Mediagazer: Source: Comcast Launching HBO Broadband Bundle Aimed at Netflix (Karl Bode/DSLreports)

3:40 PM ET, October 25, 2013

Top News:

Atlantic Wire to relaunch, with a new(-ish) name: The Wire — Atlantic Media is gearing up for a relaunch of its prodigious news aggregator, The Atlantic Wire, Capital has learned. — As part of the change, which is slated for sometime in November, the site will shed its titular association …

Discussion: @rubinafillion, @kelseyproud and @moorehn

PublishersWeekly.com:

Kirshbaum to Leave Amazon Publishing — Amazon has confirmed to PW a story in Friday's Shelf Awareness that Larry Kirshbaum will step down as head of Amazon Publishing's general publishing program early next year. Amazon said Kirshbaum's last day will be January 17 and that he plans to return to agenting.

Discussion: Businessweek, Digital Book World and @gigaom

Laura Hazard Owen / Gigaom:

Amazon Publishing reportedly retreating in NYC. Thank (or blame) Barnes & Noble — When Amazon Publishing launched its general trade imprint in New York in 2011, the goal was to go head-to-head with the big traditional publishers here. The company announced in May of that year …

Discussion: New York Times, GalleyCat, CNET, Slate, Bookseller news, GeekWire and @scalzi

Glenn Greenwald / Guardian:

As Europe erupts over US spying, NSA chief says government must stop media — With General Alexander calling for NSA reporting to be halted, US and UK credibility as guardians of press freedom is crushed — The most under-discussed aspect of the NSA story has long been its international scope.

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

NSA chief: Stop reporters ‘selling’ spy documents — The head of the embattled National Security Agency, Gen. Keith Alexander, is accusing journalists of “selling” his agency's documents and is calling for an end to the steady stream of public disclosures of secrets snatched by former contractor Edward Snowden.

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, @timkarr, Techdirt, New York Magazine and @johnmcquaid

Josh Sternberg / Digiday:

YouTube Takes on The News — Much like the Google News homepage, YouTube's news channel aggregates video news content from some of the biggest - and smallest - broadcasters on earth. Also, like Google News, the channel does not actually produce its own journalism.

Discussion: @niemanlab

Tim Wu / New Yorker:

Is Ad Avoidance a Problem? — Back in the twentieth century, people were roughly equal in their power to avoid advertising. Only desert hermits and commune dwellers could truly live ad-free. But today, many people cheerfully claim to be total ad-avoiders, and it has become possible …

Karis Hustad / Christian Science Monitor:

Kickstarting journalism: Is crowdfunding the answer? — Outlets from National Public Radio to ProPublica have turned to crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and Spot.Us to help solve journalism's funding woes and make a bit of online buzz. But is this solution sustainable?

Tom Simonite / MIT Technology Review:

The Decline of Wikipedia — The sixth most widely used website in the world is not run anything like the others in the top 10. It is not operated by a sophisticated corporation but by a leaderless collection of volunteers who generally work under pseudonyms and habitually bicker with each other.

Discussion: Gigaom, The Verge, @eegilbert, @jonfortt, @legalnomads, SlashGear, The Next Web, @bryanappleyard, Techdirt, The Raw Story and Business Insider

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Hulu Hires Disney's Elaine Paul as CFO — Internet TV joint venture's current CFO, Tom Fuelling, will leave the company — Newly appointed Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins has made his first senior hire: Elaine Paul, previously head of strategy and business development at Disney …

Discussion: Hulu Blog, The Wrap and Hollywood Reporter

Guardian:

‘Substantial’ changes to press charter promised — Three main parties discussing changes on ‘parliamentary lock’ that is supposed to protect press from political interference — The three main political parties are expected to make some concessions to the newspaper industry by altering proposals …

Discussion: Press Gazette, Guardian, Guardian and The Drum

Karl Bode / DSLreports:

Source: Comcast Launching HBO Broadband Bundle Aimed at Netflix — An insider familiar with Comcast's promotional plans tells DSLreports that the company is preparing a new broadband and HBO streaming bundle aimed squarely at Netflix. The new promotion will be called “Internet Plus,” …

Discussion: Reuters, Forbes, CNET, Radio & Television …, Light Reading, Wired, Engadget, Yahoo! News, SlashGear, Digital Trends, WebProNews, The Verge and Gigaom

Josef Adalian / Vulture:

FX, Turner, and Netflix Face Off in a Battle of the Binge — Let's say that your friends have become increasingly obsessed with a new TV show that's already on episode eleven of a thirteen-episode season. You finally realize that you are missing out on something great and want to quickly catch …

Discussion: @nymag

Michael Sebastian / AdAge:

Publishers Confront Digital at Conference: ‘Magazines Are the Original Native Ads’ — Real Competition Isn't Each Other but ‘Other Sources of Distraction’ — Joe Ripp, the newly installed CEO at Time Inc., has spent the first eight weeks on the job firing up his troops for the company's spinoff from Time Warner next year.

Craig Douglas / Boston Business Journal:

Judge orders NY Times to set aside all Globe proceeds until class action is resolved — The New York Times Co.'s celebration after selling The New England Media Group to John Henry was likely short-lived yesterday, as a Worcester judge has ordered the Gray Lady to set aside all proceeds …

Beth Healy / The Boston Globe:
John Henry's purchase of The Boston Globe completed

Discussion: Media Nation, New York Times, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Boston Herald, Wall Street Journal, @chaughney, Poynter, JIMROMENESKO.COM, investors.nytco.com and NetNewsCheck Latest

Tim Molloy / The Wrap:

MTV Releases Show's Whole Season on App - a Week Before It Premieres — MTV has found a middle ground between the typical TV strategy of rolling out episodes a week at a time and the Netflix approach of giving viewers a season all at once: It's doing both. — Starting today …

Discussion: VentureBeat, Broadcasting & Cable and Variety