Mediagazer: Simmons' $5M salary, ‘antics’ led to WNBC ditching her: sources (Don Kaplan/New York Post)

5:20 PM ET, March 8, 2012

Top News:

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

PCC to close in wake of hacking scandal — Media watchdog will be replaced by transitional body until replacement is set up after Leveson inquiry — The Press Complaints Commission is to be shut down after 21 years, closing one of the most controversial chapters in the history of self regulation of the UK newspaper industry.

Discussion: Digital Spy, @wikileaks, Deadline.com, Poynter and The Independent

Financial Times:

Challenge to Murdoch grip on BSkyB — Rupert Murdoch is facing a fresh challenge to his UK media business as it emerged that Britain's communications regulator has escalated its probe into whether British Sky Broadcasting is a “fit and proper” owner of a broadcasting licence.

Stephen Parkinson / Telegraph:
Phone hacking: can these journalists really get a fair trial?

Discussion: Guardian

Erik Larson / Bloomberg: News Corp. Alleged to Hack Family Priest's Line

Josh Halliday / Guardian: Sun and NoW publisher had ‘enthusiastic involvement’ with police

Dan Sabbagh / Guardian: Trinity Mirror staff may be hack victims

Paul Sawers / The Next Web: WikiLeaks claims it submitted a 100-page dossier to UK Leveson Inquiry on media corruption

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Warns Apple, Publishers — Justice Department Threatens Lawsuits, Alleging Collusion Over E-Book Pricing — The Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five of the biggest U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books, according to people familiar with the matter.

Jeff Roberts / paidContent: The U.S. Threat To Sue Apple And Publishers: What It Means

Jeff Roberts / paidContent: Apple Downplays Role Of “Kindle Threat” In Alleged e-Book Conspiracy

Ryan Lawler / GigaOM:

Turner launches an accelerator for media-focused startups — Like most big media companies, Turner Broadcasting might not exactly be known for its technology innovation. But it's looking to change that, with the launch of a new accelerator program called Media Camp, which hopes to seek …

Andrew Phelps / Nieman Journalism Lab:

PRX hires Silicon Valley journopreneur Corey Ford to run the Public Media Accelerator — Corey Ford, a former Frontline documentarian who left public media to reinvent it in Silicon Valley, has been named director of the Public Media Accelerator, a $2.5 million incubator launched by PRX and funded by the Knight Foundation.

Discussion: TechCrunch and blogs.ft.com

Lauren Goode / AllThingsD:

With Interest Lists, Facebook Wants to Be a Personalized Newspaper — First we had Twitter Lists. Then Facebook Friends lists. Then smart lists. And now, Facebook is introducing Interest lists as a way to push relevant content up in the increasingly cluttered news feed.

Discussion: newsroom.fb.com, The Next Web, Poynter and ReadWriteWeb

Amy Chozick / Media Decoder:

Comcast Rejects Idea of Partnering With Netflix — Netflix may have hit a snag as it negotiates with cable operators. — Comcast, the country's largest cable company, says it has no interest in offering Netflix to its Xfinity subscribers regardless of whether it's in the form of an on-demand service or a billing partnership.

Discussion: New York Times and Bits

Don Kaplan / New York Post:

Simmons' $5M salary, ‘antics’ led to WNBC ditching her: sources — There were 5 million reasons to oust Sue Simmons — and they were all in her paycheck. — WNBC/Channel 4 refused to renew the nightly news anchor's contract because she makes a whopping $5 million annual salary …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, New York Times, NY Daily News, Chickaboomer, Poynter, Gothamist and New York Post

Foster Kamer / The New York Observer:
Save Sue Simmons: The Internet Campaign Begins

Discussion: PopWatch, The Awl and The Huffington Post

Richard Mullins / TBO.com:

VP Barker named Tampa Tribune's new publisher — Media General Inc. named Bill Barker as the new publisher for The Tampa Tribune, the newspaper's top executive. Barker joined Media General in 1990 and most recently was the Tribune's vice president of operations and circulation.

Julie Moos / Poynter:

Inquirer: Rendell relinquishes lead in Philly papers purchase, as his group gets exclusive consideration — The group of local leaders interested in buying the Philadelphia papers is now being led by H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, who was asked to take over by former governor Ed Rendell, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Discussion: Philly.com, JIMROMENESKO.COM and Washington Post

Dave Davies / newsworks: Would the Philadelphia Daily News show cartoonist Signe Wilkinson the door?

Alyson Raletz / Kansas City Business Journal:

Missouri approves Google's request to set up video services in Kansas City … has the go-ahead to provide video services in Kansas City. — The Missouri Public Service Commission has granted Google Fiber Missouri LLC the authority to build a video service network along public rights of way, according to a March 1 order.

Discussion: WebProNews and FierceCable

Chris O'Shea / FishbowlNY:

Time Names Editor-At-Large — Time has named Bobby Ghosh an Editor-at-Large. Ghosh has been with Time since 1997, and most recently served as Deputy International Editor. Prior to that Ghosh was Time's Baghdad Bureau Chief for five years. — As an Editor-at-Large Ghosh will be a …

Discussion: GalleyCat, @amywicks01 and @amywicks01

Vivienne Walt / Time:

Out of Syria's Carnage: A Survivor's Testimony of Bab Amr's Last Stand — Late on Feb. 21 a message arrived at TIME's Photo department in New York. It was from French photographer William Daniels, saying he had smuggled himself into the epicenter of Syria's yearlong revolt — the besieged neighborhood of Bab Amr, in the city of Homs.

Discussion: Poynter

Verne Gay / Newsday:

Matt Lauer getting $25 million to stay on ‘Today,’ source says — Matt Lauer getting $25 million to stay on ‘Today,’ source says — I am reliably told that NBC and Matt Lauer are closing in on a deal that will pay him an estimated $25 million per year over the course of a multiyear deal …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Mediaite and TVNewser

David Folkenflik / NPR:

A Scoop, Really? BuzzFeed, Breitbart.com Spar For Credit On Obama Video — Last night a bewildering debate broke out on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight over video posted online yesterday of a young Barack Obama speaking at a student protest at Harvard Law School more than two decades ago.

Discussion: PBS, Wonkette and Online NewsHour