Mediagazer: Next American City to Relaunch Site, Debut Long-Form E-Singles (Stefanie Botelho/Folio)

5:30 AM ET, April 6, 2012

Top News:

Bill Carter / Media Decoder:

Matt Lauer to Stay With NBC's ‘Today’ Show — NBC News has signed Matt Lauer to a new multiyear contract to remain as the co-host of the “Today” show, addressing one of the division's most pressing issues. — The news will be announced formally on the air during the show Friday morning.

Discussion: msnbc.com, From Inside the Box, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, The Wrap, Broadcasting & Cable, TVNewser and Digital Spy

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Current TV responds to Olbermann's lawsuit — Current TV spokesperson Laura Nelson forwards the company's official reaction to Keith Olbermann's lawsuit, which he filed today against the network:

Discussion: The Raw Story

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

Current TV Disputes Reuters Report They're In Danger Of Being Dropped By Time Warner — In the PR war between Current TV and fired former Countdown host Keith Olbermann, the truth is the first casualty, say sources familar with the situation. Reuters is reporting that several anonymous sources …

Discussion: The Wrap, @peterlauria3 and Media Decoder

Matthew Belloni / Hollywood Reporter:

Keith Olbermann Files Lawsuit Against Current TV (Read the Complaint) — Sources say the suit was filed Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles Superior Court. — Keith Olbermann — The war of words between Keith Olbermann and Current TV is now officially a legal battle …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, msnbc.com, Business Insider, @mlcalderone, The Huffington Post, New York Magazine, TMZ and Politico

Peter Lauria / Reuters:
Exclusive: Low ratings could end cable deal for Gore's Current TV

Discussion: TVNewser, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, The New York Observer, The Raw Story, Chickaboomer and TVbytheNumbers

David Folkenflik / NPR:

The Roots Of An Empire: Rupert Murdoch's Australia … Rupert Murdoch takes over the Daily Mirror, a Sydney tabloid, in May 1960. Sometimes soft-spoken, but invariably hard-driving, Murdoch acquired major papers in every Australian state. He bought TV stations and established the first truly national daily.

John Ryley / Sky News:
A CASE OF DOUBLE STANDARDS?

Discussion: Telegraph, National Updates and Reuters

Guardian:
Sky News admits hacking emails of ‘canoe man’

Discussion: CJR, Guardian, BBC, TIME.com, Hacked off, Press Association, mnilive.com, Poynter, ZDNet, ThinkProgress, The Verge, @jackofkent, @dansabbagh, Naked Security, Press Gazette, Journalism.co.uk and Globe and Mail

Josephine Moulds / Guardian: BSkyB shares plunge after Sky News admits email hacking

Reuters:

NBC probe centers on staffer in shooting story error — (Reuters) - An internal NBC News probe has determined a “seasoned” producer was to blame for a misleading clip of a 911 call that the network broadcast during its coverage of the Trayvon Martin shooting, according to two sources at the network.

Nicholas Carlson / Business Insider:

Actually, Arianna Huffington Has Been Demoted — Despite a story in today's New York Times headlined: “Huffington Gains More Control in AOL Revamping,” Arianna Huffington has in recent weeks seen a “narrowing” of her job at AOL, a source close to AOL tells us.

Discussion: TechCrunch, @mathewi, @brianstelter, AdExchanger.com, @myersnews, @tolles, WebProNews, GigaOM, Media Decoder, NYConvergence.com, Reuters, Capital New York, FishbowlNY, TVNewser and New York Times

Adrienne LaFrance / Nieman Journalism Lab:

OC Register assigns 70 reporters to cover one baseball game — Usually, when the majority of reporters in a newsroom rallies around coverage of a single story or event — floods the zone, you might say — something really big is breaking. Maybe a mass shooting, a tsunami, or a terrorist attack.

Discussion: LAist, JIMROMENESKO.COM and JIMROMENESKO.COM

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Gannett offers 594 buyouts, begins accepting offers this week — This February Gannett said it would offer buyouts to employees in its newspaper division. In a memo to staff then, Bob Dickey, who is head of the company's U.S. community publishing division, said that 785 people met …

Discussion: Gannett Blog

Associated Press:
USA Today Begins More Staff Furloughs To Cut Costs

Discussion: MediaPost and JIMROMENESKO.COM

Tim Elfrink / Riptide 2.0:

Anders Gyllenhaal, Ex-Miami Herald Editor, Made Almost $1.3 Million at McClatchy Last Year — At the Miami Herald, staffers are facing two weeks of unpaid furloughs this year and a hiring freeze has left key jobs unfilled for months. The paper's parent company, McClatchy …

Discussion: Random Pixels and Loose Talk

Stefanie Botelho / Folio:

Next American City to Relaunch Site, Debut Long-Form E-Singles — Website will mix curated and original content. — Next American City, a non-profit media organization focused on urban affairs, is refreshing its strategy. The publisher's quarterly print publication folded in late 2011 …

Adrienne LaFrance / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Wait — so how many newspapers have paywalls? — It can be hard to measure something that keeps growing. — Just over two weeks ago, the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism reported that there are roughly 150 dailies in the United States that now have some form of digital subscription service.

Rachel McAthy / Journalism.co.uk:

Leveson inquiry: Brooks granted core participant status — Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks has been granted core participant status for module three of the inquiry — Brooks's previous application for core participant status in module one was rejected

Discussion: Guardian

Mark Sweney / Guardian: NoW closure cost Murdoch nearly £250m

Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:

Julian Assange's Talk Show Debuts Next Week; Watch the Promo — Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been known to make big promises that don't always pan out, but his plan to host a current events talk show on “Russia Today” doesn't seem to be one of them.

Discussion: The Atlantic Wire