Top News:
Edward Wyatt / DealBook:
Industry Shifts May Aid Comcast in Takeover Bid — On the face of it, the merger of the country's two largest cable companies would seem like a nonstarter, given its steep regulatory hurdles and skepticism from consumer watchdogs. — But Comcast's proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable comes …
Discussion:
DealBook, Los Angeles Times, DealBook, @ericklinenberg, Mashable, The Lead with Jake Tapper, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, cnbc.com and Re/code
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Michael J. Copps / Columbia Journalism Review:
Journalists need to generate a national discussion on the future of the internet — Journalists need to generate a national discussion on the future of the internet — Dear Journalists: — You may wonder why a long-time regulator like me is writing to you.
Discussion:
Gigaom, @cjr, @mparekh, @edwardericsonjr, The Newspaper Guild and Boing Boing
Alex Weprin / Capital New York:
Comcast deal could put NY1 in FiOS homes — Comcast's acquisition of Time Warner Cable could be a boon for NY1, TWC's beloved local cable news channel. — According to an open letter from Comcast executive V.P. David L. Cohen, cable channels owned by Time Warner Cable would be subject …
Discussion:
Gigaom, @jkealing, @joshrobin, New York Magazine, PandoDaily, Home Media Magazine, CNET and Gothamist
Amy Schatz / Re/code:
Peering could replace net neutrality as one of the key issues in Comcast-Time Warner review — Sleeper Issue Peers Around the Corner of Comcast-Time Warner Deal — Comcast executives scored big points three years ago with the Federal Communications Commission by volunteering to abide …
Discussion:
@waltmossberg and Deadline.com
Jeanine Poggi / AdAge:
What Comcast-Time Warner Cable Means for Advertising — A Better Alternative for National Advertisers, More Reach for Addressable Ads — Comcast's planned acquisition of Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion in stock will shake up the TV landscape, intensify the conversation around carriage disputes …
Discussion:
Capital New York, Variety, Business Insider, NY Daily News and CNBC
Heidi Moore / Guardian:
The Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger is not a marriage made to last
The Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger is not a marriage made to last
Discussion:
Fortune, Corporate Intelligence, @moorehn, @rwc356, AlterNet.org, MoneyBeat, @moorehn, Digits and Variety
Lee Fang / Republic Report:
Revolving Door: Top Obama Admin Antitrust Officials Tied To Comcast
Revolving Door: Top Obama Admin Antitrust Officials Tied To Comcast
Discussion:
The Switch, Politico, @lhfang, AdExchanger, Fortune, Gigaom and Ars Technica
Susan Crawford / Bloomberg:
Comcast's Time Warner Deal Is Bad for America
Comcast's Time Warner Deal Is Bad for America
Discussion:
Slate, Digiday, Mediaite, TVNewser, DealBook, ReadWrite, @dankennedy_nu, @stevenlevy, @stevenlevy, Guardian, @scottros, @themightychris, Wired, @harvard_law, Mashable, The New York Observer, BuzzFeed, @froomkin, Consumerist, @agolis, @kpkelleher and Gigaom
Roy Greenslade / Guardian:
Piers Morgan was questioned by Scotland Yard's hacking squad — Former Daily Mirror editor confirms he was interviewed by officers from Operation Weeting in December — Piers Morgan, the CNN presenter who used to edit the Daily Mirror, has been interviewed under caution by Scotland Yard detectives investigating phone-hacking.
Discussion:
BBC, Latest News & Headlines, Politico, TVNewser, Sky News, The Huffington Post, Contactmusic.com, Daily Mail, MarketWatch, Associated Press, Irish Examiner, The Independent, Telegraph, National Updates, National Updates, Digital Journal, London News, Daily Star, Reuters, NBC News, @williamsjon, @drevanharris, Trust.org, @arse2mouse, Trust.org and @jonronson
Lucia Moses / Adweek:
The Guardian's Unusual Take on Native Ads — The Guardian is jumping on the native ad trend—but, in character for the British newspaper, it's doing so in its own way. Today it announced the first client, Unilever, of Guardian Labs, its in-house branded content unit.
