Mediagazer: How Rupert Murdoch And Roger Ailes Could Beat ESPN At Its Own Game (Jeff Bercovici/Mixed Media)

1:00 PM ET, March 30, 2012

Top News:

Philadelphia Newspapers Set to Be Sold to Local Leaders — A consortium of local business and political leaders is poised to purchase the Philadelphia Media Network, publisher of The Inquirer, The Daily News and Philly.com, according to several people familiar with the negotiations.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM

Maryclaire Dale / Associated Press:

Philly newspapers may trade hands Monday — PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia's two largest newspapers could trade hands Monday for the fifth time in six years. — A group of powerful local businessmen is trying to close a deal to buy The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News.

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

Maxim Minimized. Big Layoffs Hit Men's Mag Web and Editorial Staff — The Internet killed the magazine star. There's been a major round of layoffs at Maxim magazine. Senior Editor Seth Porges is at least one employee who got the axe, according to our sources and confirmed by a recent update …

Discussion: Adweek, FishbowlNY, MediaPost, The Verge, Media Buyer Planner, Canadian Magazines, JIMROMENESKO.COM and eMedia Vitals, Thanks:@joshconstine

Jeff Roberts / paidContent:

Paywall Promos: How Far Should Newspapers Open The Door? — As newspapers lock content behind paywalls, marketers are opening that same content right back up again through campaigns that provide readers with temporary access for free. The idea seems a good one but newspapers are still experimenting with when and how to do it.

Discussion: the Econsultancy blog, PC Magazine, BtoB Magazine, ZDNet, paidContent and Adweek

DigiDave:
The Future of Paywalls, Memberships and Advertising - Writing on the Wall is Starting to Appear

Discussion: Mashable! and Poynter

Anton Troianovski / Wall Street Journal:

Verizon Pitches Mobile Video — Verizon Communications Inc. Chief Executive Lowell C. McAdam said the company could have a wireless video service by year-end that lets pay-TV subscribers see some content on their mobile devices if regulators approve a proposed cable partnership.

Discussion: Hillicon Valley, NetNewsCheck Latest, SeekingAlpha.com, CNET, The Verge and Engadget

Bill Mickey / Folio:

The Economist Reaches 1 Million Facebook Fans — Plus, how the brand optimizes its page for maximum interaction and engagement. — The Economist announced Wednesday that its Facebook page has surpassed the 1 million fan milestone. Nick Blunden, global publisher of digital editions for The Economist …

Discussion: Press Gazette, Talking Biz News, Garcia Media, The Wall Blog and TechCrunch

Jason Del Rey / AdAge:

March Madness Digital Viewing Generates $60 Million in Ad Sales for Turner, CBS — Total Doesn't Include Subscriptions for Mobile Access — It's not a revenue number that's going to convince many that a long-awaited reallocation of TV dollars to digital has arrived.

Discussion: eMedia Vitals, Thanks:@delrey

Alexa Kravitz / American Journalism Review:

Many political talk shows are hosted by non-journalists. Is there a problem with that? — Should journalism experience be a requirement for hosting a political talk show? MSNBC President Phil Griffin certainly doesn't think so. His hires on the liberal-leaning network include non …

Discussion: The FJP

Chris O'Shea / FishbowlNY:

Ex Goldman Sachs Exec Greg Smith Gets $1.5 Million Book Deal — Sorry to start your Friday out like this, but we've got to tell you: The rich do, in fact, get richer. Greg Smith, the former Goldman Sachs executive who quit with a hilarious New York Times Op-Ed, is getting $1.5 million to write a memoir.

Discussion: The Wrap, The Awl, New York Post, Media Decoder, GalleyCat, @benfritz and Fox Business

Jake Dobkin / Gothamist:

Who Is On The Secret NYPD Press Email List? — About an hour ago, the NYPD's Department of Public Information (DCPI) accidentally CC'd their entire email list on a routine press release. Normally this list of about 230 email addresses is BCC'd. This list is very interesting …

Discussion: NYConvergence.com

Martin Dunn / Guardian:

New York's uneasy tabloid truce — When I edited the Daily News, a day hardly passed without a gloves-off scrap with our rival, the Post. So what changed? — In the sad, cost-cutting world of New York City newspapers, the “war of words” has become the “bore of words”.

Foster Kamer / The New York Observer:
Col Allan's Special Friendship With Anna Gristina and Why the Daily News Dropped the Scoop

Discussion: Capital New York, mediabistro.com, Gawker, New York Magazine, @weareyourfek, @megan and The Huffington Post

Stuart Kemp / Hollywood Reporter:

BBC Fights Back in Spat With Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. — The U.K. public broadcaster stands by its “Panorama” TV show's findings into alleged computer hacking following critical tweets by Murdoch and News Corp. statements. — LONDON - The BBC has issued a terse and combative statement defending itself …

Discussion: Guardian and New York Magazine

Dan Sabbagh / Guardian: BBC accused of ‘manipulating’ emails in pay TV hacking row

Alicia Shepard / Poynter:

The iconic photos of Trayvon Martin & George Zimmerman & why you may not see the others — Since the shooting of Trayvon Martin became national news, two photos have come to define the emotionally and racially charged narrative. — News organizations initially had just a few photos of Martin …

Discussion: MarketWatch and Orlando Sentinel