Mediagazer: Interview: Lovefilm Investor Says Amazon Exit Is A Win-Win (Robert Andrews/paidContent)

2:10 PM ET, January 20, 2011

Top News:

Tim Radford / Guardian:

A manifesto for the simple scribe - my 25 commandments for journalists | Tim Radford — Former Guardian science editor, letters editor, arts editor and literary editor Tim Radford has condensed his journalistic experience into a handy set of rules for aspiring hacks

Discussion: Common Sense Journalism, @felixsalmon, blogs.journalism.co.uk and @jayrosen_nyu, Thanks:fredericl

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

Amazon Buying Lovefilm To Build European Movie Rentals Business — Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) has finally confirmed it's buying the 58 percent of Lovefilm it doesn't already own - its bid to become a major European online movie subscription business. There's no price disclosed …

Discussion: Multichannel, TechCrunch Europe, The Next Web, VentureBeat, Index Ventures Blog, Guardian, CNET News, FT tech hub, Company Town, TechFlash, The Business Insider, SAI, GigaOM and MediaMemo, more at Techmeme »

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

Interview: Lovefilm Investor Says Amazon Exit Is A Win-Win — Lovefilm eschewed a possible IPO option because Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) gives it a global-scale parent with resources enough to land the rights necessary to profit from the coming online movie explosion, says one of the VCs who has exited in the deal (see earlier story).

Discussion: VatorNews

Joe Pompeo / Yahoo! News:

New Year brings delays for expected media launches — For the media-obsessed, 2010 was largely spent looking ahead to 2011. — This January was to bring four major launches or relaunches. In the waning days of December, it still seemed reasonable to expect that each debut might happen before the second calendar month of the year.

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab and Poynter

Dylan Stableford / The Wrap:

Magazines Still Struggling With This Social Media Business — The future of magazines is still in the 20th century, admits the Association of Magazine Media. — The message from publishing executives and their resident social media gurus at the MPA's inaugural Social Media conference …

Discussion: iMediaConnection Blog, GigaOM and FishbowlNY

Washington Post:

Warren Buffett to step down from Washington Post Co. board — Warren E. Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, said today he would step down from the board of The Washington Post Co. this May. He has served on the board since May 1996 and previously had a tenure on the board from 1974 to 1986.

Discussion: Media Decoder, Poynter and Deal Journal

Jay Yarow / SAI: Silicon Alley Insider:

AOL Is Launching A Flipboard-Killer, “Editions” — AOL is getting ready to launch its own iPad magazine called “Editions.” — The tag line for the magazine is “The Magazine That Reads You.” — We don't know much about it, but it sounds like it will be an app like Flipboard, using your interests to figure out what you like.

Discussion: Fast Company, TechCrunch, PhoneArena, MobileBurn.com, TechEye, Electronista, Nieman Journalism Lab and The Next Web

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

A Racy Show With Teenagers Steps Back From a Boundary — MTV executives have a new hit drama on their hands, featuring the sexual and drug-fueled exploits of misfit teenagers. They also have something else — a fear that coming episodes of the show may break the law.

Discussion: Mediaite, Company Town, The Huffington Post, Runnin' Scared, Tuned In, Communication Prof's News …, mediabistro.com, Gawker, Vanity Fair and New York Observer

Henry Blodget / The Wire:

DAILY BEAST: We're Not Paying Howard Kurtz $600,000 A Year! — Yesterday, we wrote about the rumors of astronomical salaries being paid to mainstream media stars who have jumped ship and joined new-media outfits like the Huffington Post and Daily Beast. — We said that we had been unable …

Discussion: Poynter and PE Hub Blog

Henry Blodget / Clusterstock:
THE GOLDEN AGE OF NEWS: Mainstream Media Staffers Agog At Huge …

Discussion: Gawker, @jeffjarvis and New York Observer

Laurie Sullivan / MediaPost:

Joost Video Network Becomes Stand-alone Business Unit — Adconion Media Group plans to announce Thursday the spinoff of the Joost Video Network into a stand-alone business unit. The newly launched digital media company will provide premium branded solutions for advertisers and brand marketers seeking …

David Kaplan / paidContent:

CNNMoney.com Integrates LinkedIn To Keep Readers On Site Longer — CNNMoney, the online face of Fortune magazine, is integrating business social network LinkedIn the Time Inc. (NYSE: TWX) mag's annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. The is the first real test of LinkedIn's new …

Discussion: Talking Biz News and Denver Post

New York Post:

Time Inc. execs huddling to move ball forward — Some 400 Time Inc. executives will be huddled in New York City tomorrow for the first quarterly management meeting since outsider Jack Griffin took over as CEO from Ann Moore last fall. — Since his arrival, Griffin has brought …

Discussion: FishbowlNY

Amy Wicks / WWD Media Headlines:

Jay Fielden Heads to Town & Country — Jay Fielden has been named editor in chief of Town & Country following the resignation of Stephen Drucker, who joined the title only last April. — For complete coverage, see Thursday's WWD.

Martin Bryant / The Next Web:

UK Internet TV service YouView reportedly delayed — YouView, the UK's next generation TV service, has reportedly hit a severe delay that might see its launch knocked back more than a year. — Formally announced back in September last year and previously know as ‘Project Canvas’ …

Discussion: Telegraph

Megan McCarthy / @megan:

Tweets are now being shown directly on Mediagazer - @reply with something fun to join the Discussion!

Discussion: The Next Web, TechCrunch, SAI, @kevinmarks, @mikepilarz, Mediagazer News, @mattbinder and @edmundlee, more at Techmeme »

Stephen Heyman / New York Times:

Nice-Guy Bloggers Needn't Finish Last — THE glittery party for the Hollywood jeweler Lorraine Schwartz last November drew a small mob of carat-starved celebrities to Lavo in Midtown. Kim Kardashian held court by the dance floor, dressed in black velvet and satin.

Discussion: The Corsair

Ethan Smith / Wall Street Journal:

Top Album, Low Sales — This Week's Top Seller Marks Low Point, Underscoring Waning Sales of Music — In the latest sign of waning consumer demand for recorded music, the Billboard 200 album-sales chart just registered a dubious distinction: The No. 1 position was held by an album …

Lois Beckett / Nieman Journalism Lab:

1.4 million fans can't be wrong: NPR's Facebook page — “They swear like sailors, but boy, they're smart.” — That's how NPR strategist Andy Carvin described the 1.4 million fans who comment and share stories through NPR's Facebook page. The page — originally created by an NPR enthusiast from the UK …

Discussion: Lost Remote and GigaOM

Julie Bosman / Media Decoder:

Barnes & Noble Fires Executives — Barnes & Noble dismissed several executives on Thursday, including Robert Wietrak, the director of merchandising, a longtime employee who was responsible for key book-buying decisions for the company. — Mary Ellen Keating, a spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble …