Mediagazer: Google reportedly launching paid YouTube subscriptions this week (Matt Brian/The Verge)

2:45 PM ET, May 6, 2013

Top News:

Dan Kennedy / Media Nation:

The Knight Foundation's curious funding decisions — Among the odder aspects of Howard Kurtz's very bad week (as reported by Michael Calderone of the Huffington Post) is the revelation that Daily Download, the thoroughly mediocre (at best) website with which Kurtz is more or less associated …

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu

Sharon Waxman / The Wrap:

Howard Kurtz's Mea Culpa Isn't Good Enough — Merely repeating an apology and stressing one's sincerity is not a ticket back to play on the journalism field. — I wish I could say that Howard Kurtz's mea culpa on “Reliable Sources” was convincing. But it wasn't.

Discussion: Poynter, TVNewser, Politico, Erik Wemple, Variety, Tampabay.com and Chickaboomer

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Howard Kurtz Downplays Role At Daily Download — NEW YORK - On Sunday's “Reliable Sources,” CNN host and media critic Howard Kurtz apologized for falsely claiming that NBA player Jason Collins didn't reveal that he was once engaged to a woman when coming out last week in Sports Illustrated.

Discussion: BuzzMachine, Daily Download, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, FishbowlNY and @jayrosen_nyu

Leslie Kaufman / New York Times:

BuzzFeed Takes Steps to Expand Foreign News — BuzzFeed, the swiftly growing social news site, has decided it is time to move beyond top 10 lists, animal videos and political coverage. It is going foreign. — The site recently posted a hiring notice for a foreign editor that said BuzzFeed wanted …

Discussion: FishbowlNY and @buzzfeedben

Sharon Waxman / The Wrap:

Who Will Run Al-Jazeera America? Who's In, Who's Out, Who Passed (Exclusive) — The scoop on the leading candidates of the biggest new news network to hit cable — One of the biggest jobs in media is a new position and a high-risk opportunity: running Al Jazeera America.

Discussion: Capital New York, USA Today, Politico, TVNewser, The Corsair, The Huffington Post and Chickaboomer

Janko Roettgers / paidContent:

Big Bird, Caillou and Sonic could be part of YouTube's subscription slate — YouTube is reportedly close to launching paid channel subscriptions on its site - and we've found a number of clues that hint at kids content being part of this initiative. — YouTube is getting close to launching …

Discussion: NME and SocialTimes

Matt Brian / The Verge:
Google reportedly launching paid YouTube subscriptions this week

Discussion: Financial Times, New York Times, The Atlantic Wire, GMANetwork.com, VentureBeat, CNET, Home Media Magazine, BGR India, NDTV Gadgets, Engadget, Daily Mail, Pocket-lint and PC Advisor

David Carr / New York Times:

For Media Moguls, Paydays That Stand Out — What's the difference between a media mogul and a chief executive elsewhere in the business world? About $10 million in compensation, give or take. — Leaders in other industries may be well paid, but as the accompanying chart shows, they earn far less than their media counterparts.

Discussion: The Newspaper Guild

Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider:

Journalists Get Beat Up And Threatened After Going To A Kentucky Town To Report On Guns — Reporters covering a horrific gun death in the small town of Burkesville, Ky., were rejected by the town's residents, some of whom threatened reporters with violence and ended up carrying out those threats.

Discussion: New York Times and Business Insider

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

Behind the Scenes at Fox — A few days before the presidential election last November, Roger Ailes, the chief executive of Fox News, ordered that Geraldo Rivera's microphone be cut off after Mr. Rivera angrily defended the Obama administration against charges levied by others on Fox.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Huffington Post, Tucson Citizen, TVNewser, Wonkette, The Raw Story, Inside Cable News, jdp feed and New York Magazine

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

The New York Times And Retro Report Look Back At Old News Stories — NEW YORK — On CBS, Dan Rather called the Mobro barge “the most-watched load of garbage in the memory of man.” Over on NBC, Tom Brokaw described how the “homeless garbage barge” from Islip, N.Y., was refused entry in North Carolina …

Discussion: Poynter, New York Times, paidContent and Retro Report

Nellie Andreeva / Deadline.com:

CBS Corp In Talks To Take Full Control Of TVGuide.com, Acquiring Lionsgate's 50% — EXCLUSIVE: A month after CBS Corp acquired 50% of TV Guide, the company that encompasses TVGN (formerly TV Guide Network) and TVGuide.com, I hear CBS is in the process of taking full ownership of TVGuide.com.

Discussion: TVWeek.com

Alex Sherman / Bloomberg:

DirecTV Spurns Dish's View That Wireless Is Satellite-TV Savior — The two largest satellite-television companies in the U.S., after almost two decades of building their businesses with similar strategies, are now heading in almost exactly the opposite directions.