Mediagazer: Barry Diller Is Shopping Newsweek. Here's Why. [Updated] (Jeff Bercovici/Forbes)

4:40 PM ET, May 29, 2013

Top News:

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Newsweek confirms it is eyeing sale — Newsweek CEO Baba Shetty and editor-in-chief Tina Brown have just sent the following memo to staff, confirming earlier reports that parent-company IAC is exploring a sale of the now online-only magazine: … Developing.

Discussion: Gawker, New York Times, The Huffington Post, Mashable and National Review

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Barry Diller Is Shopping Newsweek. Here's Why. [Updated] — Most rational business people wouldn't go out of their way to deprecate the value of an asset a few weeks before they try to sell it. As he has made abundantly clear throughout his career, however, Barry Diller is not most people.

Discussion: paidContent, Capital New York, Daily Mail and New York Magazine

Ted Johnson / Variety:

IAC Seeking Buyers for Newsweek (EXCLUSIVE) — Newsweek appears to be on the block — again. — According to sources who have been briefed, IAC is sending out inquiries to prospective buyers who may be interested in purchasing the 80-year-old title, which ended weekly publication …

Discussion: Politico, The Wrap, paidContent, FishbowlNY, Reuters, Adweek, Garcia Media, @felixsalmon, @daschles, @peterlauria3, @shirleybrady, @tunkuv, @sarahw, The Daily Caller, @grahamdavida, @jenzchang, @qhardy, @mattyglesias and @jayrosen_nyu

RT:

Larry King joins RT with brand new politics show — Award-winning interviewer Larry King will host a mold-breaking political talk show on RT from next month, speaking to both leading establishment figures, and those who are not afraid to go against the grain.

Discussion: Politico, TVNewser, Gawker, Mediaite, The Week, Deadline.com, Broadcasting & Cable, Reuters, Daily Mail, New York Magazine, BuzzFeed, BBC, Variety, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, The Wrap and The Huffington Post

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

AP CEO Says DOJ Seized Records For ‘Thousands And Thousands’ Of Phone Calls: Staffer — NEW YORK — Associated Press president and chief executive Gary Pruitt told staff at a Wednesday town hall meeting that the phone records obtained by the government included “thousands and thousands” …

Discussion: Mediaite

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:
Eric Holder To Meet With Washington Bureau Chiefs Amid Leak Investigation Criticism

Discussion: Mediaite, Guardian and TVNewser

Mark Hosenball / Reuters:
Attorney general signed off on Fox phone records subpoena

Discussion: The Daily Beast

Matthew Cooper / NationalJournal.com:

Why a Media Shield Law Isn't Enough to Save Journalists — The only way journalists will be protected is if prosecutors stop being so quick to go after them. — I'm all for a shield law to protect journalists and their sources from government prosecutors. I hope Congress passes one.

Discussion: Politico and Kirk LaPointe's …

Peter Sterne / The New York Observer:
Shield Law More Like a Cheap Umbrella

Discussion: Hit & Run, Mediaite, Broadcasting & Cable and New Yorker

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

Thomson Reuters hires Economist Group chief to head news agency arm — Andrew Rashbass to leave publisher after 15 years, having led digital transformation from print to digital business — Andrew Rashbass, the chief executive of the Economist Group, is to join Thomson Reuters …

Discussion: Ad Week, New York Times and Globe and Mail

Thomson Reuters:
Thomson Reuters Announces Andrew Rashbass to Join in New Role Leading News and Media Business

Discussion: Talking Biz News

Mike Isaac / AllThingsD:

Apple's Tim Cook Has a “Grand Vision” for Television — And Still Won't Talk About It — No surprises here — at our 11th D: All Things Digital technology conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook is still staying mum on the company's plans for a proper TV set. — However!

Discussion: VentureBeat, Forbes, GigaOM, NYT Bits, CNET, The Week, The Mac Observer, Softpedia News, AdAge and The Wrap

Dara Kerr / CNET:
Apple CEO: We rejected DOJ settlement in e-book suit

Discussion: GigaOM, VentureBeat, AllThingsD and Softpedia News

Joshua Benton / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Twitter's Dick Costolo: We're a complement to news orgs, not a replacement — Also at D11, Twitter's Dick Costolo talked about the state of the company and platform. That included a bit about the news business. This is from All Things D's Mike Isaac's live paraphrasing of Costolo's on-stage conversation with Kara Swisher:

Discussion: TechCrunch, Forbes, AllThingsD and @pakman

PR Newswire:

Marco Arment Sells “The Magazine” to Its Editor, Glenn Fleishman — Instapaper founder and Tumblr's first employee sells popular electronic magazine — SEATTLE and HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y., May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — The Magazine, a popular electronic magazine …

Discussion: Marco.org, @jswatz, Valleywag, The Next Web and Boing Boing

Jeff John Roberts / paidContent:

Dow Jones turns to tech for future face-off with Bloomberg — Dow Jones is betting on tech investments to wield together a sprawling swarm of products — including the Wall Street Journal as well as research and data products — and compete with Bloomberg. — When News Corp strikes …

Discussion: Talking Biz News

John Eggerton / Broadcasting & Cable:

CBS' Marty Franks Retiring — Sept. 30 will be end date following quarter century at company — Martin Franks, executive VP of planning, policy and government affairs for CBS, is retiring effective Sept. 30. — Franks has been instrumental in CBS' retrans negotiations and has been a top exec …

Discussion: The Wrap, Radio & Television …, Variety and Los Angeles Times

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

Roku Raises a $60 Million Round, Led by Fidelity, to Fight for the Living Room — Tim Cook said Apple TV is still a side project. But bringing digital entertainment to your TV is all Roku does, and they're raising more money to do it. — Roku has raised a massive $60 million round …

Discussion: TechCrunch, GigaOM, Broadcasting & Cable, The Verge, Mashable and Variety

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Meeker says print advertising is down, but should publishers still be terrified? — Print media captures 6 percent of consumers' time but 23 percent of ad spending in 2012, venture capitalist Mary Meeker said in her much-anticipated 2013 Internet Trends report:

Discussion: kpcb.com, Nieman Journalism Lab, AllThingsD and Forbes