Mediagazer: Amazon Wants to Get Into the Used E-Book Business

7:05 AM ET, February 8, 2013

Top News:

Jeff Sonderman / Poynter:

NBC closes hyperlocal, data-driven publishing pioneer EveryBlock — NBC News has shut down EveryBlock, one of the early pioneers of data-driven hyperlocal community news and information. — The decision took effect today. Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and chief digital officer of NBC News …

The EveryBlock Blog:

Farewell, neighbors — We're sorry to report that EveryBlock has closed its doors. — It's no secret that the news industry is in the midst of a massive change. Within the world of neighborhood news there's an exciting pace of innovation yet increasing challenges to building a profitable business.

Discussion: Chicago Tribune, The Verge, paidContent, Lincoln Square, IL Patch, @dancow, @dancow, @pelletk, Street Fight, NetNewsCheck Latest, @digiphile, Adweek, @romenesko, @jkocherhans, @jamesrbuk, Chicago Business and Kirk LaPointe's …

Adrian Holovaty:

RIP Everyblock — I'm very saddened by today's news that EveryBlock has been shut down by NBC News. — I founded EveryBlock in 2007 after receiving a grant from the Knight Foundation. It was launched in January 2008 by an original team of four (Wilson Miner, Dan O'Neil, Paul Smith and me) and was acquired by msnbc.com in 2009.

Discussion: ReadWrite, Nieman Journalism Lab, @lheron and GeekWire

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Coming Soon: A Juniors' Edition of The New York Times? — A new CEO is supposed to bring a new way of looking at problems. So how's this for some new thinking from New York Times Co. chief Mark Thompson: He's looking at launching an edition of the paper just for youngsters.

Discussion: Media News, Media & Entertainment, NetNewsCheck Latest, FishbowlNY and @jeffjohnroberts

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

What would a New York Times for the youngs look like? — The New York Times is testing some kind of “entry-level” product aimed at a younger, more Internet-y audience, new CEO Mark Thompson said in the company's earnings call Thursday. Forbes' Jeff Bercovici followed up …

Ken Doctor / Newsonomics:

NYT & Mark Thompson's First Report: Unsteady as She Goes — New York Times watchers were looking forward to hearing new CEO Mark Thompson's plummy tones this morning, as he hosted the company's quarterly earnings report for the first time. This report also included full-year, 2012.

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York: ‘Times’ C.E.O. Mark Thompson promises a ‘new strategy,’ details in April

Rick Edmonds / Poynter: At New York Times, 65% of digital-only subscribers are ‘entirely new’

Jeff John Roberts / paidContent:
New York Times posts ho-hum numbers, slow digital growth [updated]

Discussion: AdAge, CNET, NetNewsCheck Latest, @jackshafer and Guardian

Eric Pfanner / New York Times:

Universal Unloads European Labels Bought From EMI — PARIS — Warner Music Group said Thursday that it had agreed to buy much of the European record label business that Universal Music Group acquired in its recent purchase of EMI. — The deal, worth £487 million, or $765 million …

Ben Sisario / Media Decoder:
Warner Music Group Buys EMI Assets for $765 Million

Discussion: BBC, Wall Street Journal, Billboard and Telegraph

Amir Efrati / Wall Street Journal:

Pirated Movies Crop Up Again on YouTube — Google Inc.'s YouTube is facing the return of a pirated-content problem. — Hundreds of full-length feature films including blockbusters from Walt Disney Co. and Sony Corp.'s Columbia and Tristar studios have been illegally uploaded to the world's …

Discussion: Deadline.com and Gizmodo

Marcus Wohlsen / Wired:

Amazon Wants to Get Into the Used E-Book Business — Or Bury It — There is no such thing as a dog-eared e-book — each copy is forever perfect. But a new Amazon patent could go a long way toward making the digital media in our lives a lot more like the physical version.

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

Phone hacking: Sarah Ferguson and Hugh Grant among 144 to win damages — Seventeen people including Duchess of York and actor also receive high court apology from News International — Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is among 144 people who have won substantial damages after settling …

Discussion: pressgazette.co.uk

Jennifer Van Grove / CNET:

LinkedIn eyes future as professional publishing hub — The company seems set on making business content, not social networking, the focus of the site. — LinkedIn spent much of 2012 transforming itself into a place where workers could stay and play awhile — a strategy that paid off handsomely.

Discussion: Forbes

Forrest Wickman / Slate:

Want to Get Paid For TV Criticism? Shill for DISH. — The DISH Hopper, a favorite product of DISH-employed Slate commenters. — If you read the comments on TV recaps, chances are pretty good you've seen a comment like this: … It's a unique species of Internet comment …

Alan D. Mutter / Editor & Publisher:

Why Digital Natives Hate Newspapers — Several years ago, The Washington Post convened a series of focus groups to learn why most people younger than 45 did not subscribe to the newspaper — a problem persisting to this day throughout the overwhelmingly print-centric industry.

Discussion: newsplexer

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Digital magazine sales doubled in second half of 2012, as newsstand sales dropped — The number of U.S. consumer magazines sold on tablet devices and other mobile platforms in the second half of 2012 more than doubled from the same period a year earlier, according to the latest figures released today …