Mediagazer: Google threatens French media ban over proposed law (BBC)

2:35 PM ET, October 19, 2012

Top News:

Emma Bazilian / Adweek:

After Newsweek, Is Writing on Wall for Newsweeklies? — Newsweek, now facing a digital-only future, isn't the only newsweekly that's struggling in print. Fellow mass-audience title Time is down 19 percent in ad pages in the first half of the year, per Publishers Information Bureau.

Discussion: Capital New York, Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, Digiday and Adweek

Michael Learmonth / AdAge:

Newsweek CEO: Dumping Print ‘Liberates Us’ — Plans to Charge $24.99 For an Annual Digital-Only Subscription — There's been a deathwatch for the print edition of Newsweek ever since IAC CEO Barry Diller hinted in July that print would go away or be scaled back in 2013.

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest, The Wrap, MediaShift, New York Post, mediabistro.com, Media Decoder, BtoB Magazine, FishbowlDC, Media News, Medacity, paidContent, Corporate Intelligence and Poynter

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Turning the page on Tina Brown — When Newsweek relaunched in 2011, editor Tina Brown promised frugality and humility. — “I think that big, sort of theatrical relaunches tend to set you up for failure and hype,” Brown, the ex-Vanity Fair, ex-New Yorker, ex-Talk editor whose name …

Discussion: Guardian, The Huffington Post, NPR, magCulture.com/blog and msnbc.com

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Newsweek's Web-Only Future: Inevitable, and a Whole Lot Smaller

Discussion: Talking Biz News and Wall Street Journal

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

Google News faces mass newspaper boycott in Brazil — This will sound familiar to anyone who has watched Google News' relations with news publishers over the years.. — The next country in which tension has erupted is one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

Discussion: WebProNews, JOURNALISM IN THE AMERICAS, Forbes, Mashable! and Search Engine Land

BBC:

Google threatens French media ban over proposed law — Google has threatened to exclude French media sites from search results if France goes ahead with plans to make search engines to pay for content. — In a letter sent to several ministerial offices, Google said such a law “would threaten its very existence”.

Discussion: Betabeat, Quartz, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Online, Techdirt, CNET, The Verge, Bigmouthmedia Search …, Telegraph, FRANCE 24, TechCrunch and The Next Web

Amita Sharma / KPBS San Diego:

U-T Owner Manchester Shows Interest In Tribune Company — Hotelier and U-T San Diego owner Doug Manchester wants to buy the Tribune Company, which owns the Los Angeles Times. — Since Manchester bought the U-T more than 10 months ago, he's launched a television channel and purchased The North County Times.

Discussion: Cision, NetNewsCheck Latest and FishbowlLA

Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:
Tribune sets pay wall on some content at $14.99 per month

Discussion: Chicago Business and JIMROMENESKO.COM

Jeff John Roberts / paidContent:

Notorious ad hijacker spreads to more media, retail sites — Do publishers have the right to control the ads that appear on their websites? A controversial company doesn't think so and has been injecting billions of unauthorized ads into websites like AOL, the BBC and the New York Times.

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

The Telegraph's much-delayed digital paywall appears to have taken another step back, following the departure of the senior executive responsible for the strategy. Steve McLaughlin, Telegraph Media Group's chief commercial officer, held responsibility for digital strategy and revenues …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest

Jim Brunner / Seattle Times:

Seattle Times news staffers protest company's political-ad campaign — More than 100 Seattle Times news staffers - including reporters, photographers, columnists, artists, editors and online news producers - signed a letter Thursday protesting the Times Co's decision to sponsor newspaper ads …

Discussion: Poynter, Media Decoder, Slog, Guardian, The Seattle Times and The New Yorker Blog

Jim Romenesko: Seattle Times political ad campaign ‘absolutely takes the cake’

The Huffington Post:

Fox News Chief Signs Big New Contract — Fox News CEO Roger Ailes has signed a new four-year contract to remain the head of the network, the Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz tweeted on Friday. Ailes will run Fox Business Network, Fox television stations and 20th Century TV as well.

Discussion: Media Decoder and New York Magazine

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

Tim Davie to head BBC Worldwide — Appointment of new chief executive marks end of John Smith's 23-year career with corporation — Tim Davie, the head of BBC's director of audio and music, has been appointed as the new chief executive of BBC Worldwide. — The appointment of Davie …

Discussion: Media Week, Digital Spy and Radio Today with RCS

William Launde / Wall Street Journal:

CBS's Les Moonves Says TV Channel Shakeout Could Remedy Squeeze — CBS Corp. CBS -0.12% Chief Executive Les Moonves has an answer for cable and satellite operators who complain their profits are getting squeezed by continually rising content costs: eliminate low-rated channels from their lineup.

Rob Williams / The Independent:

Police begin formal investigation into Jimmy Savile sex abuse allegations after identifying more than 200 potential victims — Police have begun a formal criminal investigation into alleged child abuse by Jimmy Saville, which now includes other living people, Scotland Yard said today.

Discussion: Guardian, Guardian, New York Times, Bloomberg, The Times and @thetimes