alan Taylor …

Discussion: Fast Company, Gedankengang, Poynter, mediabistro.com, kottke.org and MediaMemo

Anthony Kaufman / Speakeasy:

Sundance 2011: 7 Film Companies To Watch … Sundance is mostly known as a film “festival,” but the event is equally a marketplace—the most important in the world, in fact, for the buying and selling of American independent films. While the indie film business has gone through a cooling period …

Discussion: Online Video News

Damon Kiesow / Poynter:

Why the Orange County Register saw record mobile traffic last weekend — This past weekend, nearly 25 percent of The Orange County Register's digital traffic came from mobile devices — a new record for the paper. — Sonya Quick, who heads up social and mobile newsroom initiatives at the Register …

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

Erik Huggers to leave BBC for Intel — Director of future, media and technology will join US computer firm as corporate vice-president — Erik Huggers, the BBC's director of future, media and technology, is to leave the corporation at the end of February.

Discussion: paidContent, themediablog.typepad.com, BBC and paidContent:UK

Michael Calderone / Yahoo! News:

Publisher asks journalists not to comment on Obama novel — Time's Joe Klein said he didn't write Simon & Schuster's forthcoming Obama novel. Several other Beltway figures, in media and politics, have also denied being the anonymous author behind “O: A Presidential Novel,” which hits book stores next week.

Discussion: Poynter, Mixed Media, Scocca, GalleyCat and Gawker

Joe Mullin / paidContent:

After 200 Lawsuits Against Sites, Righthaven Targets Online Commenters — So far, the copyright-enforcement venture Righthaven has only made a few thousand dollars per settlement with its publisher targets, according to news reports. To make any real money, Righthaven will have to widen its sights.

Media Week:

Hachette to close teen magazine Sugar after 16 years — Hachette Filipacchi is to close teen print magazine Sugar in March, which has suffered flagging circulation figures, and ahead of an anticipated group sale to US publisher Hearst. — Sugar: Hachette Filipacchi is set to close its teen print magazine

Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:

Bloomberg Explains Company-Foundation Crossover, Sort Of — Will Mike Bloomberg be whispering in the ears of his editors? Image by AFP/Getty Images via @daylife — Last week, I wrote about an unusual arrangement whereby the newly-hired co-editors of Bloomberg View, Bloomberg LP's new opinion hub …

Johnnie L. Roberts / The Wrap:

Executive Musical Chairs Won't Save Broken Record Business — Has the music stopped for the broken record business? — Pearl Jam and Gregg Allman may have new albums out Tuesday but with CD sales of chart toppers historically anemic the first weeks of 2011, record companies can't rely on old faves to keep beating the declining odds.

Discussion: Communication Prof's News … and Company Town

Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:

With $2 Million In Fresh Funding, FanBridge Buys DamnTheRadio — Fan “relationship management” service FanBridge recently closed a $2 million Series A financing and already completed its first acquisition of Facebook fan management startup Damntheradio. Super angels Jeff Clavier (SoftTech VC) …

Discussion: hypebot and New York Observer

Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:

Moore named NYC bureau chief for “Marketplace” — Heidi Moore, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, has been named the New York bureau chief for the public radio business news show “Marketplace.” — Moore is familiar to Marketplace listeners as a regular guest of host Kai Ryssdal's Friday segment, The Weekly Wrap.

Gillian Reagan / Bookish:

Editor, Agent and Author Betsy Lerner on What's Wrong with Writers — Sovereign book editor and star literary agent Betsy Lerner was “burning with rage.” She was sitting in the Booth Theatre this past Sunday after a production of Next to Normal, the Pulitzer-Prize winning musical …

Gabriel Sherman / GQ:

The Worldwide Leader in Dong Shots — With his leering coverage of Brett Favre's penis (allegedly!), Rex Ryan's foot fetish, and the surprising sex life of ESPN, A. J. Daulerio has turned Deadspin.com into the raunchiest, funniest, and most controversial sports site on the Web. But at what cost to his soul?

Discussion: Poynter

Joe Pompeo / Yahoo! News:

WSJ denies rumor that editor's leaving for Australia — A thinly-sourced report in today's Sydney Morning Herald suggests that Robert Thomson, managing editor of News Corps' Wall Street Journal and one of Rupert Murdoch's top lieutenants, may be packing his bags for a move back to Australia.