Mediagazer: Contently Raises $9 Million To Build ‘The Plumbing For Brand Publishing’ (Jeff Bercovici/Forbes)

4:30 PM ET, January 15, 2014

Top News:

Michael Wolff / Slate:

The new Roger Ailes biography isn't just poorly written. It's telling the wrong story. — Gabriel Sherman is part of a group of young media reporters—many starting out at the New York Observer under the tutelage of then-Editor Peter Kaplan, an avowed media nostalgist—who have seen their subject …

Discussion: TVNewser, Mediaite, @buzzfeedben, @ryanchittum, @michaelwolffnyc, @michaelwolffnyc, @adriennelaf, @joekeohane, @laurahelmuth, @david_rosenberg, @ewerickson and @joneforeman

Paul Farhi / Washington Post: Q&A with author of book on Fox's Roger Ailes

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

AOL hands over control of Patch to investment fund Hale Global, keeps small stake — AOL Finds a Home - Off Its Books - for Patch — Patch isn't dead, and AOL isn't officially done with it. But Tim Armstrong's big bet on local news has come to an end: The AOL CEO is handing over Patch …

Discussion: Business Insider, New York Times, Poynter, Wall Street Journal, @pkafka, @poynter and @edmundlee

Liz Goodwin / Yahoo! News:

Why isn't the media allowed to talk to Guantanamo detainees? — GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — It's now been more than 12 years since the first terror suspects arrived at what was then a makeshift, open-air military prison at Guantanamo Bay. Since then, thousands of journalists …

Discussion: @brianstelter, @yahoonews, @lizcgoodwin, TheBlaze.com, @stuartmillar159 and Latest News & Headlines

The Wrap:

TheWrap Beats Deadline Hollywood and Variety's Web Traffic in December — TheWrap is pleased to announce that it has achieved its highest traffic month in the history of the site, surpassing both industry trades Variety and Deadline. — According to comScore, TheWrap scored 3.4 million unique visitors …

Richard Horgan / FishbowlNY: Scintillating TheWrap Stats Also Remind: comScore Counts It Differently [Updated]

Tim Wu / The New Yorker Blog:

FCC's Wheeler can preserve net neutrality by taking back its authority over broadband — Closing Time for the Open Internet — Since 1970 or so, carriers like A. T. & T. and Verizon have been barred from blocking or degrading whatever is transported over their lines.

Discussion: Salon, Gigaom, The Switch, Media Nation, Free Press Blog, The New Republic, TheHill, Ars Technica, @superwuster, @mathewi, Home Media Magazine, The Switch, NYT Bits, Verizon Public Policy, BuzzFeed and Guardian

Tom Wheeler / Official FCC Blog:
Ensuring an Open Internet Now and for the Future

Discussion: Mashable, Gigaom, @tomwheelerfcc, Bloomberg, The Verge, Free Press, @digiphile, @billmcgev, @davidisen, TIME, Medium and Digits

Alex Leo / Newsweek:

The New New Newsweek.com — I know the past couple years have been confusing—it seems like every time you turn around there's a new Newsweek.com. When IBT Media purchased Newsweek last year, it inherited a beautiful site designed by Huge that was launched less than a year ago.

Discussion: @niemanlab

BBC:

Phone-hacking trial: Charlie Brooks CCTV released — CCTV showing Rebekah Brooks' husband Charlie and security staff allegedly trying to hide computers and documents from police has been released. — The hacking trial jury has been shown excerpts from CCTV footage recorded around the building in Chelsea …

Discussion: Daily Mail, ABC, @richardvranch, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Reuters and Telegraph

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian: Phone-hacking trial: judge admonishes police expert witness

Ira Teinowitz / The Wrap:

Rep. Waxman on Tribune Meeting: ‘My Concern About the Fate of the Los Angeles Times Was Not Alleviated’ — Rep. Henry Waxman said Wednesday that his staff had a “helpful meeting” with the general counsel and the chief financial officer of the Tribune Co., but his concerns remain …

Discussion: Politico

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Jim Rutenberg joins Times Magazine — Jim Rutenberg has been named chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, filling the spot created when Matt Bai jumped to Yahoo News in November. — He leaves the newspaper-side role of national political correspondent.

