Mediagazer: Former NBC vet Marc Graboff set to run 'American Idol's' parent company (Claire Atkinson/New York Post)

4:20 AM ET, December 24, 2011

Top News:

Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:

Over 40 Internet Companies Come Out Publicly Against SOPA (Including Us) — Since the list of 120 or so SOPA supporting companies hit the Internet yesterday, the lines have been drawn; People are publicly promising to pull thousands of domains from domain registrar Godaddy after it appeared on the list as a supporter.

Paul Tassi / Forbes:

The Great SOPA Conspiracy Theory — It's not a stretch to imagine that the reason big media companies want SOPA to pass goes beyond just hampering piracy. Rather, it would give them massive amounts of control over the internet, as they can deem which sites are harmful to their brand …

Discussion: TechCrunch and Techdirt

Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Prominent Rightwing Blogger Promises To Work Hard To Defeat Any Rightwing SOPA Supporters In Congress

Discussion: Erick's blog and Hit & Run

Julie Moos / Poynter:

WUSA removes story from website after discovering parts of it came from the Washington Post — WUSA President and General Manager Allan Horlick says the station has removed a story from its website after learning that portions of it were taken from a Washington Post piece on the same subject.

Discussion: Fairfax News, @mathewi, Washington Post and Gannett Blog

Bloomberg:

FCC Plan to Ease Cross-Ownership Rules Points to Consolidation — Dec. 23 (Bloomberg) — The Federal Communications Commission agreed to propose easing limits on one owner holding a television station and newspaper in a top 20 U.S. market. — The FCC plan keeps existing caps on TV and radio station ownership.

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

Maybe Apple's Newsstand Really Was a Present for Publishers — When Apple launched its Newsstand feature in iTunes this fall, the idea was that giving newspaper and magazine publishers their own dedicated shelf space — for those who signed on to Apple's subscription program - would boost sales.

Discussion: CJR, TUAW, Business Insider, MacRumors, @pkafka and Electronista, more at Techmeme »

Steve Green / VEGAS INC:

Dismantling of Righthaven appears under way with loss of website — The court-authorized dismantling of Las Vegas copyright company Righthaven LLC appeared to be under way Thursday, with the company losing control of its website to a receiver. — As noted by the Righthaven Victims website critical …

Discussion: Boing Boing and Techdirt

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:

How Amazon is helping to sustain long-form journalism — Amazon has been taking a beating recently for what some see as its attempt to cut in on the business of independent booksellers, and for its ongoing disruption of the e-book market via its Kindle lending library and other moves.

Discussion: Poynter, PC Magazine, Bits, TeleRead, The FJP, Joho the Blog and Forbes

Merrill Knox / TVNewser:

Bloomberg Hires CNBC Producer For ‘Street Smart’ — Jason Farkas will join Bloomberg TV as a senior broadcast producer in January. His hire was announced today by Ted Fine, Bloomberg's executive producer for afternoons. — Farkas will focus on helping the “Street Smart” editorial team ahead of the program's re-launch on January 9.

Claire Atkinson / New York Post:

Former NBC vet Marc Graboff set to run 'American Idol's' parent company — After a six-month search, “American Idol” owner CKX is close to naming a new boss, The Post has learned. — The entertainment company, which also owns the “So You Think You Can Dance” TV brand …

Discussion: TVWeek.com

Adam Clark Estes / The Atlantic Wire:

It Costs a Fortune for The New York Times to Cut Costs — The New York Times is finishing up a new round of buyout packages for veteran employees, but with the report that the paper is paying $15.4 million to remove former chief executive Janet Robinson and a look at how much the paper …

Discussion: New York Post, FishbowlNY and CJR

Jason Del Rey / AdAge:

Former TechCrunch Staffer Sarah Lacy Set to Close Funding Round for PandoDaily — Netscape Co-Founder Marc Andreessen Joins Michael Arrington and Other Investors In Tech News Site — Former TechCrunch Senior Editor Sarah Lacy is expected to close a round of funding in the next two weeks …

Discussion: Future of Journalism and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

How Ron Paul's Newsletters Got Back In The News — NEW YORK — On Thursday night Reuters reported on a solicitation for Ron Paul's political and investment newsletters from the 1980's and 90's; the direct-mail ad warned of a “coming race war” and included incendiary rants about blacks …

Discussion: The New Republic, The Caucus and Reuters