Discussion:
GNM press office, MediaPost, @noahchestnut, @niemanlab, Flashes & Flames, InPublishing, thedrum.com, The Dish and Press Gazette
Mark Sweney / Guardian:
Guardian Media Group takes 15% stake in digital training company — Decoded, based in London's Silicon Roundabout, has trained more than 7,000 people to ‘Code in a Day’ — The parent company of the Guardian has taken a minority stake in Decoded, the London-based digital training company …
Eric J. Smith / NetNewsCheck:
McClatchy Print Slide Offset By Digital Gains — While ad revenue continued to slide during McClatchy Co.'s fourth quarter, the company said its print declines were partially offset by 2.2% growth in direct marketing and total digital advertising. — The McClatchy Co. today reported total …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Poynter, The State, bizjournals, PR Newswire, Talking New Media, RTTNews and Merced Sun-Star & …
Peter Travers / Rolling Stone:
De La Soul to Make Entire Catalog Available for Free — Pioneering hip-hop group also releasing flood of new music — In honor of next month's 25th anniversary of their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul are making their entire catalog available for free download for 25 hours on the group's website.
Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
Twitter Photos Blocked In Venezuela, Users Say — A social media crackdown as protests threaten the government. — WASHINGTON — Twitter photos and videos appear to be blocked in Venezuela as the government there attempts to reassert control amid widespread public protests.
Discussion:
The Next Web, @romustgo, Softpedia News, Committee to Protect … and BBC
Elizabeth Dwoskin / Wall Street Journal:
Pandora to let advertisers target listeners based on its sense of their political leanings — Internet Radio Service Builds Profiles of Its Audience — Pandora Hopes to Build Ad Revenue by Pinpointing Likely Voting Preferences — Next time you listen to a Bob Marley channel on Pandora Media Inc. …
Discussion:
NetNewsCheck Latest, @wsjd, @wsjpersonaltech, @zeynep, @peteskomoroch, @a_grossman, @cschweitz and @reformedbroker
Jessica Misener / BuzzFeed:
This American Life and Google team up for a podcast-style Valentine's Day doodle — The Story Behind Today's Super Romantic Google Doodle — This American Life's Ira Glass tells BuzzFeed about the radio-inspired stories gracing today's Google homepage, as well as why social media unnerves him, and his own Valentine's Day plans.
Discussion:
Mashable, @jessmisener, @jaredbkeller and CNET
Anna Prior / Wall Street Journal:
Liberty Global's Loss Narrows — Revenue Up on Gains From Virgin Media Acquisition — Liberty Global PLC's fourth-quarter loss narrowed as revenue improved amid gains from its Virgin Media acquisition. — Liberty Global, led by media mogul John Malone, has pursued an aggressive global expansion, focusing on Europe.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Business Wire, Hollywood Reporter and Digital TV Europe
Ben Fox Rubin / Wall Street Journal:
Scripps Networks's Revenue Rises on Stronger Ad Sales — Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. said its fourth-quarter revenue rose 8.2% as the media company benefited from higher ad sales and affiliate-fees revenue. — The niche lifestyle-cable-channel owner, which runs HGTV and Travel Channel …
Trent Wolbe / The Verge:
Can we save AM radio? — Keeping amplitude modulation out of the dustbin of history — Before Facebook, before the internet, before cellphones and TV and even FM radio, there was AM radio. Entire families would gather around elaborate refrigerator-sized receivers and bask in the warm glow …
Eric Deggans / NPR:
Redefining Hollywood: ‘Diversity Makes More Money’ — If you spend much time talking about diversity in Hollywood, it's an argument you'll hear often: that ethnic and gender diversity is nice, but it doesn't make a movie profitable or bring ratings to a TV show.
Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:
Guardian among 'World's Best-Designed Newspapers' in SND contest — Peter Nguyen has some advice for newspapers submitting entries for next year's World's Best-Designed Newspapers competition: Consider bagging the special issues. “There were a lot of Mandela issues, and you know all the big special events …
Discussion:
SND, The Huffington Post and SND