Discussion: Capital New York and FishbowlNY

Jason Deans / Guardian:

James Harding offers the BBC reasons to be cheerful in the digital age — In his debut public speech for the BBC, its news chief seemed on top of his brief - and was remarkably upbeat about the future — “I am, in fact, extremely optimistic about the future of journalism,” …

Discussion: Poynter, bbc.co.uk and BBC

Mark Stone / Sky News:

China Defends Blocking Some Western Websites — Video: Chinese Ambassador: ‘China Is Open’ — China's ambassador to the UK has defended his country's long-standing decision to block some Western media companies, in an interview with Sky News. — Speaking to Sky's Jeff Randall …

Discussion: Press Gazette

Nicole Levy / Capital New York:

Vanity Fair launches Hollywood vertical — Last year, Vanity Fair hired Mike Hogan from The Huffington Post as digital director, and charged him with a familiar task at many legacy magazine publishers these days. — “The idea was to grow VanityFair.com over the course of the next year …

Discussion: FishbowlNY, Capital New York, Columbia University …, @anastasiaashman, @ceodonovan and @jbenton

Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:

After 97 years in NYC, Forbes heads to New Jersey — Forbes Media surprised staffers Tuesday with the news that the “capitalist tool” is moving to New Jersey — vacating the Greenwich Village HQ it has occupied for 49 years. — CEO Mike Perlis gave the word but said the company is looking for …

Discussion: @michaelroston and Capital New York

Eliot Brown / Wall Street Journal:

Time Warner Nears Deal to Sell Headquarters — When Related Cos. needed financing for its $1.3 billion bid for Manhattan's Time Warner Center, it turned to a ready source of money: foreign buyers. — It found willing backers in sovereign-wealth funds from Abu Dhabi and Singapore …

Discussion: @aleclefort and FishbowlNY

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Journalism graduate laments the industry's shift to digital — The reality of digital newsrooms: ‘copy thrown online with a photo’ … It isn't just the old school, such as Brian MacArthur and Phil Moger, who lament the passing of the roar of the presses after the transition to the new digital world.

Discussion: @emilybell and @josephstash

Caroline O'Donovan / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Start small, plan big: How two nonprofit education sites came together to build a network — What started out as two independent nonprofit news sites is now a network of four — with aims to grow larger. — Chalkbeat, the nonprofit education reporting partnership that grew out of GothamSchools …

Discussion: @matthewshaer, @stanforded and @chalkbeat

Amol Sharma / Wall Street Journal:

Viacom to launch customizable kids' TV channel, My Nick Jr., on Verizon FiOS — Viacom to Launch Customized Kids' TV Channel — My Nickelodeon Junior to Combine Elements of Streaming Services Pandora and Netflix — Viacom Inc. plans to launch a children's TV channel in the U.S …

Discussion: Gigaom, Consumerist, The Verge and @zseward

Leila Haddou / Guardian:

Blogger broke news of alleged UK role in 1984 Amritsar attack — Independent researcher and journalist uncovered government papers in the National Archives released under the 30-year rule — The revelation of alleged SAS involvement in the planning of the 1984 expulsion of militants …

Discussion: New York Times and BBC

Hadas Gold / Politico:

MSNBC president defends network, hits Fox News and CNN — MSNBC president Phil Griffin defended his network's handling of recent controversies in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday — and took a jab at his competitors at CNN and Fox News. — “We handled them,” Griffin said.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter and TVNewser

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Contently Raises $9 Million To Build ‘The Plumbing For Brand Publishing’ — Native advertising, content marketing, sponsored content — whatever you call it, it's one of the most powerful currents remaking the publishing business, and Contently is riding right in the middle of it.

Discussion: New York Times, New York Times, The Atlantic Online, Hollywood Reporter, VentureBeat, New York Post, TechCrunch, AdAge, Bloomberg, pevc.dowjones.com, Capital New York and Poynter

Paul Sawers / The Next Web:

Smart TV: Sky officially launches targeted adverts to the UK public — Just like how you're served personalized ads (to a degree) on the Internet, UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB ('Sky') has officially launched its own tailored TV ad program to the public after a six-month trial period.

Discussion: Engadget

William Launder / Wall Street Journal:

Half A Dozen Bidders Remain For Forbes, Mostly From Outside The U.S. — Bidders for Forbes Include Axel Springer, Fosun International and Spice Global — The auction of Forbes Media LLC is drawing interest from an array of international companies, including Germany's Axel Springer SE …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, VCPOST, Reuters, @weigu, NetNewsCheck Latest and Talking Biz News

AFP:

US ‘disappointed’ as Russia refuses journalist visa — Washington — The United States said Tuesday that it was “disappointed” that Russia had denied a visa to American journalist David Satter, who has written three books on the country. “The US embassy in Moscow has raised our concerns …

Discussion: Kirk LaPointe's …