Mediagazer: Why Are E-Book Subscription Start-Ups So Hot? (Stephanie Meyers/Inc.)

8:55 PM ET, October 3, 2013

Top News:

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:

Twitter files to raise $1B, company is not profitable, will trade under ticker TWTR — Twitter had revenue of $253 million in the first six months of 2013 but it was not profitable, according to its S-1 prospectus, which was made public late Thursday. The company filed the official IPO …

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

How Twitter's Ad Business Went From Zero to $500 Million in Less Than Four Years — Just a few years ago, the people who ran Twitter — co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone — didn't even like talking about the notion of selling ads. — But Williams and Stone have moved on.

Discussion: CNET, TechCrunch, ZDNet, @sbermo and @pkafka

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Circa Releases Version 2 For iOS And Android, Adds Breaking News Notifications — Mobile news startup Circa is releasing a new version of its app with an updated interface for discovering and following news, with a big focus on breaking news. The app will allow users to get push notifications …

Discussion: GigaOM, Groundswell, ZDNet, GeekWire, Fast Company, The Next Web, AllThingsD, @roblafave, Journalism.co.uk, VentureBeat and CNET

Hamish McKenzie / PandoDaily:

With the new Circa, news follows you — Today, mobile news startup Circa is launching a new version of its iPhone app, expanding to Android, and is subtly shifting course with its strategy. Circa 2. still delivers news stories broken up into snippets, but it is adding a new focus …

Discussion: Wired, AppNewser and Mashable

Greg Bensinger / Wall Street Journal:

Amazon Readies Set-Top Box for Holidays — Streaming Video Device Would Rival Roku, Apple TV — Amazon.com Inc. is taking steps toward releasing a video-streaming device in time for the holiday selling season, according to people briefed on the company's plans.

Discussion: VentureBeat, Deadline.com, CNET, GeekWire, GigaOM, Yahoo! News, AppleInsider, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Gizmodo, Pocket-lint, ZDNet, WebProNews, Engadget, App Advice, 9to5Mac and Digits

Press Gazette:

Two Mail on Sunday journalists suspended after approaching mourners at memorial for Miliband uncle — The Mail on Sunday has “unreservedly” apologised to Ed Miliband after an uninvited reporter went to a private memorial service he was attending for his late uncle.

Discussion: Guardian and @domponsford

Patrick Wintour / Guardian:
Mail on Sunday ‘sorry’ for gatecrashing Miliband family memorial service

Discussion: @malidaily, @tolpuddletim, @okwonga, @lewiep and BuzzFeed

Guardian:
Daily Mail-Ed Miliband row casts cloud over press regulation talks

Discussion: The Independent

bitly blog:

Bitly's new state map shows where people get their news online — Introducing the Bitly Media Map! — Last March, Bitly teamed up with Forbes to produce a data visualization which looks at how 15 media properties are being disproportionately consumed online on a state-by-state basis over the month of April.

Discussion: Poynter, Nieman Journalism Lab, @bitly, @niemanlab, @bde, Business Insider and Mashable, Thanks:@steverubel

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Scripps Free Ulive Internet Video Site Cuts Cable TV Cord — Programmer's online portal aggregates free Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel and other channels with 70 original web series — No pay TV subscription required: Scripps Networks Interactive is going direct-to-consumer with the launch of Ulive …

Stuart Elliott / New York Times:
Meredith and Scripps expand online video offerings with original shows

Discussion: @zimbalist and FishbowlNY

NationalJournal.com:

There's not just a shutdown. There's a blackout, and it makes journalism suffer. — The Government Shutdown Is Terrible for Transparency — Thursday morning's New York Times starts with a blockbuster story on Obamacare: “A sweeping national effort to extend health coverage to millions …

Discussion: @citizensnews, @freedomofpress and @jasonleopold

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Turner Nets Go Dark on Washington Post Co.'s Cable One, While Verizon FiOS Renews Pact — About 600,000 customers of Washington Post Co.-owned Cable One lost access to Turner Broadcasting System's cable channels Tuesday — which the programmer said is the first blackout in its history …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable and Radio & Television …

Amol Sharma / Wall Street Journal:
Turner Gets Fee Increase From Verizon

Discussion: @tedataca, Corporate Intelligence, Sun Herald and Hollywood Reporter

Rebecca Theim / Poynter:

A year after daily publication ceased in Alabama and New Orleans, media market is ‘fractured’ — B.E. Mintz is attuned to the irony: After the 176-year-old New Orleans Times-Picayune ceased daily publication a year ago this week, “people took the position, 'I'm so angry that I have to read …

Julie Bosman / New York Times:

Novel by Michael Hastings to Be Published Posthumously — Michael Hastings, the journalist and author, had written a novel based on his own life before he was killed in a car crash in June. — That book, described as a fast, funny roman à clef about a young, eager magazine intern …

Discussion: The Huffington Post and The Wrap

Stephanie Meyers / Inc.:

Why Are E-Book Subscription Start-Ups So Hot? — New players are piling into the e-book subscription biz. But wait—don't libraries already lend e-books for free? — Scribd, which first made a name for itself in 2007 as a “YouTube for documents” is jumping into the “Netflix for e-books” …

Peter Osnos / The Atlantic Online:

These Journalists Spent Two Years and $750,000 Covering One Story — It costs a lot, but investigative reporting can save lives. And non-profits lead the way in producing high-quality, in-depth stories. So who's going to pay for them? — In recent weeks, ProPublica has published a major …

Discussion: Strange Attractor, @delong, @miamijournalism, @ron_fournier, @ralpublicrecord, Journalism.org, @davidhains, @kmbtweets, @damiencave, @mikeriggs, @anjalimullany and @tcarmody

BBC:

Profile: Paul Dacre, Daily Mail editor — Paul Dacre has been editor of the Daily Mail since 1992. — He is also editor-in-chief of Associated Newspapers, which publishes titles including the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Metro. — Mr Dacre attended University College School in Hampstead …

Discussion: Channel 4 and Financial Times

Hayley Tsukayama / The Switch:

Capitol shooting gives new Twitter alert system its first major test — As people turned to Twitter to get updates on the shots fired at the Capitol, the office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms took advantage of a new Twitter tool that allows certain accounts — such as government offices …

Discussion: Politico, CNET, @hadas_gold, @lydia_callis and @marksluckie